Kyle Fletcher has identified a piece of advice from Claudio Castagnoli as one of the most meaningful lessons he has received during his AEW career, revealing that the words resonated strongly enough for him to have them tattooed on his wrist.
The phrase is simple: “It’s who we are.” For Fletcher, however, it represents far more than a motivational slogan. It is his answer to the question of why success has not removed his desire to work harder, improve further, and pursue the next accomplishment.
Fletcher discussed the tattoo and the conversation behind it in an interview conducted before AEW All In. The exchange came early in Fletcher’s time with AEW, at a point when he was beginning to experience major professional milestones but was also grappling with whether those achievements would ever provide a lasting feeling of fulfillment.
“I will say, there is one that does stick out a little bit,” Fletcher said when asked about advice that has stayed with him. “I got it tattooed on my wrist. I don’t know how easy it’ll be to see past my watch, but it says ‘it’s who we are,’ and that was a bit of advice I got from Claudio Castagnoli.”
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A Question About Whether Success Can Ever Be Enough
Fletcher explained that he had made an online post expressing a feeling that many ambitious performers encounter as their careers begin to move forward. Reaching AEW had been an enormous achievement for him, yet getting there had not necessarily made him feel that he had reached a final destination.
He recalled asking whether it would ever feel like he had done enough. The question was not a dismissal of the opportunities in front of him; rather, it reflected the difficult reality that a wrestler can achieve a goal and almost immediately begin looking toward the next one.
“I had put up something online that was something along the lines of, will it ever be enough? Will it ever feel like it’s enough?” Fletcher said. “Because I think at the time I was going through a little bit of, like a little bit of success. Obviously I’d got to AEW, like to me that was huge, but I still didn’t feel, I guess, fulfilled is the right word.”
Castagnoli noticed the post and approached Fletcher backstage at a show. Fletcher described the conversation as a direct but thoughtful exchange, with Castagnoli offering a perspective shaped by the reality of a career built around striving for the next challenge.
“Claudio pulled me at a show backstage and he said, ‘oh, I saw that thing you posted,’” Fletcher said. “We just had this conversation, and he basically said, ‘no, it will never feel like it’s enough. That’s kind of the whole point of it. You’re always going to want more.’”
That answer did not entirely settle Fletcher’s question. Instead, it prompted him to ask what keeps someone moving forward if the feeling of having finally reached enough may never arrive. It was in answering that follow-up that Castagnoli gave Fletcher the words he would eventually carry with him permanently.
“It’s Who We Are”
Fletcher said he asked Castagnoli how he remained motivated to keep pursuing more when there is always another benchmark ahead. Castagnoli paused to consider it before delivering the short response that Fletcher now has inked on his wrist.
“So I asked him, I was like, ‘so if that’s the case, if you’re not striving for something, like how do you keep going? Like what is the thing that pushes you to keep working so hard?’” Fletcher recalled. “He stood there for a second and he thought about it and he said the words, ‘it’s who we are.’”
For Fletcher, those words clarified that the pursuit itself is inseparable from his identity. The desire to train, work, compete, and chase greater success is not simply a temporary response to career circumstances. He sees it as part of the person he is.
“Those stuck with me a lot because this is who I am. I work so hard because this is who I am,” Fletcher said. “If I didn’t work so hard, if I didn’t love this, if I didn’t have that passion, I wouldn’t feel like the same person. I wouldn’t be who I am.”
He continued by explaining why the message has become such a significant personal reminder. Rather than viewing the inability to settle as purely negative, Fletcher sees his constant need to grow as a reflection of the passion he values most in himself.
“So that’s one of the things that keeps me going,” Fletcher said. “Like, why would I not work as hard as I possibly can? Because that’s probably the thing I love the most about myself. That’s who I am, right?”
Fletcher acknowledged that Castagnoli’s guidance was not strictly technical wrestling advice. Still, it has clearly become an important principle in the way Fletcher approaches his career. The tattoo ensures that the lesson is always close at hand, even as Fletcher’s role and expectations continue to evolve.
Fletcher’s Rapid Rise in AEW
The comments arrive during a period in which Fletcher has established himself as one of AEW’s prominent young singles competitors. While still relatively early in both his AEW tenure and his run as a primarily singles wrestler, he has moved quickly through major opportunities on the roster.
Fletcher has challenged for the AEW World Championship and has held both the TNT Championship and International Championship. Those accomplishments underline the point at the center of his discussion with Castagnoli: substantial success has already come his way, but Fletcher’s focus remains fixed on continuing to advance.
His position within the Don Callis Family has also been a notable part of that ascent. Fletcher’s stated mindset helps explain the intensity attached to his presentation and ambitions within the group. In his view, working relentlessly is not an optional method for reaching a specific title or career landmark. It is the standard he sets for himself because anything less would conflict with his sense of self.
That perspective is especially relevant in a wrestling environment where performers are regularly measured by championships, match opportunities, and positioning on major events. Fletcher’s story suggests that external milestones can validate progress without necessarily ending the internal push for more.
Castagnoli’s message also carries weight because it does not promise an easy resolution to that feeling. The answer was not that Fletcher would eventually reach a point where every goal felt complete. Instead, it was an acceptance that the drive to seek more may remain—and that the key is understanding why that drive exists.
Don Callis Family Questions Remain
Elsewhere, Don Callis has addressed the possibility of Kazuchika Okada supporting Fletcher in the future, saying there would be no issue with that outcome. The subject adds another point of interest around Fletcher and the wider orbit of the Don Callis Family as his profile continues to grow.
For now, Fletcher’s comments put the focus squarely on the philosophy that has guided him through his rise. His wrist tattoo is a public reminder of a private backstage conversation, but it also speaks to a broader truth about competitors who continue chasing the next level after reaching goals that once seemed distant.
Fletcher summed up the lesson by noting that it may not have been wrestling advice in the conventional sense. Its impact on his wrestling career, though, is unmistakable. The phrase “it’s who we are” has become Fletcher’s explanation for why he refuses to stop reaching for more.
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.