At AEW Full Gear, Will Ospreay will go up against one of his longtime confidants, Kyle Fletcher. The two have traveled the world together and taken over wrestling as part of The United Empire. Since Mark Davis’ injury last October, Fletcher pivoted as a singles star.
His AEW singles resume includes Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Japanese wrestling legend Tomohiro Ishii, Ricochet, MJF, and Kazuchika Okada. However, he struggled to overcome the “next Ospreay” allegations. This clearly frustrates his character and is part of the reason he went against his best friend.
The heartbreak didn’t end there. Fletcher then went on live television to shave his bleach-blonde locks. It’s symbolic in a way — by cutting off the past, it leaves a clearer path for his future.
Beating the Next Ospreay Allegations
On Dynamite this week, Ospreay wanted to speak to him face to face. The former International Champion was one step ahead of Fletcher, having him toss out the screwdriver that has become a Don Callis Family staple. Ospreay let fans into their relationship, revealing that he let the Protostar crash at his house during the pandemic. He’s been to his son’s school and is a close family friend. These nuances in Ospreay’s passionate speech will come in handy later when Fletcher demands a match at Full Gear.
Fletcher bit back though, accusing Ospreay of taking credit for the accomplishments of others — namely Okada and Omega — two people who have elevated his career. While he didn’t have the screwdriver, it didn’t stop Konosuke Takeshita and Brian Cage from issuing an assault. Ospreay has allies too, as Davis and Powerhouse Hobbs cleared the ring.
When assessing the Full Gear card there are many standout matches that we can assume will deliver, maybe even more than expected. With AEW pay-per-views, you can usually count on the money spent being worth it due to the quality of matches.
Private Party will have their first tag team title defense in a four-way, which really proves an emphasis on the tag team division is returning.
Bobby Lashley’s first PPV match is against former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland — a marquee match in itself. Then there’s Mercedes Moné defending the TBS Title against Kris Statlander. This mirrors last year’s event where Stat lost the title to Julia Hart. Really, there’s something for everyone here. However, I do think that there’s one match that has the potential to steal the show.
From Bittersweet to Just Bitter
This feud has everything. It’s a personal story that fans love to sink their teeth into. Plus, every single one of Ospreay’s AEW PPV matches thus far have been show stealers. His Revolution battle with Takeshita wasn’t for a title, yet it’s a match fans continuously reference. Fletcher has a lot to prove and overcome if he wants to make it as a singles star. Because of this, expect absolute brutality. Perhaps Fletcher’s own post on X will come to bite him. But shedding his past — whether it be Ospreay or Davis — is the start.
It makes great use of Davis, too, who recently returned to AEW. He seemed torn between his two best friends when Ospreay took matters into his own hands. This could be the indicator that Davis will turn heel down the line.
In an exclusive clip, Davis and Ospreay chat in the parking lot about what happened. Davis is in tears as he recalls his time away. “A year ago, Kyle and I were on top of the world challenging for the World Tag Team Championships. I broke my body fighting alongside him as a brother, and you were here for the last year to take care of him. What have you done, man? What have you done?”
Ospreay is 5-1 in AEW PPV singles matches since signing, which means his losses really have to count. With Swerve at Forbidden Door, the false finishes and storytelling set him up to be the next big deal.
In theory, Ospreay could lose every single match and it won’t hurt him much at all. He’s so over with fans and he can get his comeuppance later. So to me, a Fletcher win at Full Gear makes sense if AEW is going through the trouble of investing in him this much. Now, whether it comes via Don Callis Family shenanigans or a clean finish is the real question.
The post Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher Could Steal the Show at AEW Full Gear appeared first on VICE.
The post Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher Could Steal the Show at AEW Full Gear appeared first on VICE.
