"Future’s gotta be now, or it’s gotta be never" - Kenny Omega shares honest thoughts about rising 27-year-old's wrestling career (Exclusive)

Former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega has begun his 2023 in style by winning two different championships for two different promotions. However, The Cleaner feels that it may be now or never for one rising star if they are to have a successful year of their own.

The star in question is Japanese sensation Konosuke Takeshita, who had a breakout year in 2022 with standout matches against the likes of Jon Moxley, Hangman Page, and Eddie Kingston.

Takeshita has gained a loyal following in AEW for his high-impact style that was on full display against Bryan Danielson on the January 11th edition of Dynamite. But despite catching the attention of the main event players in All Elite Wrestling, the 27-year-old hasn't been able to truly call himself a main event player himself.

During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Jason Parker to promote the upcoming Like A Dragon: Ishin! game, in which Kenny Omega will be a character in the form of a Trooper Card, the former AEW World Champion had this to say about Konosuke Takeshita's future:

"You know, Takeshita, I was there when they had said this guy is the future of our company, when he debuted in DDT. And my response at that point was “Okay, cool. I’ll cheer for him, I wish him the best, and I guess we’ll see about that”. And here are in 2022, 2023, and he’s still kind of, um, still holding onto that name, “the future”, Takeshita, and it’s either, it’s been, jeez, 10 years since that time, Takeshita, it’s either time you show that you are the future, or maybe, the future’s gotta be now, or it’s gotta be never." said Kenny Omega.

Omega and Takeshita faced each other a number of times during their time in the DDT promotion in Japan. However, a lot has changed since the last time they squared off. Will they meet in an AEW ring? Only time will tell!

Like A Dragon: Ishin! will be released on February 23rd, 2023, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.

One of Kenny Omega's closest friends has been spending a lot of time with Konosuke Takeshita

Given the similarities between Kenny Omega and Konosuke Takeshita in terms of their careers and in-ring style, it shouldn't come as a surprise that a lot of people have high hopes for the 27-year-old.

However, the most notable person to take a ventured interest in Takeshita's career in AEW has been Kenny Omega's "Invisible Hand" Don Callis, who sees big things in Konosuke's future.

Takeshita and Callis' relationship stretches far beyond the backstage segment shown above. During AEW's recent time in the state of California, Don and Konosuke have spent a lot of time together outside the ring.

The two men were spotted together at an LA Clippers game, as well as the annual PWG Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where Konosuke reached the final but was eventually defeated by former Impact Wrestling X-Division Champion, "Speedball" Mike Bailey.

What do you think the future holds for Konosuke Takeshita? Let us know in the comments section below!

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