“Mentally Exhausting”: Tony Khan’s AEW Receives Harsh Critique by Former Rookie of the Year

Tony Khan is able to sign big names for his promotion. But it seems like he cannot make all of them feel at home. An overseas talent recently sat down in an interview with one of the promotions from back home and revealed that he has not had fun wrestling in the ring ever since he arrived in the United States. The star in question is none other than AEW’s Konosuke Takeshita.

Ever since he arrived in AEW in late 2022, the wrestler has dished out exemplary performances defeating some of the big names like Kenny Omega. However, Takeshita recently reflected on how it is not a fun experience wrestling in America.

Takeshita is unable to have fun in Tony Khan’s AEW

The Japanese superstar is currently signed to both AEW and DDT Pro Wrestling. In a recent interview with the latter promotion, Takeshita revealed the stark difference he observed in both the Japanese and the American wrestling circles. The ‘Rookie of the Year’ claimed, “Everyone felt like they’re having fun Wrestling here (in Japan). I didn’t had any fun wrestling ever since I got to America. The effort was bearing fruit, but I didn’t feel the enjoyment.”

“It was the most mentally exhausting period in all 12 years of my wrestling career. However, when I stopped having fun, my matches were better received and I gained more recognition,” he added. It appears that things have changed for Takeshita ever since he entered AEW in the US.

Even though his performances are better received now than before, he claims to not have fun in the squared circle anymore. Before arriving in the USA, Takeshita believed that hard work could help him reach places, but he quickly realized that there were a lot of other factors involved in getting good air-time and that seems to have put him off.

Meanwhile, the lack of some storyline to keep the talent engaged in the feud might also be one of the reasons for the Japanese star’s dissatisfaction. Recently, a wrestling veteran complained about the same thing about Tony Khan’s promotion.

Tony Khan advised to focus more on storylines

Dutch Mantell spoke about Tony Khan’s AEW in a recent episode of his podcast. While talking, he mentioned how he has observed a constant downfall of the promotion ever since it debuted in the pro wrestling industry. Although the President of AEW has access to a star-studded roster, he is still suffering from low ratings and low attendance during shows.

According to Mantell, this is because Khan’s creatives focus less on building a storyline. This allows the audience to disengage from the shows quickly, resulting in the disappointing stats that we see nowadays. The retired wrestler advised the businessman to focus on storylines more to keep the audience stimulated even when the shows are yet to air. “But the show just it looks second-rate to WWE show. One of the things that make it look second rate is the lighting and the fact that nobody comes to the shows,” Mantell noted.

Do you think Konosuke Takeshita is missing a good storyline? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.