8 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest Night 2 (Jul 8)

Downs...

2. Lance Archer Vs. Joey Janela Just Barely Does What It Needed To Do

Joey Janela Lance Archer
AEW

There was a sense that Lance Archer Vs. Joey Janela didn't quite fulfil its ghoulish thrill of a premise.

Is this a macro concern for Janela, who is a better performer on the unbridled Independent circuit than what is a very expressive product, but still very much a TV show?

He's exponentially more than a deranged living apron bump, and he took a nasty, killer bump through a table, but this was unbalanced. It was much more of a competitive match than the inevitable death Janela did miraculously well to stave off for as long as he did, though the interference of Sonny Kiss, as a babyface, did put over the any-means-necessary premise of survival. It worked better as an end-to-end, net-result presentation than a match.

The little detail of Janela looking for his friend in the tunnel - before being confronted with what was left of him - is the sort of deft, immersive touch with which this show excels in 2020. And that finish was awesome and earned, if you're generous, since Janela introduced the table that ended him.

The timing of the commercial hurt it, but it wasn't a bad match. It was a good match, boasting two good performances.

It was just the wrong match, and it didn't really restore Archer's aura.

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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!