AEW's Lance Archer Explains Why He Defends WWE's Unpopular ECW Reboot

Though he's best known for his AEW and NJPW runs, Lance Archer previously had a stretch as a WWE wrestler in 2009 and 2010, performing under the name Vance Archer. His time with the company was brief, but Archer was a part of WWE's short-lived version of ECW. Speaking on his podcast, "The Hawk's Nest," Archer explained why he looks back on WWE's ECW more fondly than most fans.

"ECW was a great starting point for a lot of guys," Archer said. "Everybody's like, 'Oh, that's not the original ECW. It's WWE's ECW, it's PG ECW. Blah, blah, blah.' But if you look back at it, that's where CM Punk got his start in the company. Kofi Kingston, Sheamus. Guys like this all started on that ECW product."

Archer was also around when WWE decided to end ECW, which coincided with the company focusing its efforts on a new developmental project — NXT. The former WWE star recalled a meeting in which the bulk of the ECW roster was gathered to inform them that the show was ending, with the company emphasizing how excited they were about the new series.

"The original NXT was more of a reality-type game show, and they were telling us about it, and they were putting over how great NXT was gonna be at the time, which didn't involve any of us," Archer continued. "So we were just like, 'Yeah, okay. That's great.' But we're all kind of like, 'What about us?'"

After WWE shuttered the ECW brand, Archer was informed that he'd be moved to "WWE SmackDown." His run on the brand began in the spring of 2010 and lasted until he was released near the end of that year.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Hawk's Nest" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.