What does it mean to live in the shadow of another? How many times in wrestling do we hear the phrase ‘it’s every man for himself’, and how many times do we actually believe it?
When Kyle Fletcher stabbed a screwdriver into the back of the head of Will Ospreay at AEW WrestleDream, it was a move that not many saw coming. After all, these were guys who weren’t too far removed from challenging for the AEW World Tag Team Championships together, propping each other up as they looked for any kind of gold. But why is it that, when a wrestler turns against another to try and better their own career, our first instinct is disgust?
Wrestling is all about glory, isn’t it? Cheques and championships? Why get into the industry if your primary goal isn’t to have the spotlight? Well, as simple as it is to say, wrestling IS about trying to be the best, but in totality, it’s about so much more.
At its simplest, professional wrestling is a battle. By stepping into the squared circle, competitors are locking horns in a constant power struggle to prove personal superiority, it’s what it’s all about. Yet, even in the isolating world of pro wrestling, friendships and alliances thrive. In some cases, they’re even required for success.
Particularly in the East, promotions are built upon the foundations of unity that exist between teammates: factions and loyalty are everything. While it’s true that wrestling is one against another, it’s more often a case of ‘us vs them’ before it boils down to a singles meeting between any two wrestlers.
In life, when things get hard, you need to be able to look to your left and see someone who you know has got your back and that couldn’t be more true than in the case of Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher. Having first met in the ring in 2019, the pair had been in and around each other on the UK scene while Will was making his name in Japan and it was at this point that a true connection was formed.
Taking a step away from the group that brought him into NJPW, when Ospreay detached himself from Chaos and founded United Empire in 2019, it wasn’t long before he fell back on his connections with Aussie Open to boost his ranks. By the year’s end, Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher had been recruited into Will’s faction as he looked to prove his worth as a faction leader by providing opportunity.
Simply put, Ospreay was Davis and Fletcher’s way in when it came to New Japan. The team are undoubtedly talented in their own right and may well have caught the attention of the wider world sooner rather than later if left on their own, but Will extending a hand for them to join United Empire gave them the stamp of approval in terms of a trusted member of the roster telling the audience that Aussie Open were worth paying attention to.
Their influence in each other’s lives cannot be understated, their bond transcendences wrestling and only served to boost their careers in the ring. As has been told by the man himself, Ospreay even opened up his house to Fletcher and Davis during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing a genuine brotherhood outside the ring for the battles they shared inside it.
The long and short of it all is that Aussie Open, as part of United Empire, became almost synonymous with Will Ospreay. As his star grew, promotors and fans couldn’t get enough of ‘The Aerial Assassin’, and, when a company showed an interest in the leader of United Empire, Fletcher and Davis came too to compete in the tag team division. As it happened, this was a trend that continued all the way to the first sightings of the trio in All Elite Wrestling, but their presentations couldn’t have been more different.
At Forbidden Door 2022, Will Ospreay was set for a mammoth clash with Orange Cassidy over the IWGP United States Championship, while Fletcher and Davis simply weren’t on the card. In the lead-up the Brit scored a huge singles win over Dax Harwood on Dynamite, but, Ospreay was on the losing end of his two trios match alongside Aussie Open on AEW TV that summer. Notably, Kyle Fletcher was the man who was pinned both times. Whether they knew it or not, All Elite Wrestling was creating a definitive gap between the two for their audience to sit with and digest.
Still, the pair flanked Ospreay as he went from strength to strength. His accomplishments speak for themselves and his successful defence of the United States Title against Orange Cassidy was just the start of his legendary reign with the gold which led him to the man labelled by Don Callis as ‘The God Of Pro Wrestling’: Kenny Omega.
The rivalry that existed between Omega and Ospreay was historic as Will challenged Kenny’s love for New Japan Pro Wrestling and maintained his own through some of the best matches you will ever see, but we’re not here to dive into that. Instead, it’s worth highlighting that, while Kyle Fletcher remained in the background of the iconic feud, his admiration for Will seeped through the cracks and he very quietly began to quietly compare himself to his senior.
“He’s the greatest wrestler alive today without a doubt in my mind and I hope I can get even close to his level one day.”
Fletcher remained supportive of his friend and knew that opportunities would likely come if they stuck on the same path. Then, in mid-2023, when Will Ospreay made it clear that his contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling, opportunity knocked.
With both WWE and AEW after the signature of the then 30-year-old sensation, All Elite Wrestling offered a deal to the also out of contract Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher. This time, Aussie Open had beaten Ospreay to the punch when it came to making their way into a new company full time, but, as much as they were an excellent tag team, were they just a bargaining chip to tempt Will to AEW?
