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Lance Archer Promises ‘Beautiful Brutality’ in Intriguing Match vs. Rey Fénix

Posted: Feb 25th 2021 By: Justin Barrasso

Lance Archer wrestles Rey Fénix this week on Dynamite, with the winner moving on to a ladder match at the upcoming Revolution pay-per-view on March 7.

That six-man Face of the Revolution Ladder Match has serious potential to be the match of the night and will set up a program with TNT champion Darby Allin. The Archer-Fénix qualifier should serve as a spectacular clash of styles, but there is one glaring issue with this match: It is a shame that both can’t claim a spot in the upcoming ladder match.

“You’re going to witness beautiful brutality,” says Archer. “Fénix is amazing, everything he does is beautiful, and my style is savage and brutal. This clash of styles is something I really want, like when I worked with AJ Styles or Will Ospreay, and Fénix is on that same level. He’s unique in ways that no one else can come close to touching.”

The stakes will only add to the tension of Wednesday evening’s encounter, as both Archer and Fénix look to build upon momentum and seize a top spot in AEW.

Archer is reclaiming his place as one of the most dynamic big men in all of wrestling, possessing a combination of power and agility unlike any other giant. His old-school, Undertaker-like walk on the top rope, which he caps off with a moonsault, is one of the most distinctive moves in the industry, especially for a big man. He has experienced a few near falls in pursuit of AEW stardom, yet now appears poised to become the promotion’s signature monster.

“It’s been a lot of fun trying to find my way, and I’m hitting my stride,” says Archer. “I’ve been around the business for a while, I consider myself seasoned, and I know you have to be adaptable. If I stayed who I was five years ago, I’d never be where I am right now.”

Archer entered AEW with a considerable amount of momentum, presented as a genuine threat in the TNT tournament. He lost in the finals to Cody Rhodes, then struggled to find a consistent place on the card. Archer’s shift to babyface has presented him in an entirely new light, bringing a renewed fire and energy in a presentation strikingly different from when he was a heel.

Archer’s most important moment thus far in AEW took place two weeks ago during a Dynamite tag match with Jon Moxley against Kenny Omega and New Japan star Kenta. Though he took the loss, he was presented as a house of four that required four men to extinguish.

“Teaming with Moxley against Kenta and Kenny was a staple moment for me in this business,” says Archer. “That’s a main event spot with three of the top guys, and that’s the opportunity I was looking for to prove I am a top guy, too.

“Kenny makes me step up my game. I believe I’m on his level. Now whether the audience sees me that way is a whole different story, and it’s my responsibility to show that and put it in people’s minds that I am on his level.”

As Archer builds toward a main-event program with Omega, who is the reigning AEW champion, he first needs to capitalize on this moment with Fénix.

“This is going to be a fun fight; we’re going to beat the hell out of each other,” says Archer. “And I am going to show why I belong in the main event when I put down Fénix.”