The hilarious introductions ("beating his opponent down to the ring") aside, this was the wrong night to do the right thing, if a fun Lance Archer squash was even that.
'The Murderhawk Monster' has proven how easily he can be reheated numerous times, so it's a sure thing that this latest effort will be successful. But repetition is the enemy of innovation, and it was hard to get that excited about an obviously recyclable process that peaked at least a year ago.
That it took place on the same night as Wardlow took his squashes to the next level by outright naming MJF as his prime target (more on that later) was simply poor agenting. AEW sometimes feels like it has more television time than it knows what to do with, but three segments themed around big guys killing dudes on one show is two too many.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