Regardless, Aussie Open became All Elite in 2023 and entered the tag team division. Remarkably, in their first outing together as full time company members, they won the ROH World Tag Team Championships, stringing together a nine-match winning streak and only being stopped once on their way to losing the titles to Adam Cole and MJF at Wembley Stadium.
Despite bouncing between Ring of Honor, Rampage, Collision and Dynamite, they had serious momentum and it led them to a chance at the top prize available to them and a match was set up between Aussie Open and FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championships at WrestleDream 2023.
However, during their crucial match with FTR, Mark Davis went down injured. It emerged shortly after that that Davis had suffered a snapped wrist during the contest and amassed enough damage overall to be out for a year. In a flash, Fletcher was alone and was looking at an uncertain future. So, he followed the path of Will Ospreay, aligning with Don Callis mere weeks after Davis’ injury just as ‘The Aerial Assassin’ done in the past.
Not wanting to let his friend fall to the wayside with his partner downed, Ospreay, now having officially joined the AEW roster in February 2024, set up a match between himself and his Callis Family ally for the March 6 edition of Dynamite: the first instance of Will Ospreay vs Kyle Fletcher under the All Elite Wrestling banner.
On the face of it, this was a huge chance for Kyle to showcase his ability, but had it been slightly patronising for Ospreay to gift his friend the opportunity to be on TV while he continued his trajectory upwards? In Davis’ absence, Fletcher had become the ROH World Television Champion, but it could be argued that here he was just a step on Ospreay’s road to Danielson at Dynasty. Still, the pair went to war.
In a match that was given the illustrious five stars from Dave Meltzer, the two friends battled tooth and nail inside the ring in what was an instant classic of a main event. On the night, Will was the better man and Kyle knew that.
The closing shot saw ‘The Aerial Assassin’ measuring Fletcher for the Hidden Blade, while the younger star nodded and accepted his fate, acknowledging Ospreay’s superiority. It wasn’t to be on that occasion but, to many, this was enough of a good performance to launch Kyle’s singles career, or a least be a solid base for him to build on. So, what happened next?
Well, as his run with the ROH World Television Championship, Fletcher worked hard to gain experience. His reign went on for 196 days and he eventually dropped the title to Atlantis Jr. inside a CMLL ring, travelling the world to better his craft. Ospreay on the other hand? Pay-per-view matches with the best in the world under the brightest of lights, International Title wins and an AEW World Championship opportunity.
I don’t mean this to in any way downplay or demote Ring of Honor. The promotion is one of the most influential in recent memory but, under Tony Khan’s leadership, I’m far from the first to suggest a decline in prestige or importance. Regardless of its history, ROH underwent a sharp transition to being like a developmental brand littered with a few stars here and there, and Kyle stood out on the show.
Yet, in a world where Will’s stock continued to rise, could Fletcher be blamed if he thought his spot was a slight demotion now he couldn’t be relied upon to provide backup to Ospreay as part of Aussie Open. Was ROH something to keep him occupied and out of the way until the moment he could return to usefulness behind the leader of United Empire?
From Ospreay’s perspective, things had moved on as usual. He had moved from week to week as a highlighted feature of AEW’s weekly TV, not really noticing how hard his friend was having to fight just to be afforded the same on-air time. With struggle and ambition, Kyle watched his mentor achieve everything in his path while himself continued going from win to loss, win to loss, leading him to October 12, 2024.
As the then champion nailed Konosuke Takeshita with the Hidden Blade, the referee was pulled out of the ring by Don Callis, a man Will had chosen to separate from. Then, when the 61-year-old manager failed to capitalise, he found himself in the grasp of his Ospreay and on the cusp of danger. In a moment that changed the trajectory of both men, time stood still as Kyle Fletcher slid into the ring and nailed the screwdriver into his former friend’s head, costing him the International Championship.
When Will made his definitive split from the faction, it was presumed Fletcher would follow, as he had done through their careers to this point, but that didn’t happen. You see, all it takes is one voice in your ear telling you that you can be more than what you are. In this case, it was Don Callis preserving a valuable asset by telling Kyle he could be a star in his own right, getting the young star to entirely separate himself from Ospreay by taking a razor to his then blonde hair.
“So from this day forward, Will, I am nothing like you.”
