AEW's Kyle Fletcher Discusses Feud With Will Ospreay, Championship Aspirations

Kyle Fletcher delivered the promo of his life on October 23's "AEW Dynamite." With a fervor bordering on psychosis at times, Fletcher denounced his former friend and ally Will Ospreay and gave himself a homegrown haircut in the process. Fans and pundits such as WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray praised the promo for its intensity, and what this might signal for Fletcher's character moving forward. Fletcher appeared on "Battleground Podcast"  with his new self-styled trim to discuss the promo and what he hopes to achieve with his new outlook.

"That was years, possibly, of pent-up frustration coming out," Fletcher said. "The reason behind it was it was almost me shedding the comparison, shedding the skin of Will Ospreay. Shedding that stink and coming into this new era of Kyle Fletcher where I can stand on my own and be my own man." Ironically, Fletcher said he took cues on how to escape Ospreay's shadow by studying Ospreay himself. "Looking at his trajectory, what he did with Okada, what happened between him and Omega, he laid out the best way to get out of someone's shadow," Fletcher said. "I left New Japan because I wanted to do my own thing. ... and Ospreay followed me here."

Fletcher decided he'd had enough when he attacked Ospreay with a screwdriver at WrestleDream, subsequently recommitting himself to The Don Callis Family. He says once he's properly dispensed of Ospreay, he intends to be a contender for the AEW World Championship. "I know my end goal is best of all time, multiple-time world champion," he said. "I don't know what the path to get there looks like yet. All I know is the next step, and the next step to that end goal is putting Ospreay in my rearview."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Battleground Podcast" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.