EXCLUSIVE: Kyle Fletcher convinced his parents to start wrestling at 14. Now, he's a global superstar

At the age of 14, plenty of kids in Australia are likely sinking their teeth into sports like rugby league, cricket, football and AFL.

That was the same story for Kyle Fletcher, until he found his true calling.

"I grew up on the northern beaches in Sydney and my first love was rugby league," he told Wide World of Sports ahead of AEW Grand Slam on February 14.

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"I lived right down the road from Brookvale Oval and the amount of time I spent going to watch the footy, that was a big chunk of my childhood.

"I played a little bit of everything - soccer, AFL, cricket, baseball, surfing. I had a great childhood, but it was at the age of 14 when I found pro wrestling.

"Up until that point, I was looking for my thing and as soon as I found wrestling, it was just like 'OK, this is my decision, I'm quitting everything else'.

"It was humble beginnings, but the size of the town that you come from shouldn't be indicative of what you can achieve. I hope it shows anyone, anywhere that it's possible." 

It was never going to be easy for Fletcher to even make it to a local independent level, let alone the dizzying heights he has achieved on a global stage.

The first thing Fletcher needed to do - again, at the young age of 14 - was to convince his parents that training to become a pro wrestler was his dream, especially considering the logistical and geographical hurdles standing in his way.

"It wasn't easy convincing them," he said.

"I was on the northern beaches and there was nowhere close. Campbelltown was the area that the school was in at the time, so it was a two-hour drive or three-hour train.

"It was like 'hey mum, I know I'm 14 but on the weekends and during the week, can I go and sit on a train for three hours' … so it took a little bit of convincing.

"I think they just saw how passionate I was and how it's all I wanted to do.

"When you're that determined, it's kind of hard to stop someone if that makes sense. I think once they realised that I was all-in on it, they became my biggest supporters."

That support was paramount for Fletcher, who began his wrestling journey with PWA in 2012, working closely with Robbie Eagles - the same man who has developed multiple stars in WWE and AEW, all while carving out his own career in Japan.

At that time, Aussie wrestlers featuring on the global stage was practically non-existent, which is a far cry from 2026 where the likes of Rhea Ripley, Bronson Reed and Toni Storm are some of the biggest names in the world after their own humble beginnings.

Fletcher got the opportunity to work in Australia, honing his craft at a much younger age than most in the wrestling industry, all while finishing high school.

But he never started this journey to stay local - Fletcher wanted to make wrestling his full-time career and that prompted another difficult conversation with his family.

Still in his teenage years when mates were going off to university or into the workforce, Fletcher bet on himself and moved to England to pursue his dream.

"I credit it to starting when I did - by the time I finished school, I had already been wrestling for four years," he explained.

"I knew this was what I was doing, it was never a thought of maybe going to uni or getting a real job. At the time, wrestling was picking up in Australia but it didn't have the international buzz that it has nowadays, so I knew that I had to get out of there.

"It was difficult to get a work visa for the US, it's not like you can just show up.

"It was easier to get a UK working visa and this was around the time that the independent scene over there was taking off. I had a friend who had gone over and done some of the indies over there and it seemed like the logical next step.

"I've always kind of had this big overarching goal, but I didn't know how I was gonna get there and that seemed like the right step for me.

"With the way everything has played out, I can't complain - I think it was the right step."

Taking that risk at 18 years of age was going to require commitment, sacrifice and luck.

While the first two parts of that equation were never in doubt when it came to Fletcher, what he did need was for something to go his way.

Enter Will Ospreay, who at the time was rapidly gaining steam as one of the world's best wrestlers - something he has since cemented tenfold.

The pair gained a special bond from the moment they met, but it was when COVID nearly derailed Fletcher's career that Ospreay made a life-changing, selfless offer.

"Before I moved to the UK, he had already started making his name and I knew who he was and thought he was awesome," Fletcher said.

"I do remember the first time I met him and it was one of those things that happens a couple of times in your life, where you have an instant spark with somebody.

"That was when I first met him in 2017 and travelling around the UK, we were on a bunch of shows together and built that rapport, but it's not like we were best friends.

"It was during COVID when myself and [tag team partner] Mark Davis were struggling with the shutdowns and Will reached out and offered his house for us to come and live.

"He believed in us, he believed we deserved an opportunity and he opened his home to us. We spent over a year living there before we were able to go back to travelling and when you're living together, there's a bond there that can never be broken.

"From that point on, he's either been a very good or bad influence in my life."

Fletcher's personal relationship with Ospreay afforded him opportunities inside the ring once the world opened back up again.

Their careers became intertwined, from the UK to Japan and ultimately, to both signing with AEW in 2023 on full-time contracts, along with Queensland's Mark Davis.

The dream that started on train rides and car trips from one side of Sydney to the other had finally paid off for Fletcher, but that's where the hard work truly started.

"It was very surreal," he said.

"I had just come back from a tour of Japan and I was with my partner Skye and it was just a text that came through. I remember just feeling so grateful - I had dreamt of this specific moment my whole life. I remember calling my family and having that discussion and everyone screaming, it was just a really cool day.

"That was something I dreamt about, but I knew that was only the beginning and it was an opportunity to get to the next level and it depended on how hard I worked."

Since putting pen to paper on an AEW contract, Fletcher has gradually moved up the ranks and is now one of the company's top, main event-level wrestlers.

Fletcher has held multiple titles, ranked highly on ESPN lists, headlined pay-per-view cards and there's reason to believe he will become Australia's first male world champion in a major pro wrestling organisation sooner rather than later.

With that type of rise to the top comes a certain level of expectation and pressure, which Fletcher is confident he can handle.

"I really think I can," he said.

"Over this past year, as the opportunities have gotten bigger and the contracts have gotten bigger, there is more pressure. There is a level that is expected of me, but also what I've realised over this past year is that I thrive in the pressure.

"The pressure is the thing that gets me out of bed every day and people are expecting a certain level of me and that makes me want to work even harder to shatter expectations.

"I welcome the pressure, I welcome the big moments, I welcome the pay-per-view main events and as much pressure as possible … it's just gonna push me to be even greater."

That pressure will be on full display next weekend when Fletcher's career comes full circle, performing in front of his friends and family at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena.

It will be the first time Fletcher has competed as an AEW wrestler in his home city, just one year removed from the promotion's first Australian event in Brisbane.

"I think back to the first show we did last year and without a doubt, that was one of the best days of my entire life," he said.

"When you start out in Australia, it's very small scale and so for an event like that to happen felt very far-fetched. When I first started training, I couldn't even fathom that it could happen. I had all my family, they spelled out 'Protostar' on their shirts in the crowd and I had so many people who I grew up with there in the building.

"It was really special and I have no doubt that this year will be the exact same feeling."

Tickets for AEW Grand Slam: Sydney are still available via Ticketek.