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The Young Bucks Are Relishing Their Role as Villains

“Hate our style of wrestling? Hate the way we look? Hate the way we talk? That’s fine. But we made a lot of people a lot of money. I bathe in the tears of yesterday’s broke wrestling personalities, whose only content is talking about what I did last, in my backyard lazy river.”

Justin Barrasso

The Young Bucks Are Relishing Their Role as Villains
The Young Bucks Are Relishing Their Role as Villains /

SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.

The Young Bucks prepare to retire Sting, reclaim the AEW division

The Young Bucks have found their sweet spot.

Pro wrestling is very subjective, so it is hard to say any one specific wrestler is the definitive number-one in the industry. The Bucks have certainly carved out a spot as one of the greatest tag teams ever, particularly with their evolutionary approach over the past decade.

Courtesy AEW
Courtesy AEW

Whether it was the Ladder War matches in Ring of Honor, a genre of match that has never been replicated at that level anywhere else in the world, tearing it up in California super-indie Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, or carving out a place for themselves in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the Bucks have undeniably brought a bright spotlight to tag team wrestling.

People can argue about who is number-one. Yet one aspect that is undeniable is that the Bucks are wrestling’s most polarizing tag team, perhaps of all-time.

Only days away from retiring Sting, the Bucks’ Matt and Nick Jackson now dress in black when they wrestle. As they prepare for a tag team title bout against Sting and Darby Allin at Revolution, one that is expected to serve as the main event, the duo is embracing the negativity attached to their wealth of accolades.

“Our success is undeniable,” said Matt Jackson. “One day, we will get our flowers, but unfortunately, they will be at our gravesides. When you are cast as a villain, you must accept that role. But we know what we’ve done–we lived it. Hate our style of wrestling? Hate the way we look? Hate the way we talk? That’s fine. But we made a lot of people a lot of money. I bathe in the tears of yesterday’s broke wrestling personalities, whose only content is talking about what I did last, in my backyard lazy river.”

Dating back to their run in TNA a decade-and-a-half ago, the Bucks’ style has always divided audiences. That became even more pronounced during the infamous All Out press conference in 2022 when CM Punk proclaimed he was not particularly fond of the Bucks, who are both AEW EVPs, or fellow EVP Kenny Omega or “Hangman” Adam Page.

Controversy continues to follow the Bucks, whether they are seeking it out–they long championed the idea of an Elite vs. New Day match that would have been outrageously compelling–or whether it simply attaches itself to them. The irony is that the Jackson brothers are Matt and Nick Massie, two hard-working men from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Children of the 90’s, which is visibly evident in their work (superkicks, Too Sweet gestures, breaking the fourth wall), wrestling-obsessed is an understatement in capturing their joy for what takes place inside the squared circle.

As teenagers, they started their own wrestling promotion in their parents’ backyard. Working long hours of construction to fund it, they were perpetually broke–but filled with happiness building an entity bigger than themselves. Now, decades later, as EVPs of AEW, they wrestle Sting–who still looks marvelous in the ring despite being only weeks away from turning 65–in his farewell match.

“It’s a crazy rollercoaster ride we’ve been on the last 20 years,” said Nick Jackson. “I remember watching Nitro, seeing Sting come down from the rafters to attack the NWO, and how mad I’d be that he’d always beat up Hogan. So to see him still performing at a high level all these years later is amazing. For Matthew and me to be his last match means a lot. It’s the biggest match of our career, and it’s a moment I didn’t think would happen.”

The Bucks and Sting have wrestled against each other only once before. But their relationship, as Matt Jackson recalled, dates back much longer.

“I was a poor, newly married man with a baby on the way when I first met Sting in TNA Wrestling in 2010,” said Matt Jackson. “We’d hold hands and pray before some of the big shows. Now I’m extremely wealthy, wildly successful, married to the same beautiful woman, and have two kids who adore me. Nicholas and I will keep the tradition alive Sunday at Revolution and say a quick prayer for Sting before our match.”

As of now, the only encounter in the ring between the Bucks and Sting took place two years ago at Forbidden Door on opposite sides of a six-man tag. Sting and Darby Allin were part of the winning combination that night, which the Bucks intend to change on Sunday.