Heel turns are commonplace in wrestling, but this was slightly different. Much like other villains in history, Fletcher was immediately petty, beckoning Ospreay to confront him on Dynamite when he knew he was still hurt, but he wasn’t afraid of a fight. This is something that was underlined when it was he who firmly challenged the babyface ‘Billy Goat’ to a one-on-one match at AEW Full Gear. He needed his moment.
On November 23, we saw the second instalment of Will Ospreay vs Kyle Fletcher in AEW, this time presented in a much different tone. ‘The Protostar’ looked to back up his words on the biggest stage and prove that he made the right choice to step away from his previous allegiance. Fletcher didn’t cheat during the contest, but he knew he’d already done the work to get the win.
The man who was formerly solely a tag team wrestler executed a perfect game plan. He dropped Ospreay on his neck any chance he got during the match, the body part that’d already been damaged by a Tiger Driver during the initial turn. Fletcher delivered a leaping Tombstone Piledriver onto the steep steps, another Tiger Driver and, to end it all, a brainbuster on the top rope which put his newfound rival away.
In what has quickly become a staple of All Elite Wrestling, December brought with it the return of the Continental Classic, and the pair were once again brought together when the Australian topped one league while the Englishman came second in the other. Meeting at Worlds End, both men had the chance to make it to the tournament final and wrestle in their second match of the night. But, in order to get there, they had to get through each other.
In a clash that combined hate with strategy, resentment won the day. Both men had to try to control their emotions for fear of exhausting their arsenals and having nothing left for a possible further match. Kazuchika Okada was waiting for them in the final, but the blood was flowing just five minutes after the bell.
With a crimson red face, Ospreay battled valiantly against his former United Empire stablemate who had risen through the ranks to prove himself as a worthy opponent for arguably the best in the world. It seemed the blood motivated Ospreay here, as he had the extra edge to move on to the final, but Fletcher matched ‘The Aerial Assassin’ for the majority of the contest until being outdone in the end. Importantly, though, while ‘The Protostar’ didn’t win the Continental Classic, his opponent didn’t either. Will gave everything to best his enemy which led to the Englishman losing to Okada in the final.
Still, with their stories forever intertwined, their paths crossed in Australia. With Kenny Omega looking at Don Callis Family member Konosuke Takeshita’s International Championship, Will’s hatred of Fletcher led him to a team with a man he had previously come to despise. Ospreay and Omega vs Fletcher and Takeshita in Kyle’s home country, the stage he’d always dreamed of.
The Australian’s turn on Ospreay had afforded him the sway to be in a heavily featured match in his homeland. He was emerging from the pack in front of our eyes and, although he was rejected and booed by his countrymen, Kyle’s quality was becoming undeniable. Even though his team lost at Grand Slam Australia, it wasn’t Fletcher who got pinned as Takeshita was toppled by both Omega and Ospreay to finish the match. On that same night, the Brit threw down one last challenge, asking his former mentee to meet him in the ring one on one inside a steel cage. With that, the stage was set for AEW Revolution and the structure lowered in Los Angles.
Fletcher scaled the cage. Ospreay scaled the cage. By the conclusion of their entrances, both men stood atop the structure at opposite ends, with Fletcher covering his ears to block out the ever-existing fanfare for his opponent. This was it. The animosity had built, boiled over, and recoiled, all leading to March 9 in the City of Angels.
The Aussie wore the same blood-stained boots he donned when the two met in a bloodbath at Worlds End, giving Ospreay one last reminder of their fractured relationship before we were off to the races for one final time. Immediately, they traded blows and felt the impact of the match they found themselves in.
Interestingly, Ospreay was unable to unleash all of his usual offence. Finding himself on the apron, Will second-guessed going for a springboard, something that usually came so naturally to him, which instantly limited his capability to attack. Instead, both men took turns using the steel that surrounded them to their advantage.
Dealing with the mental barrier between adjusting to their environment and going back to their playbook, Will countered Kyle by instinctively attempting a handspring against the ropes, damaging his Achilles in the process. From attempting a weaker Oscutter to being caught and slammed into the wall, the cage was taking effect and it wasn’t long before we saw blood yet again.
In the early stages, Fletcher set a slow pace that only brief flurries of fast action from ‘The Aerial Assassin’ could break. But, soon enough, it broke down into a battle of strikes. Blood dripping out of Ospreay’s head mixing with that which had started to emerge from the chest of Kyle Fletcher, the colour red had started to invade the mat in a serious way.
The edge of violence displayed by Fletcher across this, and all three matches as a whole, showed the seismic chip on his shoulder that still existed. Of course, Kyle pushing the limits of punishment can be explained away through hatred of his opponent, but he always wanted to prove that he was every bit as good as Ospreay, no matter what it took.
