Kyle Fletcher successfully defended his TNT Championship against Tomohiro Ishii in the opening match of AEW Collision. Fletcher had issued an open challenge during AEW Dynamite, marking his first title defense since winning the belt from Dustin Rhodes at the Battle of Chicago Street last week. This was Ishii’s first singles match in AEW since January, where he suffered a loss after eight minutes at Okadagawa’s Continent Championship. The match was highly competitive, with Ishii putting up a strong fight. Ultimately, Fletcher secured the victory after 16 minutes with a vertical brainbuster, pinning Ishii to retain his title.
After the match, Fletcher promoted his accomplishments, emphasizing how he has sidelined big names like Adam Cole and Rhodes to become TNT Champion. He also expressed hopes to bring his "Pond Pound Vest" to NJPW’s Forbidden Door event, encouraging fans to rally behind him and call out Hiroshi Tanaka. A backstage segment followed, where Don Callis challenged Fletcher, showing off the one-sided contract AEW presented to him and asserting his stance after Fletcher’s remarks about the talent AEW sends.
Fan Take: This defense cements Kyle Fletcher as a formidable TNT Champion capable of holding his own against international stars like Ishii. It also sets an intriguing crossover narrative with NJPW, potentially elevating AEW’s profile and intensifying the competition at the upcoming Forbidden Door event, which could lead to some exciting matchups for fans to look forward to.
