 Archer in 2022 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lance Hoyt (1977-02-28)February 28, 1977 (age 48)[3][8] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Lance Archer[1] Lance Hoyt Lance Rock Lance Steel Shadow Dallas Vance Archer[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 289 lb (131 kg)[3][4] |
| Billed from | Austin, Texas[3] Dallas,Texas[2] Hearne, Texas[5] |
| Trained by | Solo Faitala[6] |
| Debut | July 2000[7] |
Lance Hoyt[10] (born February 28, 1977),[1][3] better known by hisring nameLance Archer, is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW), where is a member ofThe Don Callis Family and one-half ofThe Murder Machines withBrian Cage. He also makes appearances forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for his time withWWE asVance Archer, andImpact Wrestling (TNA) under his real name and asLance Rock.
Hoyt began his career in 2000 and worked inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2004 until 2009. In TNA, he wrestled first asDallas, winning theNWA World Tag Team Championship twice withKid Kash. After Diamond Dallas Page signed with TNA, he changed his name to Lance Hoyt and formed a rock band themed tag team with Jimmy Rave and Christy Hemme, the Rock N Rave Infection, eventually changing his name to Lance Rock in 2008. After Hoyt left TNA, he signed with WWE, where he worked until 2010 as Vance Archer.[11] After he left WWE, he signed a contract with Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he worked as Lance Archer. During his first years, he joined Minoru Suzuki'sSuzuki-Gun, winning the G1 Tag League 2011 with Suzuki. WhenDavey Boy Smith Jr. came to NJPW, they were paired asKiller Elite Squad, winning between 2014 and 2019 the IWGP Tag Team Championship twice, NWA World Tag Team Championship twice and NOAH'S GHC Tag Team Championship twice.[1] When Smith left the promotion in 2019, Archer became a singles wrestler, capturing theIWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, a championship which he eventually regained for a record-tying second time in 2021. In February 2020, it was announced that Archer had joined All Elite Wrestling, though he remained making appearances for NJPW.
In 2000, Hoyt began training as a wrestler under Solo Faitala,[1] and debuted in July 2000, facing Tarzan Taylor in his first match. He spent the next four years working on the Texasindependent circuit, using thering names Lance Steel and Breakdown, the latter being a character created in the spur-of-the-moment by Hoyt inCorpus Christi when he had forgotten his usual ring attire and was forced to wrestle in his street clothing.[7] Hoyt's most notable tenure within the Texas independent circuit was in Professional Championship Wrestling (PCW), where he debuted in 2000 as Shadow, a darkheelcharacter. Throughout his time in PCW, he faced notable opponents includingPaul London, Jeromy Sage, andAhmed Johnson and early in his tenure, he created astable called "The Dark Circle".[7] Hoyt later left PCW upon signing withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) before later making his returned to the promotion in 2006 under his real name, while using his former Shadow ring name simply as a nickname. Soon after his return to PCW, Hoyt proceeded to win the Tag Team Championship with Wally Darkmon in 2006. Beginning in 2008, Hoyt reverted to his Shadow ring name and gimmick, while also adopting amask. This was short-lived, however, as Hoyt unmasked and suddenly began using hisRock 'n Rave Infection gimmick from TNA a few months later. Following his release from TNA, PCW announced they had released Hoyt from his contract, which turned out to be astoryline, leading to Hoyt revealing he had a PCW "legends contract". Hoyt briefly went on become the commissioner of PCW before it was announced that he had signed a contract withWorld Wrestling Entertainment.
