The Murderhawk Monster Lance Archer has, for the first time in his career, found himself in a featured role on North American television for a major wrestling company. After an early career that saw him make his way through both TNA and WWE, Archer was able to head out into the world and hone his craft to the point of gaining the attention of promoters back home in America. This is how Lance went from a replaceable piece of the TNA machine, to an integral part of All Elite Wrestling.

Archer Had Early Struggles Wrestling In The States

Archer’s first television appearances were not unlike many other big men who have debuted over the years, as the muscle for a smaller, more athletic wrestlers — the Big Daddy Cool formula if you will. Archer debuted in NWA-TNA as Dallas, the heater for X-Division star and ECW alumnus Kid Kash. He would help Kash win and retain the X-Division championship, and would win the NWA Tag Team Championship on two different occasions in 2004. Kash would leave the promotion in 2005, and Archer would change his name from Dallas to his real name of Lance Hoyt. As Hoyt, he would spend the next few years often impressing with his athleticism and unexpected high-flying ability, but wouldn’t be able to find traction until changing his name to Lance Rock and forming a team with Jimmy Rave and Christy Hemme in 2007, known as The Rock 'N Rave Infection.

Surprisingly, the Infection wasn’t long for this world. The group found mild success before Archer was released from his contract in early 2009. Archer would test the waters in Japan following this with a short stint in All Japan, wrestling just a handful of matches for the promotion under the banner of the Voodoo Murders stable. From here, Archer was headed for the bright lights of World Wrestling Entertainment.

Vance Archer ECW

Archer, who would wrestle under the name Vance Archer, only stayed in WWE for a year, and that year was largely uneventful. Initially, after Florida Championship Wrestling, Archer debuted for the ECW brand, squashing assorted enhancement talents before moving on to brief feuds with Tommy Dreamer and Shelton Benjamin, before becoming a guy who loses in various battle royals. ECW would shut down, and Archer eventually found himself on the blue brand teaming with Curt Hawkins as the ill-fated Gatecrashers. The Gatecrasher were first presented as having 30 days to make an impact and involved themselves in the affairs of superstars like MVP, Christian, and Matt Hardy, but it was only a matter of time before the two found themselves losing handicap matches to the Big Show. Archer was eventually released from his WWE Contract in late 2010.

It was at this time that Archer was at a critical point in his career, after ten years in the business and both major wrestling companies in the country not having a spot for him, it's easy to believe that he might have become discouraged or even hung up the boots. Instead, Archer returned to Japan, and it was there that Archer would come into his own alongside Minoru Suzuki and his team of goons known as Suzuki-Gun.

Archer Found His Place While In Japan

Archer was put into Suzuki-Gun almost immediately upon arriving at New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2011, and in his first year, he would see himself more featured than at any other point in his career. He had a respectable first appearance in the 2011 G1 Climax, and teamed with his new friend Minoru Suzuki in the G1 Tag League, making it all the way to the finals where they ended up victorious over the IWGP Tag Team Champions. Things really started to pick up steam the next year when Archer would begin to tag with the man who he would spend the next few years dominating assorted Japanese tag team scenes with, son of the British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith Jr.

via topropepress.com

With Harry Smith, aka DH Smith, aka Davey Boy Smith Jr, Archer would form the tag team Killer Elite Squad within the Suzuki-Gun stable. The Killer Elites would win multiple tag team championships in Pro Wrestling Noah and New Japan, and would represent the group in other promotions such as Ring Of Honor on a few choice occasions. The team continued their dominance up until Davey Boy Jr. left New Japan in 2019. From there is when a lot of western fans may have started to once again hear the rumblings of Lance Archer. Archer would have a notable stand out singles match with Will Ospreay during the 2019 G1, and would go on later in the year to feud with an unstoppable Jon Moxley over the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. Archer would win the belt before losing it back to Moxley at Wrestle Kingdom in a Texas Deathmatch.

That feud with Mox, or maybe even the match with Ospreay, was enough to get noticed by Tony Khan in AEW, and the rest from there is very recent history. Archer would sign a contract with All Elite Wrestling in early 2020, and was paired with Jake “The Snake” Roberts as his mouth piece, although since being signed, Archer has himself executed some of the best microphone work of his career.

lance archer aew all elite wrestling dynamite debut jake roberts video

Despite an AEW roster packed with many talented individuals, Archer has found many moments to shine from making it to the finals of the tournament to crown the first TNT Championship, turning his feud with Moxley into an AEW World Championship program, and even reuniting with Minoru Suzuki to battle Moxley and Eddie Kingston in a lights out street fight. A far cry from the young big man who once struggled to find his place on a packed roster, it finally feels like Archer has violently carved out his place in the world.