How AEW Just Taught WWE How To Build A Star

Lance Archer
AEW/Lee South

They complement one another perfectly. "Jealousy's killed more people than war ever has," Jake said in a fantastic promo on 'Road To', and you can feel that in every bit of Archer's physical movement - particularly when somebody dares strike him, and he convulses violently at the disrespect.

Archer really got over by quite literally murdering Marko Stunt on April 1.

What a blow-away awesome squash match this was, an instant entry into the all-time pantheon. The very premise of a squash match is to get the hoss over as an absurdly powerful physical threat. This transcended the premise because Archer, the best big man worker in wrestling today, is a dynamic, terrifying presence, and was able to fly into Stunt in addition to sending him flying across the length of an entire room. A harrowing and perversely hilarious slaughter, this - from opponent to performance - could not have been any more effective.

Archer put Colt Cabana away on April 15, and the balance of a competitive match was perfect. A hoss cannot be invincible. There's no drama in that. Cabana tried to overcome Archer with his niche knowledge of British chain wrestling, but it was no use: everybody dies. This saw Archer advance in the TNT Championship tournament, which itself is great booking. Archer didn't realise a boyhood dream to get to AEW. He wasn't over-awed by the machine, nor made worthwhile by the training it afforded him. He came to f*ck people up, win titles, and make money.

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

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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!