Hoyt was hired byTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in March 2004 and immediately teamed up with X Division mainstayKid Kash as Dallas, Kash's bodyguard, tag team partner andon-screen relative.[7] He and Kash took part in a tournament for the vacantNWA World Tag Team Championship and won the vacant titles by defeatingLow Ki andChristopher Daniels in the finals on April 7.[6][12] They lost the titles toD'Lo Brown andApolo the subsequent week, then regained them from Brown and Apolo the week following that.[6] Their second and final reign ended on June 4 of that year when they were defeated byAmerica's Most Wanted.[7]
After Kash was suspended by TNA in June 2004, Hoyt was reduced to wrestlingdark matches. He appeared sporadically with TNA throughout the remainder of the year, and aided Kash in his feud withA.J. Styles upon his return from suspension.[7] In January 2005, Hoyt began wrestling under his own name at the instruction ofbookerDusty Rhodes.[7] The common explanation for this is that they wanted no confusion between Hoyt andDiamond Dallas Page. Hoyt and Kash competed in the tag team division, unsuccessfully challenging America's Most Wanted for the NWA World Tag Team Championship atAgainst All Odds on February 13, until Kash was released by TNA on April 19, 2005.[13] Left without a partner, Hoyt teamed withChris Candido to faceSonny Siaki andApolo in acage match atLockdown.[14] In the course of the match, Candido suffered a serious leg injury and was stretchered out, and Hoyt was pinned shortly thereafter.[14] Following the match, Candido's cohorts,The Naturals, attacked Hoyt, thusturning him into aface character.[14]
Hoyt began developing a strong fan following, leading to his introducing a gimmick known as "Hoytamania", a reference to the "Hulkamania" surroundingHulk Hogan.[7] Hefeuded withTeam Canada throughout mid-2005, and lost toAbyss atSacrifice.[15] He lost toMonty Brown atBound for Glory[16] and was involved in the 10-man Gauntlet match later in the night to determine the number one contender forJeff Jarrett'sNWA World Heavyweight Championship.[16] In that match, Hoyt was eliminated by eventual winnerRhino.[16] He later began teaming withMatt Bentley in mid-card tag matches until a misinterpreted steel chair incident led Bentley to believe Hoyt had "screwed" him, and he severely turned on him with a spontaneous brawl by ringside, consisting of several chairshots. Hoyt defeated Bentley atDestination X.[17] He returned to TNA atNo Surrender in the Triple Chance Tag Teambattle royal as a partner toRon "The Truth" Killings, but he was one of the first eliminated from the match.[18] Hoyt made his Spike TV return, teaming with Killings to defeatMatt Bentley and Kazarian.
Hoyt participated in theFight for the Right Tournament, where he was one of the last two remaining men, making it to the third stage of the match. He lost to Abyss, who won a bye to the tournament finals for a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Even so, he wrestled Ron Killings in the quarterfinals of the tournament on the November 2 episode ofImpact!, but was defeated. AtGenesis, Hoyt and Killings defeatedAustin Starr andAlex Shelley withKevin Nash at ringside.[19]
After Killings was given a new program, Hoyt started teaming up with theVoodoo Kin Mafia (VKM). His role with the team seemed to be that of a friend and bodyguard, watching their backs during their matches, and working the occasional six-man tag team match with them onImpact!. AtSlammiversary, VKM defeatedBasham and Damaja whenKip James pinned Basham, but Hoyt turned his back on VKM when Kip was about to attackChristy Hemme.[20] He kissed Hemme after the match, thus re-establishing himself as a heel.[20] Hoyt lost to Abyss on an episode ofImpact! and a week after that he lost to Kip James. He then became part of a tag team managed by Hemme alongside the returningJimmy Rave, later named The Rock 'n Rave Infection. They soon became a comedicrock band trio, with Hoyt and Rave entering the ring withGuitar Herogame controllers and Hemme screaming on a microphone.
