Kyle Fletcher Credits AEW Original For Coming Up With Protostar Moniker

Now in his third year with AEW, "The Protostar" Kyle Fletcher has become a full-blown star, just days away from challenging Will Ospreay for the AEW Men's World Championship. So it seems as appropriate time as any to find out how Fletcher came up with his "Protostar" moniker. Appearing on "What Happened When," Fletcher gave all the details to Conrad Thompson and Tony Schiavone, revealing he developed the name during his time as Ring of Honor World Television Champion, with the help of producer Jimmy Jacobs and an AEW original.

"He [Jacobs] just had this thing, he was like 'What's the word for a young star? Like a young, rising star? Surely there's a word for it,'" Fletcher said. "And Angelico was in the room. And Angelico pulls out his phone and Googles it, and he pulls up the literal name for a young or an early developing star, like, in the solar system, in the universe. It's a protostar. And it was kind of one of those things where it was like 'Oh yeah, that sounds okay. Let's use that.' 

"And I just said it in the promo, didn't really think too much about it. And then it really organically kind of caught on. People just being like 'Oh yeah, that's good. You should keep that. Oh yeah, that's good.' And then, before I knew it, it really took on a life of its own, and it just became who I am. I became the Protostar. And it kind of took on its...I feel like it has a totally new meaning now. It's associated with me."

Around the same time, Fletcher would start using the phrase "say my full name" in his promos. Though he cannot remember who, the former TNT Champion received a text message soon after telling him to keep incorporating the phrase in his promos. Much like "Protostar," the catchphrase has stuck.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What Happened When" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription