IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita will miss upcoming AEW television tapings as he returns to DDT-Pro Wrestling for the first time in six months. The Japanese star, who is under contract with AEW, NJPW, and DDT-Pro, has confirmed dates in Japan that overlap with AEW’s U.S. taping schedule.
DDT-Pro officially announced Takeshita’s return, revealing he will appear at multiple shows in early November.
“14th IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita will be taking part on the November 6th Shinjuku FACE, and November 8th and 9th Kumamoto shows!” the company announced on social media.
These appearances will prevent Takeshita from attending AEW’s November 8 Collision taping in Houston, Texas. Additionally, the travel distance and 14-hour time difference make it virtually impossible for him to appear live on the November 5 Dynamite broadcast.
The scheduling conflict comes during a major career moment for Takeshita. He recently defeated Zack Sabre Jr. at King of Pro Wrestling to capture the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. After his victory, Takeshita expressed his desire to represent the title worldwide, while remaining committed to fulfilling his obligations across promotions.
“I’ll move things around if I need to,” Takeshita said following his win, emphasizing his willingness to balance his commitments.
As a key member of The Don Callis Family, Takeshita remains a central figure in AEW programming. He is currently scheduled to team with Kazuchika Okada to challenge Bandido and Brody King for the AEW World Tag Team Championship at WrestleDream on October 18.
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📢BIG NEWS‼️
＼14th IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita will be taking part on the November 6th Shinjuku FACE, and November 8th and 9th Kumamoto shows!#ddtpro #AEW #njpw #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/YEaCFIfhLE
— DDT Pro-Wrestling (English) (@ddtproENG) October 16, 2025
