AEW star Kyle Fletcher has made a name for himself in the ring, but he also recognizes the importance of mastering the microphone. When it comes to promo skills, Fletcher looks to an unlikely source for inspiration: WWE veteran The Miz.During a recent interview with the "Battleground Podcast," Fletcher explained how Miz's verbal expertise has directly influenced his current work in AEW."I think how much he interacts with the crowd, and not just in a sense of turning to the crowd and yelling at them or whatever," Fletcher said. "A lot of people go into promos and nowadays, I don't want to say people using scripts, but there's a lot of people that have their stuff written for them and they memorize it and they go out there and they say it. That works for some people. It's great. The Miz, it's him, it's Cena, it's all these different guys, they might not know anything that they're going to say when they go out there, and then it's literally all impacted by how the crowd's reacting and what they're doing. I think that's something that I definitely looked at, I was inspired by, and something that I've tried to do in my own stuff."As a performer, Fletcher admitted that overthinking comes quite naturally, especially in relation to promos, which is why some memorize their promos in-depth ahead of time. Seeing The Miz's successful spontaneity has inspired him to do the opposite, however, and furthermore, trust in his speaking abilities.The Miz has cut a number of impassioned promos during his 20-plus year WWE career, including his now infamous firestorm on "Talking Smack" in 2016. Since turning heel, shaving his head, and joining The Don Callis Family in 2024, Fletcher has delivered speeches of a similar style while also making them his own.If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Battleground Podcast" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