Hoyt competed atLockdown in a "Cuffed in the Cage" match losing to the eventual winner,Super Eric.[21] He changed his ringname to Lance Rock on the July 17 episode ofImpact!, where he defeatedMatt Morgan shortly after Morgan.[22]
Since then, The Rock 'n Rave Infection defeated the teams ofAbyss and Matt Morgan,Latin American Xchange, and The Prince Justice Brotherhood (Super Eric,Shark Boy, andCurry Man), the latter of whom soon began a feud with The Rock 'n Rave Infection. On February 10, 2009, Hoyt was released from his TNA contract.[23] He wrestled his last match in TNA on the February 26 edition ofImpact!, teaming with Rave and losing toBeer Money, Inc. in an "Off the Wagon Challenge".[1]
After a brief stint inAll Japan Pro Wrestling as a member of theVoodoo Murders, on April 26, 2009, Hoyt announced he had signed a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[11] He wrestled in WWE's developmental promotionFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) under the ring name Lance Archer, after his father.[1][24] For his first match, he teamed up with Jon Cutler and was defeated byDuke Rotundo and Vic Adams. His ring name was then tweaked to Vance Archer.[1]
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On the November 3 episode ofECW, Hoyt, now clean shaven and sporting both a short haircut and new attire, made his WWE debut under hisVance Archer ring name as a heel, defeating Logan Jones in a squash match.[25] After defeating several enhancement talents over the following weeks, Archer defeatedTommy Dreamer on the December 8 episode ofECW.[26] Archer continued his winning streak when he once again defeated Dreamer on the December 17, 2009, episode ofWWE Superstars.[27] On the December 22 episode ofECW, Archer defeatedGoldust in an "ECW Homecoming" qualifying match to advance to a battle royal where the winner would face theECW ChampionChristian atRoyal Rumble for the ECW Championship.[28] He then started afeud withShelton Benjamin, which saw Archer lose to him via disqualification on the December 31 episode ofSuperstars.[29] However, Archer's unpinned streak was left intact. On the January 12, 2010, episode ofECW, Archer was unable to win the "Homecoming Battle Royal" as he was eliminated by Benjamin.[30] The next week onSuperstars, Archer was defeated by Benjamin, thus breaking his streak of not being pinned.[31] The two continued to exchange victories, as Archer defeated Benjamin on the February 2 episode ofECW while Benjamin defeated Archer in a no disqualification match the following week.[32][33] atWrestleMania XXVI, Archer competed in a 26-man pre-show battle royal where he was eliminated.[34]
Following the disbanding of theECW brand, Archer competed in dark matches and in FCW, and was eventually moved to the SmackDown brand, forming a tag team withCurt Hawkins. They made their television debut as a team on the May 13 episode ofSuperstars, defeating two local competitors. After the match, Hawkins stated that he and Archer had been given a 30-day contract to "make an impact".[35] The team made itsSmackDown debut on the May 21 episode, winning another squash match.[36] In an attempt to make an impact, the duo attackedMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP) andChristian on consecutive episodes ofSmackDown on June 4 and June 11, which they followed up on by defeating both in a tag team match on June 18. The next week the duo was officially named "The Gatecrashers".[37] On the June 25 episode of Smackdown, The Gatecrashers andDolph Ziggler lost to Christian, MVP andKofi Kingston in a six man tag team match. On the July 9 episode of Smackdown, The Gatecrashers defeated Christian andMatt Hardy. On the August 5 episode ofWWE Superstars, The Gatecrashers defeatedTrent Barreta andCaylen Croft. On the August 19 episode of Superstars after Archer's match with MVP ended in a no contest and a tag team match was made where The Gatecrashers defeated MVP andJTG. On the August 26 episode of Superstars. The Gatecrashers lost to Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft. On the September 9 episode of Superstars, The Gatecrashers lost a rematch to Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta. On the September 24 episode of Smackdown, The Gatecrashers lost toBig Show in a handicap match.