They went back to the closed-fist punches and the headbutts which we’d seen at Worlds End, and Will returned to the top rope whenever he could make it work. Due to the amount of blood loss, the breaks between the hard-hitting action were met with a more sluggish approach but neither man wanted to give an inch. With both down, Mark Davis entered proceedings.
Fletcher’s Aussie Open tag partner, who had initially opposed Kyle but later joined the Don Callis Family due to faction controlling his contract, used bolt cutters to open the cage door. He brought with him a steel chair and a bag full of implements to help the combatants take the match to the next level.
Will immediately slammed the door into Davis, but he couldn’t stop the bag entering the field of play. Fortunately for Ospreay, though, he had the advantage. He struck his opponent with barbed wire bad and overtly set the precedent for the rest of the match. In reference to Mick Foley, Will underlined the hardcore tone of the match with a cry of ‘BANG BANG’, and the next act of this gruesome encounter had begun.
With the Englishman suddenly finding himself firmly in control, he stood over his opponent threatening further damage with the bat. Then, Fletcher attempted to tug on the heartstrings by revealing a United Empire armband and throwing up their signature hand gesture. Though, after Ospreay realised it was a ruse, the Australian went low.
The pair’s fascination with blood was an interesting theme each time they squared off. At Full Gear, fans didn’t see much colour on either man, but, by Worlds End, it became a focal point of their time face to face. Inside the cage during their final war, both made statements by embracing the blood to full effect and using it to drive them past their perceived limits of aggression, seen all too well when Kyle wiped his head with the armband and shoved it into the mouth of his former mentor.
The 26-year-old ran his mouth by reminding Will that he was the one to ask for such a hellacious stipulation, but got too overzealous when he got nailed with the Hidden Blade. However, continuing the United Empire narrative, Davis re-entered the match to breakup a pinfall attempt and get his tag partner back to his feet. Once he had the numerical advantage in the ring, Fletcher continued his verbal assault against his opponent.
After the match gave a nod of acknowledgment to the young star’s history in Aussie Open, Ospreay reversed their iconic tag team finisher into a Poisonrana on Fletcher and a chair-assisted Hidden Blade to Davis, tying up Mark’s involvement in the match and signifying the start of the closing chapter.
Will screamed as he willingly pierced some of his own skin by wrapping barbed wire around his elbow. His pride and desire to beat his rival negating the pain. But, as he had so often done, Kyle retaliated by grabbing his screwdriver and planting it into Ospreay’s head, licking its end to taste the result of his work.
Even after nailing his signature brainbuster, Fletcher wasn’t done, executing another onto a chair. Confident as ever, he leaned over Ospreay to make a cover rather than hooking the leg, possibly costing himself the win before thumbtacks were introduced.
A staple of hardcore wrestling, the pair jockeyed for position with the loser destined to be pierced. As it was, Will was able to deliver a wicked Styles Clash onto the spikes scattered across the mat. In retaliation, Fletcher scaled the cage and what followed had to be seen to be believed.
In a brief power struggle over the screwdriver, they clashed heads until Ospreay had enough of an opportunity to spike Kyle with the screwdriver, giving the Aussie a taste of his own medicine. Then, they set up for a moment that may well live forever, a Spanish Fly from the top of the cage, sending both men plummeting to the ring with speed and force.
Drawing parallels from their Dynamite encounter, Fletcher knew he was done. The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and all-round more experienced wrestler used adrenaline to get himself into the corner ready for a final Hidden Blade and all Kyle could do was scream ‘I hate you’. A burst of rage saw him empty the tank of all the emotional distain he felt towards his former leader, his rant of expletives only silenced when the elbow connected with his head. Followed up with a poetic Tiger Driver, Will Ospreay emerged with the win to put this portion of their epic rivalry to rest.
Mentor vs mentee isn’t new ground in wrestling and Ospreay vs Fletcher wasn’t even the only masterful take on the concept on the show, with the match coming just 45 minutes after from the conclusion of the similarly blood-soaked ‘Hollywood Ending’ between Toni Storm and Mariah May, but each bout’s excellence was emphasised in different ways. While the gore seen in the match over the AEW Women’s World Championship was underpinned by an air of love, this was fuelled by hate.
As we discussed to begin, wrestling has to have friendship, but the very nature of the industry makes it so easy for that to wither away in pursuit of cheques, championships and notoriety. No matter what lies in the future of Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher, they will only excel following the destruction of their brotherhood, leaving love, trust and betrayal to be lauded as true pillars of professional wrestling.
