Kyle Fletcher Is Ready For Prime Time, And Ready For The AEW Championship (Exclusive)

During a fiery promo this past week on AEW Dynamite, "Hangman" Adam Page told Kyle Fletcher he saw so much of himself in him when he got his first opportunity at the AEW World Championship against Chris Jericho. Through all of Page's praise, he told Fletcher that he wasn't ready for the opportunity.

Fletcher says he's heard it all before.

"I think hearing Hangman say it... it just reminded me of every other time I've heard it in my career," he says. "I've heard that I'm not ready or not good enough. Literally since I started wrestling training at 14 years old, and I've heard it time and time again. I think hearing that just puts that chip on my shoulder that I want to prove him wrong. I've put so much work into this. I never stopped thinking about wrestling. I love it with all my heart, and I've worked so hard on it for over a decade plus now."

Critique and criticism is nothing new in the wrestling business, but Fletcher says Hangman's comments make him want to prove him wrong, and to show him, AEW, and the world that he is ready. Fletcher tells me how excited he is that his first world championship win, something he's dreamed about his entire career, might happen on Saturday, but he's ready to show everyone who he is, and why he's there.

"More than anything, I just want to prove that I'm ready for that spot, and I'm deserving of that spot."

Shedding His Hair Was Symbolic, Another Step In Becoming Who He Was Born To Be

Although aligned with Will Ospreay initially, Kyle Fletcher turned heel and joined the Don Callis Family, setting the tone and tenor for his trajectory with AEW. During his first heel promo after joining Callis, he took a remarkable step and shaved his head in the ring, shedding the proverbial skin of who he once was, and setting a new course.

Fletcher says the moment reflects a new level of maturity in his career, something he needed to do.

I think it was symbolic, but it was also needed for me to become who I was meant to be

"I think it was something I needed to do to shed who I was before and to grow into, I think, into a man in the ring," Fletcher says. "I think beforehand, I felt like someone who was always... I needed to prove myself. I was still on the climb up. I was still like, maybe one day I'll get there. I'm just happy to be here, happy to be doing whatever. I think it was symbolic, but it was also needed for me to become who I was meant to be. And now when I'm out there, I feel so confident in who I am as a wrestler, so confident in who I am as a person as well. When I'm out there, I'm totally in the moment and I'm loving it. I think it really helped me feel like the total package."

Fletcher tells me his match against Will Ospreay at AEW Revolution this past March further accentuated the tone change in his career, and was a moment he said he felt the tides turn for him.

"When I was out there, man, I almost felt the tides turning whilst I was in the ring, because you get those moments in matches sometimes where you get a split second to pause, you're laying on the mat, and you just can feel the energy in the room. On that night, I really felt that energy, and I was able to lay there and think, 'Wow, we have something special going on here.' I think from that day, my career trajectory has not been the same since."

Kyle Fletcher's Trajectory Is No Accident, And AEW Is Doubling Down

After his impressive win over Dustin Rhodes for the TNT Championship in a bloody war on AEW Collision in July, Kyle Fletcher began to set his course for the main event spot in AEW. Aligning himself with the Don Callis Family, he quickly set himself apart from his peers as a new major player in the group and the company.

During the eight-man tag match between Fletcher, Josh Alexander, and The Young Bucks against Kenny Omega, "Hangman" Adam Page, and JetSpeed from the September 3rd AEW Dynamite, Fletcher was the breakout star of the affair, getting the pin on Kevin Knight to secure the victory. The significance of him getting the pin in a match with The Elite is not lost on him, further reinforcing AEW's belief in him as their next big star.

"I think any time you get put in a spot like that, I mean, even just getting to wrestle guys like Hangman and Omega, I think just that in itself shows the level that Tony perceives me at, and hopefully that the fans will then perceive me at, that I'm at that level as well. I mean, I watched AEW since its inception in 2019. Hangman and Omega have been - The Young Bucks, as well, they were in that match - They've been the figureheads of the company the whole time, so I think to now be mentioned in the same vein as them, yeah, it really does put in perspective to me the position I'm in and the opportunity that I now have. I mean, taking out Omega, facing Hangman, I hope that it's just a sign of things to come for the future."

While he's gearing up for his AEW World Championship match against "Hangman" Adam Page at All Out, Fletcher has the potential to make a quick rise inside AEW as its next big prime time player. While Fletcher's ready for it, he stops short of saying he's a potential new AEW Pillar for its next generation of stars.

"Man, I think I would love to view myself that way, but I don't think that is for me to decide," he says. "I think, especially the Pillar notion is something that it felt like the fans were in charge of. They were the ones that dubbed the Pillars. I know I'm going to be with AEW for a long time to come. I love AEW with all my heart, and I hope to be a part of that growth. I just want to do anything I can to help spread the word, to help make AEW feel special, to go out there and have some of the greatest matches of all time, just to keep making AEW into a bigger and bigger spectacle because that's what I want to see. If I can be a part of it, if I can be at the forefront of it, that's just icing on the cake."

AEW All Out takes place this Saturday, September 20th, live from the Scotia Bank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can watch the entire event on HBO Max with a special start time of 3:00 PM Eastern Time. Check your local listings for start times in your area.