The team came to an end on the October 7 episode ofSuperstars after a match between Archer andChris Masters. Archer accidentally struck Hawkins outside the ring, after which the two argued and a distracted Archer lost the match. Afterwards, Hawkins assaulted Archer.[38] Archer returned to singles competition on the November 4 edition ofSuperstars, losing toLuke Gallows.[39]
On November 19, 2010, Archer was released from his contract along with five other wrestlers.[40]
On May 15, 2011, Hoyt made his debut forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling, during the promotion's first-ever tour of the United States, attackingSatoshi Kojima after a match.[41] The following day it was announced that Hoyt, under the ring name Lance Archer, had joinedMinoru Suzuki'sSuzuki-gun, who had recently begun feuding with Kojima.[42] Archer made his in-ring debut on June 18 atDominion 6.18 inOsaka, teaming with Suzuki in a tag team match, where they defeated Kojima andTogi Makabe.[43][44] Three days later, the Suzuki-gun team of Archer,Taichi andTaka Michinoku was eliminated from the J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament in the first round by Kojima, Makabe andTomoaki Honma.[45] In August, Archer took part in the2011 G1 Climax, where he managed to win four out of his nine matches, including defeating formerIWGP Heavyweight Champion Togi Makabe in his opening match, finishing eighth out of the ten wrestlers in his block.[46] Archer had his to date highest profile match in New Japan on September 19, when he was defeated by Togi Makabe.[47] In the2011 G1 Tag League, Archer teamed with Minoru Suzuki and, after four wins and one loss, the team finished second in their block, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament.[48] On November 6, Archer and Suzuki first defeated theCHAOS Top Team (Shinsuke Nakamura andToru Yano) in the semifinals and thenIWGP Tag Team ChampionsBad Intentions (Giant Bernard andKarl Anderson) in the finals to win the 2011 G1 Tag League.[49] On November 12 atPower Struggle, Archer and Suzuki failed in their attempt to capture the IWGP Tag Team Championship from Bad Intentions.[50] On February 12, 2012, atThe New Beginning, Archer, Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, Taka Michinoku andYoshihiro Takayama of the Suzuki-gun took a dominant 5–1 win overKushida,Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe,Wataru Inoue andYuji Nagata in a ten-man elimination tag team match, with Archer scoring eliminations over Kushida, Tiger Mask and Inoue.[51] Afterwards, Archer and Takayama challengedTencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) to a match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[52] On March 18, Archer and Takayama were unsuccessful in their title challenge.[53] On July 22 at Kizuna Road, Archer, Suzuki, Michinoku and Taichi defeatedPrince Devitt,Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe and Yuji Nagata in an eight-man elimination tag team match, with Archer scoring three of his team's four eliminations. Following the match, Archer had a staredown with Makabe, building up to their upcoming match in the2012 G1 Climax tournament.[54] The match took place on August 1, the first day of the tournament, and saw Archer pick up the win over the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion for the second year in a row.[55] After four wins and three losses, Archer headed to the final day of the tournament on August 12 tied at the top of his block, however, a loss toMVP in his final match caused him to get eliminated from the finals.[56][57]
In the aftermath of Suzuki-gun's July 22 win, Archer had also made a challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship, held by Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima, but did not specify who his partner for the match would be.[58] On August 13,Harry Smith, later renamed Davey Boy Smith, Jr., was revealed as Archer's partner and the newest member of Suzuki-gun.[59] On October 8 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Archer and Smith, now known as theK.E.S. (Killer Elite Squad), defeated Kojima and Tenzan to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[60][61] K.E.S. made their first successful title defense on November 11 atPower Struggle, defeating Tenzan and Kojima in a rematch.[62][63] From November 20 to December 1, K.E.S. took part in theround-robin portion of the2012 World Tag League, finishing with a record of four wins and two losses, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament in the second place in their group.[64][65] On December 2, K.E.S. defeated Always Hypers (Togi Makabe and Wataru Inoue) to advance to the finals of the tournament, Archer's second in a row.