There is a new TNT Champion in All Elite Wrestling. On Thursday’s episode of AEW Collision, Kyle Fletcher defeated Dustin Rhodes in a bloody and brutal Street Fight to capture the title, marking the first singles championship of his AEW career. The victory came after a violent main event that saw Fletcher resort to sadistic measures to secure the win.
Kyle Fletcher Brutalizes Dustin Rhodes to Win TNT Title
The main event of Collision was contested under Street Fight rules, and both men took full advantage of the stipulation. The match was a bloody affair that saw Fletcher target the knee of the veteran Rhodes. In one of the most vicious moments of the match, Fletcher repeatedly stabbed Rhodes’ right knee with a screwdriver, at one point leaving the tool stuck in his flesh. Despite the brutal assault, the resilient Rhodes refused to give up. However, the damage was done. Fletcher eventually kicked out of a small package attempt from Rhodes, hit a running knee, and then landed his Protoplex brain buster to get the pinfall and win the championship. Fletcher wasn’t satisfied with just the victory, as he continued his assault after the match, wrapping Rhodes’ injured knee around the ring post and slamming it with a steel chair.
A Short-Lived Reign for “The Natural”
For Dustin Rhodes, the title loss marks the end of a brief but emotional reign. “The Natural” captured the TNT Championship at the All In event this past July, winning a four-way match for the title that had been vacated due to an injury to Adam Cole. The championship win was a feel-good moment for the beloved veteran, marking his first singles title in AEW. He had one successful title defense during his short run, defeating Lee Moriarty on last Saturday’s episode of Collision before losing the title to Fletcher this week.
A New Era for the “Workhorse” Championship
This is a landmark victory for Kyle Fletcher. Since debuting with AEW in June 2022, he has primarily been known as a tag team specialist alongside his Aussie Open partner, Mark Davis. Together, they held the ROH World Tag Team titles in 2023. Fletcher also had a 196-day reign as the ROH Television Champion. This TNT Championship win, however, marks his official breakout moment as a singles star in AEW. The TNT title has long been considered the “workhorse” championship of the company, and Fletcher’s intense, physical style makes him a fitting holder of that legacy.
The violent and decisive manner in which Kyle Fletcher won the TNT Championship and the brutal post-match assault send a clear message to the rest of the AEW locker room. With the “workhorse” title now in his possession, Fletcher is poised to become a centerpiece of AEW Collision. A new challenger will surely emerge soon, but they will have to contend with a champion who has proven he is willing to go to sadistic lengths to keep his gold.
