Kyle Fletcher, who challenges Will Ospreay for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear, opened up about constantly being compared to Randy Orton.
The comparisons started after Fletcher turned on Ospreay at WrestleDream 2024 and shaved his head on Dynamite to prove he was nothing like his former partner. That led a lot of fans to point out how much Fletcher looks like Orton.
Fletcher was a guest on What Happened When, hosted by Conrad Thompson and Tony Schiavone, and admitted that he took it all as a big compliment at first.
“When I first started hearing it, it was that reaction of, ‘Aw man, Randy Orton is great. I love Randy Orton,’” Fletcher said. “To be mentioned in the same sentence as him was awesome.”
But Fletcher emphasized that the difference between the two men’s careers is huge.
“At the same time, any wrestler should want to carve their own path,” Fletcher said. “I think that I’ve started to do so. It’s hard to compare us because Randy is 30 years into the business and has won 14 world championships. Obviously, I’m not at that level yet.”
Orton, only 24 at the time, defeated Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004 to become the youngest world champion in WWE history. Fletcher, who is 27, has yet to win the AEW World title. He got his first shot at All Out 2025 but lost to Hangman Page.
Fletcher said he hopes that, by the end of his career, the next generation of wrestlers will be compared to him.
“I would like to [think] that, by the time my career is said and done, people will be doing the same thing to me,” Fletcher said. “I don’t take it as a negative thing. It makes me more determined to carve my own path.”
On Wednesday’s Blood & Guts episode of Dynamite, Fletcher led the Don Callis Family to a win over Ospreay’s team by forcing Adam Copeland to give up.