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The Young Bucks have come a long way with AEW, but the ride isn't over yet

For Matt and Nick Jackson, their legacy as the Young Bucks goes far beyond the squared circle. As they prepare to walk into Arlington’s Globe Life Field on Saturday for AEW All In: Texas, they’ll have yet another moment to reflect on just how far they’ve come.

Less than 10 years after packing more than 10,000 fans into the inaugural All In — an independent show in Chicago that became the catalyst for the birth of AEW — more than double that audience is expected to shuffle into the promotion’s biggest North American show to date this weekend.

“From running that first event several years ago in Chicago, when getting 10,000 people into an arena sounded impossible, to seeing it grow into an annual stadium show, where this year we’ll have 20,000-plus fans in attendance, it really does blow my mind,” Matt Jackson tells Uncrowned.

“I’m humbled to have had the pleasure to take part in this movement from the very beginning. To be able to say not only was I there, but I helped it all happen, that’ll probably be my biggest wrestling legacy. I get to perform on the show I helped create, in the company I am a founding father of, a company that has succeeded so much more than even I could have ever imagined, company that forever will be called Elite, long after I’m gone.”

Six years into its tenure, AEW has worked through the growing pains that came with starting up a new promotion. Weekly television is now humming along, and AEW has had one of the best stretches in the promotion’s history. That’s quite different from the early days of AEW, which Nick refers to lovingly as a “mom and pop setting.”

“I remember early on, we’d help set up the merchandise stands and help tear it down,” Nick says. “Now, of course, we have an entire department for merchandise, so it’s so funny to see how things have changed.”

At the beginning, AEW was finding its way, Matt adds.

“For many of us, we’d never worked on a weekly television show. We weren’t necessarily all polished. But watching old shows now, there really is a bit of charm to that. It made the show feel a bit young and renegade,” he says.

“There were a ton of wrestlers who hadn’t yet been exposed to that large of an audience, so there was a freshness to it. Some of the first episodes could be all over the place. I think we were figuring out which formula worked best. But man, the excitement was incredible.”

AEW has evolved over time, taking lessons from wrestling history, establishing firm international partnerships, and carving paths that few could have anticipated at the start.

And while stars have come and gone since the very early days, the two men at the top of Saturday’s card — Jon Moxley and “Hangman” Adam Page — have been AEW staples since near the very beginning.

Page was one of AEW’s very first signings, an Elite holdover who had all the tools to be the face of the promotion. Moxley was a shock debut at Double or Nothing, the promotion’s inaugural pay-per-view event in 2019, immediately adding even more credibility to the top of the card as an established main event talent.

“Jon was one of the first people who came over and it was truly shocking at the time. He’s been a locker room leader the entire time, and has worked so hard from the beginning,” Matt says.

“You talk about consistency, and drive, you’re talking about Jon. Even times when we weren’t able to be around, Jon was always there to help guide the crew. I don’t think he gets enough credit for what he’s done to make AEW thrive.”

Moxley has been one of the most consistent top talents in the promotion and is often referred to as a stabilizing force both in the ring and behind the scenes. Nick emphasizes Moxley’s contributions alongside the Death Riders, calling them the “glue” that's helped hold AEW together over the last year.

“Moxley is the MVP and he’s always been the playmaker when we’re down a few points. You can always rely on him to get us a bucket,” Nick says.

“Meanwhile, Adam Page is our main character. When he’s on top and when he’s the main event, the show just feels right. He’s grown so much as a performer and he’s literally grown as a character in front of the wrestling world. At the very first All Out, fans didn’t want to see him be the champion then, and now they’re begging for it. When you’re able to change the fans' perspective on things like that, you know you’re damn good.”

Hangman, in Matt’s eyes, “was always supposed to be the main character of AEW.” From the beginning, it was clear Page had the chops to be world champion. The run to his first taste of heavyweight gold was expertly curated. And only Page could follow that up with easily the best long-term men’s storytelling in the promotion’s history.

His journey has been scintillating, from a broken cowboy to a lunatic obsessed with anyone who’d ever wronged him. Eventually he came out on the other side, determined to not just win the title, but also be the face of the company.