[66] Later that same day, K.E.S. was defeated in the finals of the 2012 World Tag League by Sword & Guns (Hirooki Goto and Karl Anderson).[66] On January 4, 2013, atWrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, K.E.S. defeated Sword & Guns in a rematch to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[67][68] On February 10 atThe New Beginning, Archer and Smith defeated Tenzan and Kojima for their third successful defense of the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[69] On March 3 at New Japan's 41st anniversary event, Archer unsuccessfully challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for theIWGP Intercontinental Championship.[70] On April 5, Archer and Smith made their fourth successful defense of the IWGP Tag Team Championship against Nakamura andTomohiro Ishii.[71] On April 20, Archer and Smith defeated Ryan Genesis and Scot Summers inHouston,Texas, to not only retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship, but to also win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[72] On May 3 atWrestling Dontaku 2013, K.E.S. lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship back to Tencozy in a four-way match, which also includedTakashi Iizuka and Toru Yano, andManabu Nakanishi andStrong Man, though neither Archer nor Smith was involved in the finish.[73][74] K.E.S. received a rematch for the title on June 22 atDominion 6.22 in a three-way match, which also included Iizuka and Yano, but were unable to regain the title, when Kojima pinned Archer for the win.[75][76] On August 1, Archer entered the2013 G1 Climax.[77] The tournament concluded on August 11 with a match, where Archer defeated his tag team partner Davey Boy Smith, Jr., costing Smith a spot in the finals and giving Archer a record of four wins and five losses.[78][79] On November 9 atPower Struggle, K.E.S. faced Tencozy andThe IronGodz (Jax Dane andRob Conway) in a two-fall three-way match. In the first fall, they lost the NWA World Tag Team Championship to The IronGodz, but came back in the second to defeat Tencozy for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[80][81] From November 24 to December 8, K.E.S. took part in the2013 World Tag League.[82] After winning their round-robin block with a record of five wins and one loss,[83] they were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by their old rivals, Tencozy.[84] On January 4, 2014, atWrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, K.E.S. lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship to the winners of the tournament,Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson).[85][86] K.E.S. received a rematch for the title on February 9 atThe New Beginning in Hiroshima, but were again defeated by Bullet Club.[87][88] On May 25 atBack to the Yokohama Arena, K.E.S. failed to regain the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Tencozy in a three-way match, which also included Rob Conway andWes Brisco.[89] On June 21 atDominion 6.21, K.E.S. received another shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championship, this time in a regular tag team match, but were again defeated by Tencozy.[90] From July 23 to August 8, Archer took part in the2014 G1 Climax, where he finished tied sixth in his block with a record of four wins and six losses.[91][92] On October 13 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, K.E.S. defeated Tencozy to regain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[93][94] From November 22 to December 5, K.E.S. took part in the2014 World Tag League.[95] The team finished their block with a record of four wins and three losses, narrowly missing the finals of the tournament.[96]
On January 10, 2015, K.E.S., along with the rest of Suzuki-gun, took part in a major storyline, where the stable invaded aPro Wrestling Noah show. During the attack, K.E.S. beat downGHC Tag Team ChampionsTMDK (Mikey Nicholls andShane Haste).[97][98] This led to a match on February 11, where K.E.S. defeated TMDK to become the new GHC Tag Team Champions.[99] In May, K.E.S. made it to the finals of the2015 Global Tag League, where they were defeated byMasato Tanaka andTakashi Sugiura.[100] After ten successful title defenses, K.E.S. lost the GHC Tag Team Championship toNaomichi Marufuji and Toru Yano on May 28, 2016.[101] K.E.S. regained the title from Marufuji and Yano on November 23.[102] They lost the title toGo Shiozaki andMaybach Taniguchi on December 3.[103] Two days later, it was announced that Suzuki-gun was gone from Noah, concluding the invasion storyline.[104]
On May 6, 2015,Global Force Wrestling (GFW) announced Hoyt as part of their roster.[105] He made his debut for the promotion on August 14, losing toNick Aldis.[106] On August 21, K.E.S lost toBullet Club (Doc Gallows andKarl Anderson) in the quarter-finals of the GFW tag team title tournament.
