G1 Climax 35 winner Konosuke Takeshita discussed his wife Yuka Sakazaki‘s role in him winning NJPW’s biggest tournament.
On Sunday, August 17, Konosuke Takeshita defeated EVIL in the finals of the G1 Climax 35 to become the tournament’s grand winner. This entitles him to a future shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. His big win sent him straight to the cover of the Weekly Pro-Wrestling magazine in Japan.
The following day, Takeshita attended a press conference to discuss his victory. He wishes to continue dominating the wrestling world across AEW, NJPW, and DDT, including appearances in Mexico and Canada. He also has his eyes set on the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between Zack Sabre Jr. and Nigel McGuinness at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. Regardless of the match’s outcome, he promises that he will be capable of traveling to Japan when the time is right for him to make his challenge.
Konosuke Takeshita on receiving support from Yuka Sakazaki
Konosuke Takeshita then mentioned how his wife, Yuka Sakazaki, has been his rock throughout the G1 Climax. He opened up about the difficulties of long-distance communication as Yuka stayed in America during the tournament, but text messages and phone calls helped them keep in touch. “When I’m nervous or out of sorts before a match, she just tells me ‘Konosuke Takeshita is the best’ and with those words in mind, I’m able to go out there. In the ring, it’s always just me. There’s the fans, maybe people seconding outside the ring that can give some power, but in the end, it’s just about what you can do as an individual. There’s so much preparation that goes into that mentally. The moments before I step through the curtain are the most important, and that’s when she is so important to me,” he says.
Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki previously revealed their marriage via Instagram earlier this May. The two are currently signed to AEW and primarily based in the United States.
Sakazaki has also bantered with Kyle Fletcher, Takeshita’s ally in the Don Callis Family, online over being Takeshita’s true significant other.
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