Former New Japan Champion Reportedly In Talks With AEW

It looks like one New Japan wrestler is looking to make the jump to AEW.

We hear all the time that All Elite Wrestling is full just full of small guys. They are just a bunch of small indy guys and they should not be in the position that that is just one year in. With that, it looks like AEW is looking to sign some bigger guys here soon.

We heard after the “Hard To Kill” pay-per-view for IMPACT that Brian Cage had signed with AEW. Cage’s wife Melissa Santos quickly took to social media to shoot those reports down. We then heard that an offer was made but Cage had not signed anything. Yet Cage is not the only big man AEW may be looking at signing.

According to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Barros reports that AEW is looking to sign former IWGP United States Champion Lance Archer. Barrasso states that multiple sources have confirmed to him that AEW and Archer are in high-level talks. As of right now Archer is still working for New Japan Pro Wrestling and is slated for their upcoming US tour that kicks of this Friday in Tampa.

Some have said that 2019 may have been the best year career-wise for Archer. He competed in the G1 Climax Tournament and really opened a lot of people’s eyes after having a number of great matches. In the fall after Jon Moxley was stripped of the title, Archer would defeat Juice Robinson to win the then-vacant IWGP United States Championship.

Archer is not only a big man wrestler, but he has also developed a unique look that you can say no one else in wrestling has right now and that is what AEW needs, guys that can stand out as different.

As of right now, Archer’s exact contract status with New Japan is not known so we do not know when a contract could be signed and when Archer would be able to start with AEW. As stated above Archer is slated for the upcoming US tour with New Japan that starts Friday and runs through February 1st. Past that Archer is not yet announced for anything else with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

If we do hear anything further on Lance Archer being in high-level talks with AEW and when or if he does sign with the company we will keep you updated.