10 Times AEW Put Amazing Details Into Storylines

6. Cody Vs. Lance Archer

FTR Young Bucks
AEW/Lee South

"Caesar, Caesar," surmised Jake Roberts in what he perceived to be the pathetic, arrogant face of Cody.

In March.

A fantastic analogy perfectly timed, Roberts threatened the assassination of Cody by his client (revealed to be Lance Archer) just days away from the Ides.

In a fantastic run, Archer debuted and proceeded to put over his immense threat by graduating from Marko Stunt (tenacious, tiny, doomed) to Colt Cabana (skilled, burly, but perhaps past his best) to Dustin Rhodes (spirit indomitable, bloodied body less so).

With each passing match, the professional shadow of Lance Archer loomed larger and larger, and to intensify the personal stakes of the rivalry, he half-killed his brother. And, in a very ugly but no less powerful, wrong-reasons angle, terrorised his wife. It was a focused, disturbing assault on everything Cody held dear: the perfect tone to strike for Cody's first major win of the Dynamite era, and it was one he had to win, too.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!