In a recent interview with DDT Pro, AEW wrestler Konosuke Takeshita discussed the possibility of wrestling Kota Ibushi, which he believes could happen “any time.”
Takeshita said, “Anytime is fine with me. But realistically, the only ring where we can have such a match is AEW. In that sense, it is a dream come true, because AEW is an organization where dream matches are commonplace.So, Japanese fans, please save your money and come to the U.S. to see this event.I want DDT fans to experience the atmosphere here. If I really like Ibushi, I’ll do it in any ring in Japan or the U.S. If Mr. Takagi sees that and gets passionate about it and says, ‘Okay, let’s do it in DDT, too!’ I’ll go back to Japan. But I have made the decision to put my life on the line, and as a result, I am here now.That’s why I want everyone…wrestlers, organizations, and fans to take action.I want everyone to experience that by taking action, a path will open up.I still want DDT to take a risky challenge for Sanshiro Takagi. Of course, there may be a big risk in calling Jericho, but by doing it with me, it won’t be that risk, so you can rest assured that Takagi will see it.”
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Mark Briscoe commented on returning to AEW after five months away from the ring.
Briscoe stated that he feels great after recovering from the knee surgery that was required to fix a torn MCL, PCL, and meniscus. The ROH Hall of Famer had been dealing with these issues since 2018.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On traveling without his brother: “At first I didn’t think about it. Then 45 minutes into the drive, I’d be balling. I’m getting used to it. It’s like our new normal. But when something catches me off guard, that’s when it hits me.”
On when he realized his knee was hurt: “I was changing one of our baby’s diapers, and that knee went out on me. The pain was so sharp, it dropped me. This has been ongoing since 2018. Me and my brother were going over for the CMLL Grand Prix. We’d gone over the previous year, and this was the second year in a row we were going. Before we left, I remember a match against Jay Lethal, it may have been a six-man, and I tweaked it. I didn’t make it to the CMLL Grand Prix, but I was back within about a month–I got a cortisone and a knee brace, and I kept rolling. This June, I had the Concession Stand Match with Jarrett, and it was about the time they announced it was me vs. Claudio at the summer pay-per-view. I get home, had the sharp pain when I was changing the diaper, and then that started happening multiple times a day and my knee kept locking up.”
On getting surgery and how he feels now: “I apologized to Tony Khan, but he wasn’t mad. Tony hooked me up with the Jaguars’ team doctor. I had arthroscopic knee surgery to clean it up, and that’s when they found a floating piece of cartilage that was causing the problem. Now I’m feeling great. I’m excited to get back in that ring. I’ve been waiting to scratch this itch ever since I went out with the knee. I’ve been waiting, and I don’t particularly handle all that free time too well. Next thing you know, my wife is pregnant.”
