As he heads into the biggest match of his career this weekend at AEW All Out, TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher took the time to reflect on his journey and credit his long-time tag team partner, Mark Davis, for his success. Fletcher and Davis, known collectively as Aussie Open, have been one of the most acclaimed tag teams in the world for years, but a series of injuries to Davis has forced Fletcher to embark on a singles run that has seen him rise to become one of the top stars in All Elite Wrestling. In a recent interview with Forbes, the “Protostar” opened up about his deep friendship with Davis and the impact their partnership has had on his career, making it clear that he carries a piece of his partner with him every time he steps into the ring.
Fletcher discussed the challenges of being in a tag team when one partner is injured and how Tony Khan’s belief in him opened up new opportunities.
“Mark Davis and I started teaming around 2017, and a lot of our success came together when we traveled the world. When you span the globe for five years with one person, you naturally get pretty close with them, so that’s been very cool. I was 18 years old when we started teaming. I didn’t know who I was as a person yet, let alone a wrestler, so having my best friend there with me for all that stuff, it was so helpful in many ways. I’m not sure if I would have had the same success that I did by myself at that time, and without a doubt, I would not be where I am today without him. He’s meant so much to me. And then there are all the injuries he’s suffered. As a friend, seeing it is very hard. It’s difficult because I want the success that I’ve had for him… But from speaking to him, he kind of sees my successes as his successes in a way which is really cool, which makes me feel good about it, that I can almost do this thing for both of us.”
He also spoke about how he has evolved as a performer and now relies more on his own instincts in the ring.
“My whole career, I’ve tried to be inspired by other people that I watched as a kid and thought, oh man, they’re so cool. I’ve tried to take pieces of that throughout my career, but you get to a certain point where it’s more important to carve your own path and to start doing your own things. With this most recent run, where I shaved my head, I call myself ‘The Protostar.’ Since then, I’ve relied less from others for inspiration and trust my own instincts more, which you can see in the ring. Now, I’m really just feeling it when I’m out there. I’m at a place where I’m confident in the ring. And so, when I get this feeling of, ‘Oh, I should do this,’ there’s no hesitation behind it.”
H/T to Fightful for the transcription. Thanks for checking out this article. Make sure to follow Jeff Jarrett and all things GFE on Facebook.
Thanks for checking out this article. Make sure to follow Jeff Jarrett and all things GFE on Facebook.
