AEW TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher has responded to recent criticism from Stevie Richards, stating that while he is open to critiques, he doesn’t feel the comments were made in “good faith.” In a new interview, Fletcher also discussed the added motivation he feels for his upcoming AEW World Championship match at All Out.
The situation began when Stevie Richards, a veteran of both ECW and WWE who now has a popular YouTube channel where he analyzes the wrestling industry, posted a video titled “What is Kyle Fletcher Missing?” In the video, Richards said he views Fletcher as a talented performer with potential, but someone who “needs more seasoning” and a veteran to teach him in-ring psychology. Richards also stated, “He looks like an eventual NXT Superstar,” a comment that was widely circulated on social media.
Speaking on “The Ringer Wrestling Show,” Fletcher addressed the video. He confirmed that he watched the full clip and is open to criticism, but he questioned the motivation behind Richards’s comments. “Of course, yeah,” Fletcher responded when asked if he saw what Richards said. “I think a lot of people on Twitter or whatever will just look at the one clip that gets posted. I went and I watched the full thing, everything that he said. Look, I’m not going to — I’m open to any and all critiques. That is fine. I’m in a world where it’s like, everyone is allowed to have an opinion. He has an opinion on who I am and what I am as a wrestler, and that’s fine.”
Fletcher then explained why he felt the critique was not in “good faith,” taking particular issue with Richards’s claim that there is no one in the AEW locker room for him to learn from. “It just doesn’t feel like it’s in good faith, if that makes sense. I think a lot of those guys, they just kind of look for the buzzwords and look for the things that are going to get clicks or whatever,” Fletcher said. “I don’t think he spoke a lot about, like, what the culture is at AEW. I don’t think he knows anything about the culture at AEW. He said there’s no one there for me to learn from. I think that’s absolute fucking horseshit, you know what I mean? I am learning from people every single day that I’m there. There’s so many great minds there. There’s Bryan Danielson there almost every week.”
The 26-year-old concluded with, “I mean, I’m open to criticism. I just don’t think it was in the best faith. But no ill will. I’m open to critique at any and all times. I’m 26 years old. I’m still trying to learn this business, man. I have a lot more room to grow, for sure.”
After a successful run as a tag team specialist in Aussie Open, Fletcher has broken out as one of AEW’s top rising singles stars, recently capturing the TNT Championship. He faces Hangman Page for the World Title at All Out. The full interview with Kyle Fletcher can be heard on “The Ringer Wrestling Show.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit The Ringer Wrestling Show with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
