Konosuke Takeshita looms large over New Japan Pro Wrestling already but he has a chance in the coming months to add another championship title to his NJPW legacy. This will transpire at Wrestle Kingdom 20 with the IWGP heavyweight champion, Takeshita, indicating who he wants to face on January 4th after a rthe New Japan figurehead and stalwart ace will retirethe Don Callis family got on the micropbuilding quite a resume outside of the All Elite Wrestling sphere.ki Goto in Gifu at the Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Homecoming card.
Takeshita was eventually greeted by IWGP Global Champion Yota Tas Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada have had friction with one anotherboth men agreeing to put their belts on the line in a champ vs. champ fight as we encroach upon 2026. Tsuji bested Hiroshi Tanahashi in the penultimate matchup of that referenced event. In referencing Tanahashi once again, the New Japan figurehead and stalwart ace figure will retire from professional wrestling.
Just a few weeks out from capturing the coveted IWGP crown from Zack Sabre Jr., Takeshita seems keen on building up a deeper resume of successful title defenses to cement himself into the history books even more. Konosuke Takeshita notched the first official defense of his IWGP crown when he connected on Goto with a Raging Fire and would presumably want to keep the flame alive at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th.
NJPW made this Wrestle Kingdom main event official over the weekend and this high stakes clash between two titleholders certainly has some of that blockbuster, marquee value that’s expected from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s big annual tentpole event.
Konosuke Takeshita sends a succinct message after his IWGP title defense
Konosuke Takeshita has a massive legacy in the pro wrestling space with the former AEW international champion building quite the resume outside of the All Elite Wrestling sphere. Takeshita took to social media after his victory over the weekend to send out a brief yet authoritative message regarding his enduring status as the IWGP champion when he took to his X page and stated,
“Still!!!!”
Though he seems to be in some dysfunction in the Don Callis family as Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada have friction with one another on AEW television, Takeshita is thriving at the top of the New Japan Pro Wrestling mountain, a position Okada himself once held.
STILL!!!! pic.twitter.com/yO62v4saRo
— Konosuke Takeshita (@Takesoup) November 2, 2025