Kevin Knight is looking at his new and uneasy partnership with Kyle Fletcher as more than a one-night alignment. Following their successful first match together on the September 5 edition of AEW Collision, Knight has made an ambitious prediction: if he and Fletcher remain a team, he believes their combined athleticism and competitive drive could eventually put them above every other tandem in All Elite Wrestling.
Knight and Fletcher defeated Ace Austin and Juice Robinson of the Bang Bang Gang in a competitive tag team contest on Collision. The result arrived after Knight had expressed frustration about being paired with Fletcher in the first place, making the victory an important early development for a duo that did not appear naturally united heading into the match.
Rather than treating the win as a temporary convenience, Knight now sees a potential ceiling for the partnership. Speaking ahead of the September 9 episode of AEW Dynamite, Knight pointed to the first-match result as evidence that he can be the difference-maker alongside Fletcher.
“As you saw last week, I got the win for us in this tag team as our first match together. I think I’ll take the lead, I’ll take the reins going into this match against the Young Bucks and have Kyle, you know, just watch a master at work.”
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The comment carries the same confidence Knight has brought to his singles career, but it also underlines the friction that could define the team. Fletcher is among AEW’s most driven and accomplished younger wrestlers, and Knight’s suggestion that Fletcher should simply follow his lead is unlikely to remove all tension between them. Their ability to coexist, and perhaps thrive, may depend on whether both men can channel that ego into their in-ring work rather than allowing it to become a distraction.
For now, Knight believes their shared mindset gives them an advantage. He described both himself and Fletcher as intensely competitive and ambitious, qualities that could either make them a volatile pairing or help them become a formidable force in an increasingly crowded division.
“I think we’re both extremely competitive. We’re both extremely ambitious. We’ll put our differences aside because we see the Young Bucks and where they’re going against Cope/Christian and you’ve got the New Level in there. You got FTR coming back, we’ve got so many great tag teams.”
A Division Filled With Established Competition
Knight’s comments come at a time when AEW’s tag team scene has no shortage of high-profile names. The Young Bucks remain one of the most historically significant teams connected to the company and continue to be central figures in the division’s biggest stories. Cope and Christian bring a long, complicated history together, while FTR’s return adds another championship-level team with a reputation for excelling against virtually every style of opposition.
Knight also named the New Level while assessing the teams around him and Fletcher. The breadth of the field is central to his point: simply earning a win together does not immediately establish a new duo as a top contender. Knight and Fletcher will need to prove they can handle experienced specialists, teams with more continuity, and opponents who can exploit the apparent lack of trust between them.
That challenge is particularly notable because their partnership began with resistance rather than mutual enthusiasm. Successful tag teams often rely on established rhythm, familiarity with each other’s tendencies, and a willingness to make sacrifices for the team’s result. Knight and Fletcher are beginning from a different place. Both are highly motivated individuals with their own goals, and their early exchanges have suggested that neither man is naturally inclined to defer to the other.
Still, their debut victory showed why Knight is willing to make such a bold projection. His speed and explosive offense complement Fletcher’s physical intensity and aggression. In a division where chemistry is usually cultivated over months or years, the duo’s early ability to secure a result against Austin and Robinson provides at least a foundation on which to build.
Knight Sees “Something Special”
Knight did not limit his assessment to the idea that he and Fletcher could merely compete with AEW’s leading teams. He stated that their raw ability could allow them to exceed the division’s established names if they continue working together.
“But the one that’s coming up right now, if we continue to tag, I feel like we can be better than all of those tag teams just off raw potential and raw talent. Me and Kyle got something special.”
It is a striking statement considering the teams Knight referenced. The Young Bucks, FTR, Cope and Christian, and others have all built extensive resumes and formed identities through years of big-match experience. Knight and Fletcher, by comparison, have one official victory together. Their potential may be evident, but their staying power remains untested.
That is what makes their next chapter important. A one-off victory can create intrigue, but a sustained run would require Knight and Fletcher to navigate the practical realities of being a regular team. They will need to establish who takes charge in difficult moments, how they respond when one partner is in trouble, and whether either man can accept a supporting role when the situation demands it.
Knight’s insistence that he will “take the reins” could become a source of conflict, particularly given Fletcher’s own competitive nature. At the same time, their willingness to speak openly about their ambition may be what sets them apart. Neither wrestler is presenting the partnership as a comfortable friendship. Instead, it is a union of two wrestlers who believe they are capable of reaching the top and may recognize that teaming together could accelerate that climb.
A Test Against The Young Bucks Looms
The immediate focus for Knight and Fletcher is a match involving the Young Bucks on the September 9 episode of Dynamite. That setting gives the emerging team a significant opportunity to measure itself against opponents whose tag team experience and reputation are difficult to match.
For Knight, the bout is also a chance to back up his declaration that he can lead the pairing. Defeating Austin and Robinson was a productive first step, but a strong showing opposite the Young Bucks would bring considerably more attention to the question of whether Knight and Fletcher are becoming a genuine fixture in AEW’s tag landscape.
The stakes extend beyond a single result. A win would make Knight’s confidence look justified and could rapidly move the duo into conversations involving the top teams. Even a loss could provide valuable information about how the two function under pressure, especially against a team adept at forcing opponents into mistakes and testing every weakness in their coordination.
There is also the unresolved question of whether Fletcher shares Knight’s long-term vision. Knight has clearly stated that he believes the team has a special quality and could become better than AEW’s best. Fletcher’s own response, both in the match and afterward, will help determine whether this is a partnership with genuine momentum or simply a short-lived arrangement between two talented wrestlers.
Potential Needs To Become Consistency
Tag team wrestling rewards potential only when it develops into consistency. Knight and Fletcher have already demonstrated enough skill individually to make the pairing intriguing, and their first win offered a promising glimpse of what they can accomplish. However, the teams Knight has placed in his sights are not defined solely by talent. They are defined by longevity, adaptability, championship experience, and the ability to perform together when the pressure rises.
That is the standard Knight has set for himself and Fletcher. His confidence is not subtle, and it should not be. In a division filled with accomplished competitors, an emerging team needs to believe it belongs in the same conversation before it can force its way into it.
Whether Knight and Fletcher can put aside their differences for more than one match is the central issue. If they can, their blend of speed, athleticism, power, and ambition may indeed make them a compelling new force. If they cannot, their potential may be remembered more for what it could have been than what it became.
For now, Knight is choosing to focus on the upside. After getting the deciding win in the team’s first outing, he sees no reason to lower his expectations. The September 9 edition of Dynamite offers the next opportunity for Knight and Fletcher to show whether their first success was the beginning of something special or just the start of a more complicated rivalry.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.