The entire Suzuki-gun returned to NJPW on January 5, 2017, attacking the Chaos stable with K.E.S. targetingIWGP Tag Team ChampionsTomohiro Ishii andToru Yano.[107][108] On February 5 atThe New Beginning in Sapporo, K.E.S. unsuccessfully challenged Ishii and Yano for the IWGP Tag Team Championship in a three-way match, also involving Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma.[109] Following the event, Archer was sidelined with a herniated disc in his lower back, which would require surgery and sideline him for a significant amount of time.[110] After this injury, Archer changed hisBlackout finisher to avoid a future injury. Instead of a sitout reverse crucifix powerbomb, he began to perform a reverse crucifix powerbomb.[111]
Archer returned from his injury at G1 Finals on August 13, when he and Smith attacked IWGP Tag Team ChampionsWar Machine (Hanson andRaymond Rowe) andGuerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga andTanga Loa).[112] On September 24 atDestruction in Kobe, K.E.S. defeated War Machine and G.O.D. in a three-way tornado tag team match to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the third time.[113] At the end of the year, K.E.S. took part in the2017 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of five wins and two losses, failing to advance to the finals due to losing to block winners G.O.D. in their head-to-head match.[114] On January 4, 2018, atWrestle Kingdom 12, K.E.S. lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship toLos Ingobernables de Japón (Evil andSanada).[115]
In June 2018, the K.E.S. made two appearances for American promotionRing of Honor (ROH), who has a partnership with NJPW. They lost to theBullet Club on June 15,[116] andthe Briscoe Brothers on June 16; the latter match being for theROH Tag Team Championship.[117] Then K.E.S. competed in the2018 NJPW World Tag League in December 2018, ending with 18 points, therefore failing to advance to the tournament finals.[118]
In June 2019, Smith left NJPW, disbanding the K.E.S. and leaving Archer as a singles competitor.[119] Shortly afterwards, Archer competed in the2019 G1 Climax, his first participation since 2014; he participated in the A Block, with a final standing of 6 points, failing to advance to the finals.[120][121] AtKing of Pro-Wrestling on October 14, Archer replacedJon Moxley to defeatJuice Robinson to win the vacantIWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, his first singles championship in NJPW.[122][123] He successfully defended the championship againstDavid Finlay atShowdown in San Jose on November 9.[124] Archer lost the title to Moxley in aTexas Deathmatch atWrestle Kingdom 14 on January 4, 2020.[125] On February 26, Archer signed withAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) and his profile was removed from NJPW's official website, signaling his departure from NJPW.[126] He later came back to NJPW due to his membership withSuzuki-gun. He is not recognised on the NJPW personnel but he makes appearances onNJPW Strong.
On June 12, 2022, duringDominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, Archer was announced to be participating in theG1 Climax 32 in July representing AEW, as part of the A Block.[127] Archer finished with a total of 6 points, failing to advance to the semi-finals.[128] Archer returned to NJPW in November, teaming withMinoru Suzuki in theWorld Tag League, where the team finished with 8 points, failing to advance to the finals.[129] At the World Tag League andBest of the Super Juniors finals, Suzuki announced the disbandment of Suzuki-gun by the end of the year.[130] The final match between the faction took place on December 23, where the team ofTaichi,Zack Sabre Jr.,Yoshinobu Kanemaru andDouki defeated Suzuki, Archer,El Desperado andTaka Michinoku. After the match, each of the Suzuki-gun members spoke about their memories as a part of the group and thanked leader Suzuki. The night ended with all members posing with the Suzuki-gun flag, only to be interrupted by former memberTakashi Iizuka, causing all nine men to pose in the ring, behind the Suzuki-gun flag.[131]
In April 2023, NJPW announced a tournament to crown the #1 contender for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, with Archer being named as one of four participants.[132] At NJPW Collision in Philadelphia, Archer defeatedFred Rosser to advance to the tournament final.[133] AtDominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall, Archer was defeated byWill Ospreay in the tournament final.[134]