“His attention to detail, his patience and discipline not to rush things, and his ability to captivate an audience are all on another planet. I think he stands alone in that field. He’s one of the chosen ones,” Matt says.

“Every now and again, someone comes along that fans imprint themselves on. That person becomes ‘their guy.’ I don’t have that. My brother doesn’t have that. We’re easier to root against. Hangman has it. And I think the fact that he is an AEW original really resonates with our audience. It’s almost like we’re a sports franchise that luckily drafted a star player. There’s extra pride that he’s only always worn our jersey.”

Moxley and Page have all the tools to put on another instant classic in their AEW World Championship Texas Deathmatch at All In, taking the lead on what’s expected to be the promotion’s best total show in its history.

The event will also include the Young Bucks putting their onscreen Executive Vice President titles on the line against Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay, where a loss would block both from world title shots for a year.

The match brings arguably the best tag team in the world into the ring with two of the most talented individual wrestlers. The fallout will be fascinating, potentially drawing to a conclusion the dynamic that has seen the Bucks seemingly call their own shots as the promotion’s onscreen EVPs.

Nick says they’ve always known how to get under people’s skin, to the point where, “people actually think we’re bad human beings because we play these characters pretty dang good.”

He says playing the EVP characters has been a blast, and is maybe the most fun that he’s had since AEW started.

“It really has been incredibly fun leaning in on all the things people accuse us of being. I remember back in the beginning, arguing with someone that going public about having a major job title in the company is probably a bad idea if we want to be cheered ever again as wrestlers,” Matt says.

“So using it in this way all these years later has definitely made the most sense. It’s for sure helped us garner more heat, and given us a new tool to work with the last couple of years on screen. I think there’s so much left to explore too, shall we have that opportunity to do so.”

Despite a catalog of matches, moments, and being considered one of the all-time great tag teams even before AEW’s formation, Matt says it feels like the last six years have informed what they’re most known for.

“It feels like all of the stuff that happened before AEW was just leading to everything we’re now doing,” Matt says.

“In wrestling, most people are insatiable and always looking for more. Am I like everyone else? I like to think I feel fulfilled and satisfied. That I can sit back on a recliner with a cup of coffee, and tell old war stories to the kids, and have a full stomach. But then at the same time, I still have this drive in me to be the best, and have the most incredible matches every time I’m booked. Clearly, there’s still something deep in me that wants to prove something.”

For a tag team that’s done virtually everything — and individuals who can hang their hat on being involved in the development, launch, and success of AEW — the Young Bucks’ creative fulfillment continues to come from an involvement in the promotion and weekly conversations with AEW CEO Tony Khan.

“We collaborate with him all the time and I think he enjoys it almost as much as we do,” Nick continues.

The passion for the business is overflowing for the Bucks. Matt says he has ideas and thoughts around spots in matches, lines in a promo, or a storyline beat that he has to get out of his brain — or else he becomes so consumed he can’t sleep.

At the root of their motivation is continuing to perfect a craft that they can be proud of. Both Matt and Nick echo sentiments of creating a body of work that they can look back on and be happy about, and something their families can appreciate as well.

“I still feel like a kid too, and getting the approval of my parents is more meaningful than 10,000 strangers,” Matt says.

“All of those reasons are why I’m always trying to step up and reinvent myself. We’re always trying to change up our look, and presentation. This time we decided to come back looking different — both leaner, and moving younger. It’s an ever-evolving business, and next month will be 21 years as wrestlers, so we don’t plan on being left behind.”

Matt and Nick’s time as certified bad guys could be over at the weekend’s conclusion. Or maybe their evolution will continue to change the business in a way that’s completely in line with the Young Bucks’ career trajectory.

For this moment in time, though, and before the weekend whisks away another night of magic, the Bucks are grateful for the ride thus far.

“Words can’t even describe the rollercoaster it’s been for the last six-plus years,” Nick says.

“I think when you’re in the middle of it, you don’t realize how big it is. But I’m so very blessed to have had this opportunity.”

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