AEW Star Issues Scathing Rebuke To NJPW After Konosuke Takeshita's IWGP Title Victory

2025 G1 Climax Winner Konosuke Takeshita is now the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion after dethroning Zack Sabre Jr. on Monday. The win marked the end of a long saga between NJPW and Takeshita, as detailed by former NJPW star and Takeshita's Don Callis Family stablemate, Rocky Romero on X (formerly Twitter).

"You know what the biggest mistake NJPW ever made was? Not accepting Konosuke Takeshita into the dojo," Romero wrote. "That's right—his dream was just to compete here, and they turned him away. And now? Now he stands as YOUR IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. The man NJPW rejected is better than every single wrestler on this roster. That's the real slap in the face to every so-called NJPW fan."

Romero went on to lambast former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto for taking until the age of 45 to accomplish all that Takeshita has accomplished.

"Hirooki Goto? He'll fail like he always has," Romero continued. "He's a loser. He's always been a loser. Goto finally won at 45, but Takeshita? He became champion at 30. That's the difference. That's the truth. And deep down, NJPW fans are furious because they know it—Takeshita is greater than everyone in New Japan."

Takeshita is looking to add more gold to his resume, as the former AEW International Champion will team with Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada to take on AEW World Tag Team Champions Bandido and Brody King at the upcoming WrestleDream event on October 18, though the two men have been less-than-amicable in their teaming so far.