How Tony Khan Changed Kyle Fletcher's AEW Career (Exclusive)

"I've always had an awesome relationship with Tony. I speak to him regularly. We have great conversations about anything and everything," Fletcher told The Takedown on SI on Monday afternoon.

"Very early on, when I got to AEW, just in random passing one day, he said that he thinks I have the brightest future in all of professional wrestling. And that was, hearing that, even though it was just in passing, I went like, 'dang, dude. Like, that's what you think of me.' That's that's super high praise, right?"

Opportunity Opens in AEW For Fletcher

While 2025 has been a great year for the TNT Champion, it has come at the expense of AEW losing some of its top stars.

Will Ospreay is out of action until well into 2026 with a neck injury, and Swerve Strickland has been sidelined with knee issues. Throw in Kenny Omega being on a semi-active schedule, and there were lanes of opportunity for someone like Fletcher to take up. He believes he's making the most of the TV time given to him.

"It just came down to timing. A lot of things with wrestling is timing, that with these, like I said, opportunities came up. Spots needed to be filled, and I stepped into that role," Fletcher said.

For example, Fletcher was set to face Adam Cole at AEW All In: Texas, prior to Cole having to vacate the TNT Championship due to injuries. While he didn't win the impromptu four-way match for the title, he would go on to win it shortly thereafter in a bloody affair with Dustin Rhodes. Now, he finds himself chasing greatness.

"Those opportunities were something I'd been waiting for my entire career, my entire life," he said. "So I wasn't going to let them slip away. And yeah, I think Tony saw that every opportunity I got given, I gave it my all. I gave my everything. He sees how much I love, how much I love pro wrestling."

You can find more from this conversation on The Takedown on SI's YouTube channel later this week.