A brief bit about me - I’m Kyle Fletcher, a professional wrestler born and raised on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia. I’m currently at the time of this writing 18 years old and I’ve recently moved over to the United Kingdom to further my career and pursue the dream of being a full-time professional wrestler.
Q; Tell us the story of how you became a fan of professional wrestling and who your favourite wrestlers were growing up.
A; I began watching wrestling at about the age of 7 in 2006 when it was a phase going around my school, and after falling out of it for a while I got back into it in 2008 when my best friend would always have it on at his house which is where the addiction started. My very first memory of wrestling was seeing Triple H pedigree Stephanie McMahon and I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever seen. Growing up my original favourite was Jeff Hardy as I happened to really get into it when I saw his rise to the WWE championship, the first ever PPV that I ordered on cable was Armageddon 2008 when he won the title and I think that really solidified me as a fan.
Q; What inspired you to want to become a wrestler? Was there a particular match or moment or a combination of both?
A; To be honest it was neither, funnily enough (I have no idea why) but I realised I wanted to be a wrestler when I was on a family holiday where I would have been around ten years old. I feel as though it was because I was completely isolated from any wrestling and it was all I could think about. I just remember asking my mum every day to go to the hotel gym because I wanted to get “jacked” like the wrestlers I saw on TV.
Q; How long did it take from having the first thoughts of wanting to wrestle to finding a school and starting to train?
A; Pretty much from the age of ten when I decided I wanted to be a wrestler I was looking online for schools close-by but not only did you need to be 16+ they also were 1-2 hours away from where I lived. It just so happened there were teenagers who wrestled on mats out the front of their house just around the corner from where I lived and at about 12 I started “backyarding”, which I now look back and don’t recommend anyone doing in the slightest, but at the time it was all I had. Through that I somehow actually met a professional wrestler who invited me to help out at a show when I had just turned 14, and as I was quite a tall, developed kid already I was invited along to come and train.
Q; Which school did you train at and how did you find out about it?
A; The school I trained at was called the PWA Academy and was linked to the promotion Professional Wrestling Australia. My trainers were Madison, Ryan and Robbie Eagles, Robbie being the one who I had met who invited me to come along.
Q; What did you enjoy most about training and which aspects were you not so keen on?
A; I’m not sure if this is a common thing in wrestling training but I loved every aspect of it and still do to this day. Learning all the different aspects of wrestling, furthering my ability and being around people who want to do the same is something that really excites me.
Q; How long were you in training before wrestling your first match?
A; I was always somewhat of an athletic child so when it came to wrestling I picked it up really quickly, it was just unfortunate that I was 14 when I started as I think that made people a bit hesitant to let me wrestle on shows. In the end, I had been training for about 1 year and 3 months before I made my debut on a show.
Q; Are there any matches or moments from your time in Australia which stand out above others?
A; One of the biggest ones definitely would have been winning the Australian Tag Team Championships alongside my best friend, Unsocial Jordan, and my first main event against “Jag” Hartley Jackson and CWC competitor Damian Slater.
Q; When did you make the decision to come to the UK and what was the reaction from your family and friends when you told them about your decision?
A; I always knew I was going to travel overseas as soon as I finished school and told myself that I would all throughout the time that I had been wrestling, so it really just came down to where it was going to be. I decided I was going to come to the UK towards the end of last year when I’d finished school and for a few months all I did was work and save for that. The big thing that made me want to come here was seeing my friend Travis Banks who I’d met whilst wrestling in Australia do so well when wrestling here and he was someone who through talking to really reassured my feelings that this was where I needed to be to further develop as a wrestler.
I think at first my family thought I was joking or I wasn’t really going to follow through with it purely because it was so far off from anything I’d done before. I’d never lived anywhere apart from my parents house so I think it was a lot for them to take in. They were always super supportive however as they knew all I wanted to be was a professional wrestler and I’m still super close with everyone back home so it’s all happy in the end.
Q; I know you've wrestled in promotions such as ATTACK! Pro Wrestling and Fight Club: PRO. Are there any other promotions that you've worked for so far, or is there anything in the pipeline for you to work elsewhere?
A; Fight Club and ATTACK! are the main promotions that I’ve worked for since being in the UK but I’ve also worked a few shows for Ironfist and have some things lined up for the future. Hopefully you’ll see me working places such as Lucha Forever and all around the country very soon.
