Former WWE star calls out AEW; accuses them of protecting Swerve Strickland from fighting him

Swerve Strickland is the current AEW World Champion, and he's moving forward in his reign with an undefeated streak. While Strickland has always promised to be a fighting champion, one veteran star is now accusing the company of protecting him.

Lance Archer has been with All Elite Wrestling since February 2020. The 24-year veteran has worked 8 ROH matches this year, and 10 for AEW. He's also worked dates for NJPW, GCW, TWR, Alpha-1, and Warrior Wrestling this year. The former WWE Superstar has yet to win All Elite gold, despite receiving 1 shot at the International Championship, 2 shots at the TNT Championship, and 2 chances to win the World Championship. Strickland and Archer have never locked up in singles action, but Archer recently stated that Strickland is his dream opponent.

The Murderhawk Monster recently shared a GIF of rapper Paul Wall, and said he's thinking about getting a grill just to trigger some people. The AEW World Champion responded with a Dave Chappelle GIF to taunt Archer, while Archer polled his fans on whether he should really get the custom mouthpiece. One fan suggested he beat Strickland up and take his grill.

The Ticked Off Texan quickly wrote back to the fan and while he credited the former Hit Row member for being down to fight, Archer also accused Tony Khan's company of protecting its champion.

"While I know He would fight me. @aew won’t let me near @swerveconfident because they have to protect their champ! Fear is a Funny emotion!," Lance Archer wrote.

Officials have not publicly responded to the accusation as of this writing. Strickland also has not responded to the remarks. Today's exchange comes after Archer provided a big update on his future with Tony Khan's promotion.

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AEW Dynamite updated line-up for tonight's go-home show

The final Dynamite before the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view will air live tonight from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.

A big men's trios match has been announced for tonight, plus a segment with Mercedes Moné, and a singles match with NJPW's Zack Sabre Jr. Below is the current lineup:

• Daniel Garcia will address his hometown
• Mercedes Moné will speak
• MJF will appear
• Kyle O'Reilly vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
• Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinals: Jay White vs. Rey Fenix
• Toni Storm, Mariah May, Mina Shirakawa vs. Saraya, Anna Jay, Harley Cameron
• Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta vs. Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, Titan (Bryan Danielson on commentary)
• Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland vs. Gates of Agony

Saturday's go-home Collision will also be taped tonight. Matches announced as of now are a quarterfinal match in The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament with Deonna Purrazzo vs. Hikaru Shida, NJPW Strong Women's Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. Lady Frost in non-title action, plus The Battle of Buffalo with Daniel Garcia vs. The Butcher.