Kyle Fletcher has made good on his goal to walk into Australia with some gold as he defeated Tommaso Ciampa to win the AEW TNT Championship for the second time on the February 11, 2026 episode of AEW Dynamite.
How did this go down tonight, what led to this, and what could be on the horizon? Let's break it all down!
Fletcher's previous run with the TNT Championship ended far earlier than most would have assumed as he dropped the belt to Mark Briscoe after a series of bouts between them. Briscoe just so happened to drop the title around 70 days later to Tommaso Ciampa on The Sicilian Psychopath's in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling.
However, not even two full weeks later, the open challenge concept from Ciampa proved to be an even shorter-lived run.
After the match, Fletcher had an interview with Renee Paquette, wherein he rejoiced about how he will be able to be in his home country as champion, excited at the idea to defend the title against anybody.
That open challenge was quickly accepted by Mark Briscoe, who came out to talk about how they are actually evenly scored between the two of them when it comes to their series of matches. Both have three wins and three losses, so in Briscoe's mind, they should have their big "game seven" in Sydney.
Fletcher said that he wanted this to be big, as well as the final chapter of their story, so if he wants to prove that he is the best and if Briscoe likes reaching for the skies, they'll battle it out in a ladder match.
Personal Reactions & What Happens Next?:
It's a shame Ciampa had a footnote transitional hot potato run with the title. That doesn't give me a lot of faith that he's going to be a hot priority going forward. Here's hoping that's not a bad omen. But a ladder match between Fletcher and Briscoe is going to be great, and I'm a fan of Fletcher with a title, so this could overall be a net positive. Fletcher will retain the title, I'd assume.
Tell us what you think about this title change by leaving a comment below! Who do you think will be the next in line to challenge for the title, or possibly even win the belt next? Keep the discussion going!