AEW wrestler Konosuke Takeshita is eagerly awaiting his participation in the imminent NJPW G1 Climax 34 tournament. In an interview with NJPW1982.com ahead of Saturday’s tournament launch, Takeshita stated:
“I’m really anticipating it. I’ve had 13 years in the wrestling profession, but my interest began as a fan. My first memory of wrestling was when Antonio Inoki was retiring, I was only two or three years old. I grew up with a multitude of Inoki tapes in our home. As a child, my usual rentals were a Kamen Rider or Ultraman tape. My father, a fan of Inoki, had a collection of his videos. He introduced me to Inoki when I asked about him, saying he was more powerful than both Kamen Rider and Ultraman combined. That’s when I started to love wrestling, with NJPW being my introduction. From then on, I explored broader horizons in wrestling, from major leagues to independent circuits, including Japan, America and Mexico. In terms of NJPW, it was the time when Yuji Nagata was champion.”
Further on, he added, “For a heavyweight wrestler, the G1 experience is transformative. I was informed by the AEW wrestlers who have been there that this is the most challenging tour in all of pro wrestling. I’m absolutely keen to undergo this experience.”
Additionally, Tommy Dreamer expressed immense admiration for the hour-long duel between MJF and Will Ospreay that was a part of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite episode.
In the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, Dreamer commended both fighters for their stellar performance. Among the highlights he noted from the podcast were the challenge of sustaining energy for an hour-long match, leaning on the fans’ energy when you’re 48 minutes in and the clock is ticking. Talking about Wednesday’s match, he described it as a “masterful piece of art” and admired the segments where MJF attempted a clothesline leading to a Spanish Fly.
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