“Forbidden Door was the very first time we’d ever been in a ring with Sting,” said Matt Jackson. “You can get caught up in moments like that when you’re standing face to face with an icon. It can mix you up and take you off balance because you almost get caught watching yourself, like you’re in a movie or a dream. You have to stop acting like a fan and remember you’re a participant. I remember more about how I felt in that match, and less about what happened.

“This match at Revolution, nobody is more emotional about it than my brother and me. Although we usually rooted against Sting when we were kids, we always respected his game. It’s a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. Sting has had a legendary career, and it’s up to us to stick the landing. But this isn’t going to be Kobe scoring 60 points on his final night. We’re looking for a shutout. And I know Sting wouldn’t want it any other way. He mentioned us being in for the fight of our lives. We live for high pressure, high stakes, big fight feel matches. Nobody performs better in those types of situations than us. Sixty-four years of age, performing in his final match or not, we’re not going to take him lightly.”

While a very different match is in store for Sunday, Nick Jackson also has fond memories of the six-man tag from two years ago at Forbidden Door.

“I was super excited about that match, and I remember Sting coming to the back so visibly happy with how the crowd reacted to it all,” added Nick Jackson. “I remember Sting saying something about how he wanted to wrestle us for his retirement match that night. I also remembered thinking, ‘Duh.’”

The Bucks now have the chance to send Sting out in style. If executed correctly, this is a storyline that can carry them through the year and potentially even deep into 2025.

“The height of AEW, and the tag team division in particular, was in 2021 when we were on top with the belts, running and gunning,” said Matt Jackson. “I’d like to get us back to that place.

“This is the ethos of what we are accomplishing. Sting has had an unbelievable career, and I do believe his AEW run in particular has been remarkable. But when you think of Sting, you don’t think of AEW. You think of someplace else that no longer exists. It’s time for the new era of wrestling stars to step up and become the level of star that Sting is. And when you think of that star, you should think of AEW. Saying goodbye to Sting, and everybody like him, is step one of the process of getting us back to where we need to be.”

Now known as Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, the Bucks are leaning into their real-life roles as EVPs during AEW programming. They bloodied Sting and attacked his sons after his first (and last) AEW title celebration, and they even bullied beloved announcer Tony Schiavone.

Last week on Rampage, Nick Jackson mockingly apologized to Schiavone, then offered him a $25 Amazon gift card–no doubt a play off CM Punk distributing gift cards to members of the AEW locker room.

“All I know is I’m having fun again,” said Nick Jackson. “That was missing for a long time.”

A narrative exists that the Bucks are now working as full-fledged heels. But Matt Jackson explained it differently, noting how it is also possible to take real-life events and make them a compelling part of the show.

“In our eyes, we’re the good guys–trying to keep AEW on course with the mission statement of changing the world,” said Matt Jackson. “We sparked the movement that created a revolution that birthed AEW. We were the fresh, young, disruptors who thought outside of the box and spat in the face of tradition.

“AEW is now a much different place than it was five years ago, but I think that same disruptive attitude is still there. So who better to lead the charge than the company’s own EVPs who sought out for that change originally, anyway? Sometimes you have to protect the thing you love the most, from people who don’t fit the image of what this is supposed to be.

“And I thought the $25 Amazon gift card to Tony Schiavone was a great way to extend the olive branch. My brother, who can be a bit of a hot head, had a quick quibble about something trivial, but we circled back and deescalated the situation.”

Courtesy AEW
Courtesy AEW

Punk is no longer with AEW. Neither is Cody Rhodes, the fourth original AEW EVP. Rhodes stars in WWE, where he is roughly a month away from potentially shaking the entire industry by ending the vaunted title reign of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40.

Surprisingly, Rhodes played a brief part in the Bucks-Sting/Darby Allin storyline. The Bucks bloodied and maimed Sting and his sons, covering their pristine white suits with Sting’s blood, and a week later, Allin cut a promo in response. He said that Rhodes was the one who took a chance on him while the Bucks, he noted, were only advocating to hire their friends.

“AEW will always be our baby,” said Matt Jackson. “It’s our life’s work. We sought out to change the world, and we did just that. We created a new workplace for so many deserving people. Tons of talented individuals received a spotlight that they may have not gotten otherwise. And several people’s careers were taken to new heights because of the sole existence of AEW. We’re proud of the things we accomplished with Cody and happy to see him rising to the occasion. We’re all rooting for each other.

