AEW star Lance Archer recently stated that he changed the style of executing his finisher 'Blackout' due to back surgery.
Speaking to AdFreeShows, Lance Archer took a trip down memory lane to talk about the back injury he suffered four years ago. The Murderhawk Monster stated that he had to go through a major back surgery in Japan.
Although the medical staff took care of him and helped him gain his strength while rehabilitating, intense physicality was to be limited in the ring to avoid the risk of another injury:
The only major injury was back surgery in 2017 while I was in Japan. The surgeon took care of me tremendously well. I researched more ways to not injure myself. Obviously, there was rehab in helping me get back to strength and being able to get back in the ring, not knowing if that was going to happen or not. Now that I had the surgery it was, 'what are the things I need to do to avoid re-injuring myself?' Wrestling is dangerous and you can re-injure yourself at any moment, but there are things you can do and things you can stay away from on a physical level to continue move forward," Lance Archer said. (H/T- Fightful)
AEW's Lance Archer stated that to avoid putting stress over his spine, he stopped having a sit-down bump while delivering his finisher:
"The compression of the spine over and over is something you have to avoid and now it's something I avoid. My finish, the blackout, when I used to do it, I would sit down with it and take an ass bump. I don't do that anymore because of the compression it puts on the spine," said Archer.
What's next for Lance Archer in AEW?
AEW star Lance Archer has been on the receiving end of the 'on' and 'off' push from the company. Not too long ago, he defeated Jon Moxley to become the two-time IWGP U.S. Champion. However, the AEW star soon dropped it to Hiroshi Tanahashi.
He then began a storyline involving Dan Lambert and Men of the Year, but that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Given his potential in the ring, AEW should use him in prominent storylines to elevate his credibility.
Did you notice a change in Lance Archer's Blackout finisher? Sound off in the comments section below.