On February 26, 2020, Archer signed a multi-year deal withAll Elite Wrestling (AEW).[126] He made his debut appearance on the March 11 episode ofDynamite as a client ofJake "The Snake" Roberts and he made his in-ring debut on the April 1 episode ofDynamite, defeatingMarko Stunt.[135][5] Archer was then announced as a participant in tournament for the inauguralAEW TNT Championship;[136] he defeatedColt Cabana in the quarter finals, andDustin Rhodes in the semi-finals,[137] but lost in the finals toCody atDouble or Nothing on May 23 after boxerMike Tyson prevented Roberts from interfering on Archer's behalf.[138] On September 5 atAll Out, Archer won theCasino Battle Royale match to become the number one contender for theAEW World Championship.[139] On October 14 at theDynamite Anniversary Show, Archer failed to win the championship in a No Disqualification match againstJon Moxley.[140] He returned in November coming to the aid of Death Triangle against Butcher and the Blade, and Eddie Kingston, turningface in the process. On the December 2 "Winter Is Coming" special episode ofDynamite, Archer and The Lucha Bros. (Rey Fénix, andPenta El Zero Miedo) lost to Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, and The Blade.[141] On The Dynamite Tribute Show forBrodie Lee, "Brodie Lee Celebration of Life", Archer teamed withEvil UnoandStu Grayson against Kingston, Butcher, and The Blade. Archer dressed up as Lee's classic look, with his team winning.[142]
On the February 24, 2021, episode ofDynamite, Archer defeated former ally Rey Fénix to qualify for The Face of The Revolution Ladder Match atRevolution.[143] At Revolution, Archer facedCody Rhodes,Scorpio Sky,Penta El Zero M,Max Caster, and surprise entrantEthan Page, with Sky winning.[144] After Revolution, Lance Archer confrontedSting andDarby Allin, who wasTNT Champion at the time.[145] In May, Archer challenged new TNT ChampionMiro to a match atDouble or Nothing.[146] At Double or Nothing, Miro defeated Archer.[147] On the July 14 episode ofDynamite, Archer challengedJon Moxley to a rematch for theIWGP United States Heavyweight Championship in a Texas Deathmatch, which Moxley accepted.[148] The next week atAEW Fyter Fest Night 2, Archer defeated Moxley to become a record-tying two time champion.[149] The next week atFight for the Fallen he retained the championship against New Japan'sHikuleo, setting a match againstHiroshi Tanahashi atNJPW Resurgence which he lost thus ending his reign at 24 days, which is the shortest reign in the title history.[150][151] In early September, he realigned himself with a debuting Minoru Suzuki, and subsequently rejoin the Suzuki-gun stable, reverting to aheel in the process.[152] AtRampage: Grand Slam, the duo were defeated by Moxley andEddie Kingston in aLights Out match.[153] Archer was a participant in the Casino Ladder match, won byAdam Page. He then participated in the eliminator tournament for an AEW World Championship match where he facedEddie Kingston in the first round. Archer was scheduled to defeat Kingston, but due to falling on his head after a botched moonsault, the match was quickly ended with Kingston rolling up Archer for the win. Later, it was discovered that Archer suffered a jammed neck as a result of the botched spot. After being sidelined for a few months with the neck injury, Archer made his AEW return on the January 12, 2022, edition ofDynamite, attacking and setting his sights onAEW World ChampionAdam Page.[154] This would lead to Archer reuniting with Roberts, briefly aligning with Dan Lambert ofAmerican Top Team, and challenging Page to aTexas Death Match on the February 9 episodeDynamite.[155]
On the April 27 episode ofDynamite, Archer would wrestleWardlow, losing via pinfall.[156] After being announced for NJPW'sG1 Climax 32 in July, Archer defeatedNick Comoroto at theAEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door Buy-In.[157] In November 2022, Archer participated in the AEW World Championship eliminator tournanmet, where he was eliminated byRicky Starks in the first round.[158] In June 2023, Archer formed an alliance withThe Righteous (Dutch andVincent), teaming with them in various trios matches.[citation needed] On July 15 atBattle of the Belts, Archer unsuccessfully challengedOrange Cassidy for theAEW International Championship.[159]
On the October 8, 2024, episode ofDynamite, Archer was acquired from Jake Roberts byDon Callis to joinThe Don Callis Family. On the next episode ofDynamite, Archer formed a tag team within the Don Callis Family withBrian Cage, later known as "Murder Machines".[160][161] In April 2025, Cage suffered an injury, putting Murder Machines on hiatus, though Archer would continue as a singles wrestler with The Don Callis Family.[162]
Hoyt has two video game appearances; inWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 as Vance Archer[163] and inAEW Fight Forever as Lance Archer.[164] In 2017, he appeared inThe Suplex Duplex Complex, a comedyspecial part ofAdult Swim'sInfomercials.[165]
Hoyt, along with Cage andChavo Guerrero Jr., will appear inSteven Spielberg's upcomingscience fiction film.[166]
Graduating from Hearne High, Hoyt playedbasketball,football, andbaseball.[6] He attendedTexas State University, where he playedcollege football as aquarterback.[7][6] He has a degree in English.[7] While in college he worked at anightclub, where an acquaintance introduced him to Solo Faitala, who trained him to be a professional wrestler.[6] Hoyt is a devoutChristian.[9][167]
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