While the wide breadth of the tournament semi-finals meant that no one would be considered a 100% lock, Kyle Fletcher still swayed almost half the Wrestling Inc. Staff, as it is hard to walk away from 2025 without thinking it was the year Fletcher proved himself as the heir apparent to Will Ospreay. The former TNT Champion held his own against Hangman Page in a PPV main event, and he’s been a central part of AEW’s weekly programming.

The Don Callis Family was always going to have good odds in this tournament, with Jon Moxley as the lone, non-DCF semifinalist. But Okada’s best days are behind him, and Takeshita has already made his name a few times over. It’s time for Fletcher to, like Konosuke Takeshita in this year’s G1, get that big tournament win that solidifies him as a main event talent for the rest of his days.

It should be noted that Takeshita himself is just behind Fletcher with 42% of the vote, while Okada secured 11%, with no one voting for Jon Moxley; a troubling omen for Moxley’s prospects.

Written by Ross Berman