Kyle Fletcher Wins Second AEW TNT Title Defense Vs. NJPW Talent At Forbidden Door 2025
Last month, Kyle Fletcher claimed the TNT Championship by besting Dustin Rhodes in a bloody Chicago Street Fight on "AEW Collision." At AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door, he tackled the second title defense of his reign, with New Japan's Hiromu Takahashi stepping up to challenge him. Unfortunately for Takahashi, it yielded a loss.
Takahashi, a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, brought forth a hard-hitting offense against Fletcher, with a series of chops opening his action against "The ProtoStar." Takahashi later stunned the defending champion with a dragonscrew and a German suplex, though Fletcher responded with a Michinoku Driver. Takahashi remained resilient in his efforts from there, even kicking out of an avalanche back suplex and a Liger Bomb.
In the match's closing moments, Fletcher planted Takahashi with a jumping Tombstone Piledriver, which Takahashi somehow managed to kick out of. Frustrated, Fletcher then charged into the corner with a pair of high kicks. Takahashi briefly shifted momentum into his favor with a surprise roll-up on Fletcher. Still, it wasn't enough to beat the Aussie as Fletcher powered out and dropped Takahashi with a brainbuster for the win.
With this victory, Fletcher retains and is now approaching one month as TNT Champion, or in the eyes of Don Callis, "the greatest TNT Champion of all-time." Prior to this, Fletcher successfully defended his title against Tomohiro Ishii, another star of NJPW, on "Collision." His next challenger has yet to be determined, though a rematch against Rhodes has been ruled out due to the veteran undergoing knee surgery.