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Two classic matches, 18 months apart
Catching lightning in a bottle is rare. Doing it twice is even more extraordinary.
Yet that is exactly how the pair of Young Bucks–FTR matches has unfolded, two masterpieces a year-and-a-half apart but forever connected in their greatness.
FTR’s Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler defeated the Young Bucks’ Matt and Nick Jackson last week in front of a packed house at Boston University’s Agganis Arena, providing the main event for Dynamite fans of pure tag team wrestling longed to see. This time, there was an entirely different narrative at play than in their first encounter at Full Gear in November 2020.
“The four of us wanted to have a completely different match than the first,” Matt Jackson says. “The role reversal really made it interesting and gave us a new dynamic to play with. They say opposites attract, and this might be proof of that. We love to explore all different types of styles and genres in the ring. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out. But sometimes, like this match, it does.”
FTR is steadily becoming one of the most compelling stories in all of AEW. While they have always embraced their affinity for pro wrestling, this time is drastically different. They now share that love with their fan base, welcoming them with open arms that were previously closed. And the Bucks are flourishing in their role as villains, wreaking havoc throughout the roster. When those four men share the ring, magic ensues.
“Any time we’re in the ring with professionals like that, there’s no limit,” Nick Jackson says. “They understand tag team wrestling. Everything they do is solid and believable. They’re top notch and they love professional wrestling.”
A combination of trust, chemistry and psychology allows the Bucks and FTR to reach that elusive next level together.
“I remember envisioning an angry Dax Harwood coming in with fists of fury for a comeback months ago when we first thought of a babyface FTR team vs. a heel Young Bucks team,” Matt says. “It made me really excited, so you can imagine what it felt like to actually live it in real time.
“The first go-around might’ve been more like a love letter to tag team wrestling, while this one was more like a technical tag team wrestling showcase. I remember after we did the first match, the four of us all agreed that we should take a breath and not touch for a while. We were all so mentally and physically drained, trying to live up to the pressure and hype of what people anticipated. I don’t think any of us intended on it taking 18 months to get to the rematch, but maybe that’s why the arena was as electric as it was.”
Last week’s Dynamite was not the original date for the match. Yet the card is always subject to change, and the Bucks were successful in persuading Tony Khan to instead schedule it for this past Wednesday.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen until later this month,” Nick says. “We wanted to ride the momentum of the FTR vs. The Briscoes match [from the Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor pay-per-view] because we knew they’d have a classic, and we convinced Tony to let us have it in Boston.”
The atmosphere played an undeniable role in the match’s success. Unlike their first encounter, which was held when shows were held at a limited capacity, the sellout crowd in Boston was electric.
“The one thing that put a small damper on the first meeting was having it during the pandemic,” Nick says. “We always knew we wanted to do a rematch, it was just a matter of when and how—and we knew it had to be a packed arena. I knew the match was going to be great when FTR’s music hit and they were the most over guys in the building that night. Everything clicked from there.”
The match fed off that ebullient atmosphere, with four hungry athletes dismissing significant risks every time they heard that thunderous ovation.
“When we stopped Dax from the hot tag with the apron superkick, I knew we had the crowd where we needed them,” Matt says. “Nick’s top-rope ’rana was the moment the gear changed and people stood. The BTE Trigger followed by the foot on the rope was when I knew all we had to do next was stick the landing, and we had a great one.”
A match like this will endure, which is fortunate for wrestling fans. Like its Full Gear predecessor, this contained the timeless qualities of pro wrestling. But as brilliant as FTR and the Bucks are in the ring, there will come a day when these matches exist solely as memories. Last week, with the echoes of the crowd’s boisterous cheers still amplifying in his head, that exact thought crossed Matt Jackson’s mind.
“I don’t get too nervous nowadays unless it’s a big pay-per-view match, and I had those same nerves going into this match,” Matt says. “When it was over and the crowd peaked, just like how we orchestrated, I felt a sense of pride and relief.
“And I’ll tell you this—we’re never ones to talk much about injuries or how we’re feeling. People just assume we’re the forever-young Bucks and we don’t get hurt, that we always chew gum and bounce around like we’re invincible. But I don’t know how many big matches like that I’ve got left in me. I’m definitely closer to the end than the beginning.”
Of course, this was also a tribute to the art of tag team wrestling, which at this point is practically part of the Bucks’ heartbeat.
“Nothing motivates me more than when other teams are tearing it up,” Matt says. “That gives us drive and reason to work harder. We never want to be outperformed or outclassed. And it’s important for tag team wrestling to strive without us. When we decided to team all of those years ago, our main goal was to make tag team wrestling important again in wrestling.
“I can’t remember a time before now where the spotlight on tag team wrestling has shined brighter. The first thing we said as EVPs [executive vice presidents of AEW] was that our main objective was to have the best tag team division in the world and to show that tag team wrestling could be the main event. Historically, if you go and look back, most of the greatest matches in company history have been tag matches. That makes me so proud. And coincidentally most of those matches have our names on them.”