“Speaking of Cody, I thought it was in poor taste that Darby brought up that he was the only competent EVP the other day on the microphone on live TV. Until that moment, I thought Darby was a sweet kid. Someone who could get a nice singles push once Sting leaves. He’s an AEW original, someone who perfectly fit the image of this company. But I took great offense to that. If it weren’t for us, he’d still be living in his car, working Dragon Gate USA shows for $75 bucks a shot.”

Courtesy AEW
Courtesy AEW

It isn’t easy to start a revolution, and it is exponentially more challenging to maintain one amid the conflicting interests of success. Nick Jackson is familiar with the feeling, understanding the joys and frustrations of helping oversee the fastest-growing company in pro wrestling.

“Cody is the face of the WWE now, and it’s cool to see because we always knew how much of a star he was,” said Nick Jackson. “The founders of AEW will always have a lifetime bond with each other because we all know what we did for wrestling. We talk every week and in a weird way him leaving made us grow more as friends.

“And with the negativity, I’ve gotten really good at ignoring it. For one, I haven’t had Twitter for like 4 years now so that’s probably a big reason why I don’t see a lot, but I still hear about it. I think my close family members have a harder time with it. People forget we’re human beings and a close family member just recently was like, ‘I was reading these nasty comments about you, and they think you’re a bad human being’, and she said how hurtful it was to read that stuff about us. So it sucks to see that type of stuff, but I tell my family all the time not to worry but I can handle it because what’s most important to me is my life outside of all this.”

For the Bucks, the goal this Sunday at Revolution is multi-faceted. Tag team gold is on the line, but the more integral part of the plot is the Bucks’ pursuit of reclaiming their company.

“To be one half of the tag team champions is important,” said Nick Jackson. “So is to keep doing what we’re doing–and that’s coming to work with smiles on our faces and making AEW feel whole again. For a while we kind of lost that feeling. Right now, it feels like everyone is having fun and working as a team.”

Matt Jackson knows what is at stake at Revolution. As one legend says farewell, he wants two more to take his place.

“I want to give Sting the fight of his life,” said Matt Jackson. “I want to give him a lasting memory of how it all came to an end. After all, the ending is the most important part. It’ll be Sting’s honor.”

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • Drew McIntyre’s mocking of CM Punk is next level.
  • Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston are eternal enemies, and that was again highlighted this past Saturday in the aftermath of Danielson’s bout against Jun Akiyama.
  • Nia Jax has been solid in her ongoing return, providing a worthy adversary for Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley.
  • Darby Allin is the latest AEW star to have a piece in The Players’ Tribune, and it was very interesting to read his perspective on Sting.
  • Kazuchika Okada exited New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but not without one last encounter with reigning IWGP world heavyweight champion Tetsuya Naito.
  • There are two new champions in New Japan, as Nic Nemeth defeated David Finlay to win the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship–and Matt Riddle dethroned Hiroshi Tanahashi to become the new TV title champion. And in TNA, Mustafa Ali beat Chris Sabin at No Surrender to win the X Division title.
  • RIP, Ole Anderson.
  • Shawn Spears has returned to NXT.
  • The Rock is gaining full control of his intellectual property.

The Rock will shine at WrestleMania

The Rock didn’t return to WWE to play a supporting role.

As WrestleMania 40, his role is still unclear. Will he wrestle in a tag? A singles match? Similar to WrestleMania 30, the best move may be for him to stand in the way of the beloved babyface, like Triple H did to Daniel Bryan a decade ago.

But there is no way that this ends with Rock as the villain. Somehow, WWE needs to have him connect with the crowd in a beloved manner. The best way for that might be to have The Rock defend Rhodes from The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso, allowing Rhodes to defeat Reigns one-on-one.

Courtesy WWE
Courtesy WWE

If that happens, then it seamlessly builds to a match between Reigns and The Rock at SummerSlam–or somewhere else down the line. While that may not have been the original plan, it is impressive to see WWE advancing storylines based on the reaction of the crowd.

The Rock will stand tall at WrestleMania. Watching how we arrive at that point will be fascinating.

Tweet of the Week

WWE’s putting together its own version of The Lion King.

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Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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