AEW: 5 ideal choices to become the first-ever TNT Champion
AEW has announced the creation of the TNT Championship, with an eight-man single-elimination tournament that will crown the first champion.
On March 30, 2020, AEW finally announced something most fans had been hoping to see for months. Since the launch of AEW Dynamite back in October of 2019, one of their weaknesses has been an established and fleshed out mid-card.
While AEW had a strong main event scene, several wrestlers felt lost in the shuffle simply because they weren’t quite at the top tier for the time being. A secondary singles championship seemed like a great way to remedy that, and it’s finally happening.
As announced on Road to Dynamite and further outlined in the press release above, the TNT Championship will be decided in an eight-man single-elimination tournament that will start on the April 8, 2020, episode of AEW Dynamite and culminate at Double or Nothing on May 23, 2020, in Las Vegas.
It’s worth mentioning the elephant in the room, which is that this release seems quite optimistic about the future evolution and hopeful decline of the currently worsening global pandemic. It’s not really clear if a massive event, or weekly episodes of AEW Dynamite, will remain possible between now and May 23.
However, this is clearly what AEW is aiming for, and that begs the question, who will they crown as the first TNT Champion? What competitor will cement their name in history as the inaugural champion at Double or Nothing? These five are all excellent choices.
Lance Archer
The first option is none other than “The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer. While he’s new to AEW, Lance Archer is a 20-year veteran of the squared circle. Teaming with Davey Boy Smith Jr., the unit known as Killer Elite Squad went on to become 2-time GHC Tag Team Champions and 3-time IWGP Tag Team Champions.
Lance Archer finally pushed his way out of his role as a tag team specialist in mid-2019, going on an impressive run that culminated in his capturing the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. He ultimately lost that title to Jon Moxley, the same man who is now the reigning AEW World Champion.
Now, Lance Archer is looking to carve his own path in AEW with legendary wrestling mind Jake “The Snake” Roberts at his side. If he wants to make his mark early, there’s no better way than to tear through the competition and become the first TNT Champion.