Q; I was at the recent ATTACK! Pro Wrestling Press Start 5 show in Cardiff where you wrestled as Nixon Newell. As a fan I can't remember having had so much fun at a show as I had that night. What was it like from your point of view both backstage and in the ring wrestling on that night?
A; Being a part of Press Start 5 was incredible, it was genuinely one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been a part of. ATTACK! has a great group of people who all put in a massive effort to put on amazing and different shows that everyone can enjoy, and I think that show is just a testament to that.
Q; Of the matches you've had so far in the UK, are there any that stand out above others?
A; Being the first match at the new venue for Fight Club: Pro was really special and then Press Start 5 because of the amount of fun I had both in the ring and backstage.
Q; What are the main differences in both lifestyle and wrestling between Australia and the UK?
A; Everything here is actually quite similar to back in Australia, I’m still travelling to shows all the time with my friends, training every week and going to the gym every day. The biggest difference between the two I think is just the amount of exposure the scene over here has which has been awesome to experience and be a part of.
Q; Lastly, what are your long term and short term goals while you're here in the UK? I.e. Which promotions do you want to work in and do you have any particular opponents you'd like to wrestle?
A; Long term goals whilst I’m here in the UK would be I think mainly to wrestle consistently for Progress and Fight Club: Pro, be able to support myself from just my wrestling income and continue building my brand to become a draw in the scene. The main people I would like to wrestle would be Travis Banks because I love the intensity he brings in the ring, he never has a bad match and I think he would really bring the best out of me. Pete Dunne because I enjoy watching his matches as a fan and I think being in the ring with him would make me a better performer instantly. In reality there’s so many people here who have put the UK on the map on a worldwide scale like Will Ospreay, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Chris Brookes, Rockstar Spud, Marty Scurll any of which I would love to get the chance to get in the ring with. Lucky I’m here for a while so hopefully we get to see some of them!
A huge thank you to Kyle Fletcher for allowing me to interview him. I had the idea of having wrestlers contributing to the website and Kyle was the first person that I wanted to get on board. Make sure you follow Kyle Fletcher on Twitter @kylefletcherpro and also on Instagram @kylefletcherpro.
Q; Tell us the story of how you became a fan of professional wrestling and who your favourite wrestlers were growing up.
A; I began watching wrestling at about the age of 7 in 2006 when it was a phase going around my school, and after falling out of it for a while I got back into it in 2008 when my best friend would always have it on at his house which is where the addiction started. My very first memory of wrestling was seeing Triple H pedigree Stephanie McMahon and I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever seen. Growing up my original favourite was Jeff Hardy as I happened to really get into it when I saw his rise to the WWE championship, the first ever PPV that I ordered on cable was Armageddon 2008 when he won the title and I think that really solidified me as a fan.
Q; What inspired you to want to become a wrestler? Was there a particular match or moment or a combination of both?
A; To be honest it was neither, funnily enough (I have no idea why) but I realised I wanted to be a wrestler when I was on a family holiday where I would have been around ten years old. I feel as though it was because I was completely isolated from any wrestling and it was all I could think about. I just remember asking my mum every day to go to the hotel gym because I wanted to get “jacked” like the wrestlers I saw on TV.
Q; How long did it take from having the first thoughts of wanting to wrestle to finding a school and starting to train?
A; Pretty much from the age of ten when I decided I wanted to be a wrestler I was looking online for schools close-by but not only did you need to be 16+ they also were 1-2 hours away from where I lived. It just so happened there were teenagers who wrestled on mats out the front of their house just around the corner from where I lived and at about 12 I started “backyarding”, which I now look back and don’t recommend anyone doing in the slightest, but at the time it was all I had. Through that I somehow actually met a professional wrestler who invited me to help out at a show when I had just turned 14, and as I was quite a tall, developed kid already I was invited along to come and train.
Q; Which school did you train at and how did you find out about it?
A; The school I trained at was called the PWA Academy and was linked to the promotion Professional Wrestling Australia. My trainers were Madison, Ryan and Robbie Eagles, Robbie being the one who I had met who invited me to come along.
Q; What did you enjoy most about training and which aspects were you not so keen on?
A; I’m not sure if this is a common thing in wrestling training but I loved every aspect of it and still do to this day. Learning all the different aspects of wrestling, furthering my ability and being around people who want to do the same is something that really excites me.
Q; How long were you in training before wrestling your first match?
A; I was always somewhat of an athletic child so when it came to wrestling I picked it up really quickly, it was just unfortunate that I was 14 when I started as I think that made people a bit hesitant to let me wrestle on shows. In the end, I had been training for about 1 year and 3 months before I made my debut on a show.
Q; Are there any matches or moments from your time in Australia which stand out above others?
A; One of the biggest ones definitely would have been winning the Australian Tag Team Championships alongside my best friend, Unsocial Jordan, and my first main event against “Jag” Hartley Jackson and CWC competitor Damian Slater.
Q; When did you make the decision to come to the UK and what was the reaction from your family and friends when you told them about your decision?
A; I always knew I was going to travel overseas as soon as I finished school and told myself that I would all throughout the time that I had been wrestling, so it really just came down to where it was going to be. I decided I was going to come to the UK towards the end of last year when I’d finished school and for a few months all I did was work and save for that. The big thing that made me want to come here was seeing my friend Travis Banks who I’d met whilst wrestling in Australia do so well when wrestling here and he was someone who through talking to really reassured my feelings that this was where I needed to be to further develop as a wrestler.
I think at first my family thought I was joking or I wasn’t really going to follow through with it purely because it was so far off from anything I’d done before. I’d never lived anywhere apart from my parents house so I think it was a lot for them to take in. They were always super supportive however as they knew all I wanted to be was a professional wrestler and I’m still super close with everyone back home so it’s all happy in the end.
Q; I know you've wrestled in promotions such as ATTACK! Pro Wrestling and Fight Club: PRO. Are there any other promotions that you've worked for so far, or is there anything in the pipeline for you to work elsewhere?
A; Fight Club and ATTACK! are the main promotions that I’ve worked for since being in the UK but I’ve also worked a few shows for Ironfist and have some things lined up for the future. Hopefully you’ll see me working places such as Lucha Forever and all around the country very soon.
Q; I was at the recent ATTACK! Pro Wrestling Press Start 5 show in Cardiff where you wrestled as Nixon Newell. As a fan I can't remember having had so much fun at a show as I had that night. What was it like from your point of view both backstage and in the ring wrestling on that night?
A; Being a part of Press Start 5 was incredible, it was genuinely one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been a part of. ATTACK! has a great group of people who all put in a massive effort to put on amazing and different shows that everyone can enjoy, and I think that show is just a testament to that.
Q; Of the matches you've had so far in the UK, are there any that stand out above others?
A; Being the first match at the new venue for Fight Club: Pro was really special and then Press Start 5 because of the amount of fun I had both in the ring and backstage.
Q; What are the main differences in both lifestyle and wrestling between Australia and the UK?
A; Everything here is actually quite similar to back in Australia, I’m still travelling to shows all the time with my friends, training every week and going to the gym every day. The biggest difference between the two I think is just the amount of exposure the scene over here has which has been awesome to experience and be a part of.
Q; Lastly, what are your long term and short term goals while you're here in the UK? I.e. Which promotions do you want to work in and do you have any particular opponents you'd like to wrestle?
A; Long term goals whilst I’m here in the UK would be I think mainly to wrestle consistently for Progress and Fight Club: Pro, be able to support myself from just my wrestling income and continue building my brand to become a draw in the scene. The main people I would like to wrestle would be Travis Banks because I love the intensity he brings in the ring, he never has a bad match and I think he would really bring the best out of me. Pete Dunne because I enjoy watching his matches as a fan and I think being in the ring with him would make me a better performer instantly. In reality there’s so many people here who have put the UK on the map on a worldwide scale like Will Ospreay, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Chris Brookes, Rockstar Spud, Marty Scurll any of which I would love to get the chance to get in the ring with. Lucky I’m here for a while so hopefully we get to see some of them!
A huge thank you to Kyle Fletcher for allowing me to interview him. I had the idea of having wrestlers contributing to the website and Kyle was the first person that I wanted to get on board. Make sure you follow Kyle Fletcher on Twitter @kylefletcherpro and also on Instagram @kylefletcherpro.