As two of the four original executive vice presidents in AEW, last week’s tag symbolized something greater than just an outstanding match. It captured the spirit of AEW and was followed by an outrageously captivating match during the ensuing Rampage taping when Wheeler Yuta penned his most noteworthy moment yet through blood, toil and tears.
“That’s what good pro wrestling is all about—getting people excited to watch every week,” Nick says. “It makes the show feel must-see, and that’s what AEW has been built on.”
Along with the Bucks and Kenny Omega, the fourth EVP during AEW’s creation was Cody Rhodes. He has since brought his talents to WWE, a move that once seemed unrealistic, especially considering his place in AEW. As the Bucks continue to redefine every social media platform they share (Being The Elite stands as a significant game-changer in pro wrestling) they have also found a new way to get people talking with their ever-changing Twitter bios.
In what appeared to be a farewell to Rhodes, the Bucks wrote on their Twitter bio, “The story of a couple of self-made SoCal kids who came from nothing & built a gigantic movement was never going to be romantic enough for you.”
Naturally, this fueled anti-Cody speculation, even if it was just another misdirection from two masters of the craft.
“That Twitter bio was actually dedicated to cynical wrestling fans who’ve always discredited us and shaped a narrative early on that we weren’t important to the launch of AEW,” Matt says. “So they ran with a story that made more sense to them. We talk to Cody regularly, and hope nothing but the best for him.”
The Bucks won’t need roads where they are headed. Their pursuit of pristine tag team wrestling continues, and they have established themselves at the top of the best tag division in all of wrestling. And even if this is the “Summer of FTR,” the two brothers from Southern California plan to be the ones to eventually bring it to an early winter.
“I think this is FTR’s year,” Nick says. “Sometimes you have to just appreciate what’s going on around you. At the same time, it does still motivate me to stay great. But there will be another match, a rubber match. When it does happen, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s another classic.”
“We’re down now to FTR, but we’ll be back,” Matt adds. “I just hope it doesn’t take another 18 months to do it again.”
The (online) week in wrestling
- Who could have predicted that next year’s WrestleMania main event would be booked on Young Rock?
- It’s only been a couple of weeks, but Cody Rhodes is getting the reactions of a main-event player in WWE.
- Welcome to the Blackpool Combat Club, Wheeler Yuta. His match last week on Rampage against Jon Moxley is a must-see.
- Kazuchika Okada defeated Zack Sabre Jr. in an excellent title bout over the weekend, and he now prepares for his fourth title defense, which will take place on May 1 at Wrestling Dontaku against Tetsuya Naito. With Sanada forced to relinquish the IWGP U.S. title due to injury, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Will Ospreay will decide on a new champion at Wrestling Dontaku.
- Daniel Garcia is showing a lot of personality, both on screen and social media, since joining the Jericho Appreciation Society.
- WWE is returning to the UK for a pay-per-view.
- They sure do look alike…
Diminished NXT leads to less-heralded post-Mania shows for WWE
The Raw and SmackDown following WrestleMania last week did not have the same shine as prior years. And that is directly connected to the stark change in the NXT product.
For more than 20 years, the Raw after ’Mania has been appointment-viewing for wrestling fans. It has included the formation of the Triple H-led DX, the long-awaited return of Brock Lesnar, and, more recently, even a surprise appearance from Paige. There was yearly anticipation building with the rise of NXT over the past years, but that is no longer the case. The likes of Finn Bálor, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Shinsuke Nakamura aren’t walking through that NXT curtain. With so many changes to NXT and its presentation, there simply aren’t the same type of surprises when talent is called to the main roster.
There were surprises this year on SmackDown, including Gunther (formerly Walter) and Raquel González, who is now Raquel Rodriguez, but the 2.0 version of NXT simply does not hold the same gravitas that the black-and-gold version once did.
It is interesting to think what could have happened on the Raw following WrestleMania had Johnny Gargano arrived and staked his claim to Monday nights. Yet, though he starred in NXT, he wasn’t viewed by Vince McMahon as someone who could carry Raw. Or, had WWE re-signed Adam Cole, he and The Undisputed Era could have thrived on Raw, dominating the post-’Mania Raw the way DX did in 1998.
Tommaso Ciampa is now on Raw, but he had already been on the show infrequently over the past few weeks. Bron Breakker regained the NXT title on the Raw following Mania, but that felt more like a decision-maker in WWE deciding that a title needed to change hands on the show. It would have made a lot more sense for Breakker to have won back the belt in the main event of Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania weekend.
Though he has resurfaced on camera and given interviews about his career, we are still waiting to hear Triple H address the drastic change in NXT programming. Every week, his shows made more sense than Raw and SmackDown, and regardless of whether AEW had defeated them in the ratings, it was an entertaining product.
The current NXT product is hardly recognizable from the brand it was even a year ago when Bálor had just dropped the NXT title. Bálor, somehow, is presented as just another guy on the main roster, despite being one of the single most captivating stars in all of wrestling.
NXT’s changes connect to the main roster. But so far, it’s not been for the better.
Tweet of the Week
Finn Bálor has a knack for always seeing the bigger picture.
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Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
