With everything Takeshita has done in 2025, the one man who can make a genuine argument of having a year that is just as good, if not better, is Kyle Fletcher. Everyone has been so wrapped up in the idea of Takeshita taking on Kazuchika Okada in the final of the Continental Classic that “The Protostar,” who has been a huge star in 2025, has almost flown completely under the radar, so why not give him the win at Worlds End?

There is a major talking point within wrestling right now about how a lot of younger stars simply aren’t given the same chances as those who have been in the business for two decades or more. Both of the major American wrestling companies, WWE and AEW, are seemingly allergic to having someone under the age of 30 holding their top championships; since AEW was formed in 2019, no one aged 30 or less has held either of WWE’s world titles, while AEW has had one world champion in their 20s, that being MJF. Yes, if a wrestler who is 45 years old is better than someone aged 25 then the older wrestler should be given the ball, but there’s more mileage in a younger star, so why not take a chance with them?

That’s exactly what AEW have with Kyle Fletcher. He has already been called “the future of the business” by people on AEW TV, and Tony Khan signed him to a new multi-year deal earlier this year, so he knows what he has in “The Protostar.” Fletcher has had a star-making year and Worlds End would be the perfect end to his year that would set him up to be a part of AEW’s main event scene in 2026. A victory over Moxley in the semi-final, who is already at risk of being eaten alive by his fellow Death Riders, followed by a win over either Okada or Takeshita, showing Don Callis that he has overlooked the true gem of his family in the midst of the Okada/Takeshita beef, would be a career-defining night.

It might make more sense to have Takeshita win the Continental Classic and the AEW Continental Championship in the process, but wrestling isn’t as fun when people don’t take risks. Tony Khan taking a chance on Fletcher would be a risk that has an extremely high ceiling if it pays off — in that sense, a win for Fletcher would literally be a win for the future of AEW.