For most wrestlers, the world championship is the 'end all, be all' of this industry, which has always been the dream for Kyle Fletcher.

On Saturday, November 14, "The Protostar" Kyle Fletcher will challenge Will Ospreay for the AEW World Championship in the main event of the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view.

The rivalry with Ospreay has become a career defining one for Fletcher, who defeated his former friend and mentor in what he called his biggest match up to that point back at this same event in 2024.

Reflecting on that night, Fletcher believes the feeling and level of nervousness is similar as he walks into what will be the new biggest match of his career with the top prize in All Elite Wrestling on the line this weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.

The ProtoStar @kylefletcherpro is after World Championship gold, and he's challenged the man he beat at Full Gear 2024, his former friend @WillOspreay.
Two years on, they meet again with the AEW World Championship on the line at #AEWFullGear, THIS SATURDAY, Nov 14, LIVE on PPV! pic.twitter.com/Mo6EtgQBlo

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 10, 2026

“Yeah I mean, I will say they’re pretty similar," Kyle Fletcher told The Takedown On SI. "I would say up until that point, that was the biggest match of my career, so it definitely, you know, the feeling is pretty similar."

"This is, I think, the biggest match of my career to date, so very similar feelings. If anything, I’d say this is probably feeling a bit even more nervous than that."

Like this is not his first time facing Ospreay on this stage, it will mark the second time "The Protostar" has challenged for the AEW World Championship in a pay-per-view main event.

'The most deflated I've ever felt' - Kyle Fletcher on AEW All Out 2025

At AEW All Out 2025, Fletcher came up short in his first bid for the richest prize in the company when he lost to "Hangman" Adam Page in Toronto. The 27-year-old described himself as a mess that day before he stepped in the ring as the headliner in his first AEW major event.

"I remember the day that I wrestled Hangman (Page) at All Out last year, I very much was feeling the pressure because, you know, it’s the main event, it’s the world title," Fletcher said. "It’s closing the show. Everyone’s paid their hard earned money to watch at home or come to the show and you obviously want to put on the best show you possibly can for them, so yeah."

"That entire day at All Out last year, I was a mess. I was hiding in a corner, had my headphones on, and didn't want anyone to talk to me. I was just trying to focus on the task at hand and I know this one’s probably gonna be the same, so yeah, I’m feeling it for sure, but you know that pressure is what pushes me to perform at my best, so I welcome it.”

Thinking about how he felt after losing such a massive bout, Fletcher called it 'the most deflated he's ever felt' after a match in his entire career.

“Coming out of that match, how would I describe it? It was probably the most deflated I’ve ever felt. Obviously, I felt proud of the performance that I put on, but you go into a world championship match and you truly believe this could be your crowning moment."

"I’ve been a wrestling fan since I was eight years old. I’ve wanted to do it just as long and you dream about that moment of winning your first world title for that entire time, that’s the dream, right? So finally having that match, knowing that this could be the night, the place, the time that it finally happens and having it ripped away from you, it’s worse than heartbreaking. It’s like shattering."

Fletcher believes he had to go through an entire process of rebuilding himself after that loss to "Hangman" last year, believing he was forced to question everything he had done after failing to capture the gold.

"It makes you question everything about yourself, everything you’ve done up to that point," Fletcher explained. "It really makes you feel like you’re not good enough. So yeah, it took a lot of time for me to rebuild that confidence after that match. I would be silly to not have learned anything from that loss, to not learn anything from that match."

"I’ve rewatched it time and time again. I’ll probably rewatch it once or twice this week before the match and yeah, I know I never want to feel that again. I never want to feel that heartbreak or crushing loss again, so yeah, going into this Saturday, I absolutely refuse.”

A career defining feud with Will Ospreay

On the road to AEW Full Gear 2026, Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay have faced off in tag team action and inside the Men's Blood And Guts Match with the crowds going crazy for their interactions with one another.

The big fight feel is getting more and more rare in this age of pro wrestling, but it has been clear over the last few weeks that Fletcher and Ospreay have that with the level of crowd reaction they have been able to garner, which is not lost on the number one contender for the AEW World Title.

“Yeah absolutely, it’s very validating." Fletcher admitted. "I think that would be the word I would use. It makes me feel good that people remember and they respect what we have been through already."

"They remember the story, they remember the feeling, they remember what we’ve been through already and when you get reactions like that just from standing across the ring from someone, it feels great. It feels great. We don’t even have to touch and people are already excited for what’s to come, so hopefully that feeling is just amplified and is even bigger this weekend.”

This rivalry heated up even further on the November 4 AEW Dynamite where the company presented Blood And Guts. Inside the two-ring steel cage, Fletcher led the Don Callis Family to victory over a team led by Ospreay with "The Protostar" feeling like the focal point for his unit.

This win in Blood And Guts has boosted Fletcher's confidence, making him feel like the biggest threat to Ospreay's AEW World Championship reign thus far.

“Yeah I would say absolutely yes," Kyle stated. "You know Blood And Guts, part of the reason I wanted to do it and part of the reason The (Don Callis) Family wanted to do it was because you get that warm-up. You get to get in the ring with these people that you’re about to wrestle on pay-per-view, so yeah it was a great warm-up physically and mentally, just getting in there with Will a little bit and you know, feel each other out a little bit more."

"It’s been a long time since we’ve been in the ring together, so that was good. Like you said, I feel like I did lead the Family to victory. I started it out, I was in there the whole time and I was the one who orchestrated us winning in the end, so yeah the match, Blood And Guts, was very important for my confidence I think going into this weekend. I think to date I have the best chance of beating WIll for the World Title.”

For many fans heading into AEW Full Gear 2026, the main event will feature two of the very best wrestlers in the business today. Fletcher has grown into one of the most complete professional wrestlers in the world.

From his impressive physique to his amazing catalog of spectacular matches over the course of 2026, "The Protostar" has proven himself time and time again as a remarkable in-ring performer and the total package in every way.

THE DON CALLIS FAMILY BRINGS THE HEAT! 🔥 .@kylefletcherpro and @Jet2Flyy turn up the intensity!

Watch #AEWWrestleDream LIVE on PPV! pic.twitter.com/AvV7xzPvtZ

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) October 18, 2026

While most fans put him in the discussion of 'the best in the world,' it is not something that Fletcher is all the way convinced about himself.

“Man, it’s, obviously I take it as a huge compliment," Fletcher reflected on where he is at this time. "It feels great to hear other people say that. Like any wrestler should strive to be in that conversation I think and I think if you’re not striving to be in that conversation, you’re in the wrong business."

"It’s something that I’ve always wanted. I’ve always wanted to be the best wrestler in the world, but I don’t believe it yet."

Fletcher believes that his desire to always be better than he was before is why the fans have pegged him as one of, if not, the best wrestler in the world right now.

"As much as it’s nice to hear, I know me, inside myself, I know that I can be better and that’s the thing that I’ll ever be able to shake it. I don’t know if I ever want to shake it because that is possibly the reason why other people think I’m the best in the world because every time I go out there, I know I can be better and I’m working every single day, every single thing I do is in order to become a better pro wrestler."

"So if people think I’m the best pro wrestler in the world now, that’s great, that’s awesome, but I just want to tell them that I know I can be better, so watch the f**k out man.”

When asked if winning the AEW World Championship and reaching the mountaintop of the promotion would help him feel closer to that goal, Fletcher is not necessarily sure, but it would be the validation that he is deserving of such a honor.

“Yeah I think you’re absolutely right," Kyle admitted. "I think holding that title, I’ve always seen that title and whoever holds it as they are the current best in the world right now. I don’t know if I will have that same feeling when I hold it, but I know it will go a long way in helping me realize that I’m at least in the conversation right now, at least at that very moment."

"Like I said, it’s something I’ve dreamt of my whole life being a world champion, so if I finally get to achieve that, hopefully it’s this Saturday, I hope that I, I don’t see it being anything short of the best form of validation there is.”

Kyle Fletcher will headline AEW Full Gear 2026 when he faces Will Ospreay for the AEW World Championship this Saturday, November 14 from Phoenix, Arizona. Fans can order the show at HBO Max and PPV.com in the United States as well as MyAEW.com internationally.