Kyle Fletcher opens up about Aussie Open’s decision to sign with AEW.
Aussie Open (Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher) rose up the ranks and became one of the top teams in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Davis went down with an injury in May, but AEW announced that they still signed the duo,
Speaking on AEW Unrestricted, Fletcher was asked to describe why he and Davis decided to sign with AEW. He first responded by stating that they were happy in Japan, but they wanted stability. Fletcher noted that NJPW essentially told them, “Yes, but not not” when they asked for a contract.
“The beginning of this year was very much like a, ‘Okay, let’s assess where we are with everything. Let’s look at what’s happening, and let’s weigh our options,'” Fletcher said. “So we were pretty happy in Japan. But not to say too much but we wanted a contract, we wanted stability. We’d been independent wrestlers for, I’ve been wrestling for 10 years, Davis has been wrestling for longer than that. We’ve been independent wrestlers for that whole time. So I think we never really had the stability, and that’s something that we really wanted.
“We told New Japan this, and it was very much like a, ‘Yes, but not now’ type thing. So it was like, okay, right, whatever. So we were doing the New Japan stuff, and that was a big goal of mine to get there, and I love the style of wrestling there, I love the culture. I loved immersing myself in the culture and exploring the country. But it got to a point where it was like, if they’re not going to give us that we want, we’ve asked for, then let’s see what else is going on.”
Kyle Fletcher Names The Factors That Influenced Aussie Open’s Decision
Fletcher went on to describe how they had enjoyed their previous work with AEW. He highlighted the backstage environment and the number of appealing matchups. Fletcher also made it clear that being able to work with NJPW was also part of the decision.
“We’d worked for Tony quite a lot,” Fletcher said. “We worked at AEW, and we really enjoyed the environment there, the backstage environment. We really enjoyed the people there, there’s a lot of people on the roster that I would love to wrestle. That was a big thing. Then also the fact that there is still a New Japan relationship was also a big deal, the fact that AEW guys have been able to do New Japan stuff.
“Because we already have that connection and it was very much like a, when we were in discussions, ‘How do you feel about us still doing New Japan stuff?’ Then we spoke to both sides, and they were like, ‘Yeah, of course, that’s not an issue. That is still something you can do.’ That was a big part of the decision, but then also we love the environment at AEW. There’s a lot of exciting matchups there, and the nationwide TV exposure I’d a big deal as well, so a lot of different thinking, thought process went into it. But very happy with the decision.”
Aussie Open will compete at ROH Death Before Dishonor. WrestleZone will have coverage of the show as it airs.
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