WILW: The Young Bucks

For the final installment of our month long look into Bullet Club, the spotlight shifts to the Young Bucks. Matt and Nick Jackson, real life brothers originally from California, are without question one of the most entertaining tag teams to ever step into a ring. They have a certain knack for being able to do some incredibly cool things in the ring, pepper in some comedy, yet still be uncompromisingly badass when need be. They are a special team and one that, if they wanted to, could run away with any tag team division they found themselves in. Their run in NJPW has been spectacular. Their run in ROH has been amazing. Their run in PWG has been, dare I say, too sweet. Not bad for two former backyarders.

Matt and Nick started wrestling in the ring they built in their backyard. One, Matt the older of the two by four years, would go to wrestling school then come home and teach the other what he had learned. Nick eventually started attending the school as well and they made their debut in 2004. Also in 2004, they started their own small promotion called High Risk Wrestling. It was through their independent and self promoted shows that they would gain the attention of the NWA. In 2006 the Bucks started appearing on NWA TV and had matches across the United Stated. It was this experience that led them to PWG, TNA, and eventually, ROH and New Japan.

 

Their PWG run is some of the very best high spot, tag team wrestling there is. The list of names they competed against in PWG is a veritable who’s who of big time stars. Their stable in PWG, Mount Rushmore, featured at various times the current Kevin Owens, Super Dragon, Roderick Strong, and Adam Cole. It was an indy wrestling fan wet dream of a stable to be honest and one that helped push them to, and keep for a record time,  the PWG tag team titles. Their TNA run was largely forgettable minus some fantastic matches with the Motor City Machine Guns. Their ROH run on the other hand was as good as their PWG stuff. Their matches against reDRagon are some of my favorite matches of all time. As of this writing they are currently under contract with ROH and should be there for quite awhile. (while also being in NJPW because deals…) 

And it is that deal with NJPW that, for me at least, really makes the Bucks stand out. While all of their American stuff has been great, their stuff in NJPW is tops. As the junior tag team in Bullet Club, they are multiple time IWGP Junior champs. Their matches have been as good as any tag match I have ever seen. In particular their matches with the Time Splitters are incredibly good. Their work rate has hit such a high level since debuting in NJPW that they are now in the conversation for best team of all time in my opinion. Their in ring work is so crisp and frankly, so damn fun to watch. Their, for lack of a better term, antics, during their matches are always entertaining. And for being a high spot type team, their ring psychology is outstanding. Their athleticism, the things they can do in the ring and as a team, is off the charts. Their moveset is just flat out cool. They play the role of over the top American wrestler so perfectly that I cannot imagine them being anywhere else. They are one of the main reasons Bullet Club is as big as it is and a team that if you are unfamiliar with, you should correct that now. Watch the matches below to see just exactly what I am talking about and follow me on instagram and twitter to let me know your thoughts. Join me next week as we take a look at the new season of Lucha Underground in what is planned to be a monthly column within a column.  

 


Young Bucks vs. Forever Hooligans vs… by Uppgreyedd


Young Bucks vs Sydal/Ricochet vs ReDRagon vs… by funkblaster

Dan Ryan

Dan Ryan was once the most feared and respected luchador in the world until the "Great DDT Disaster of '85" where Dan unfortunately DDT'd his opponent so hard into the ground that he opened a gate to the underworld that let unholy things into this world. After that, Dan refused to wrestle anymore but he's found new life writing and talking about his favorite hobbies here at Geekade. He pens the weekly Why I Love Wrestling series, co-hosts The Stone Age Gamer Podcast, expertly pairs video games with beer, and much, much more. Dan is a personality that Geekade simply would not be the same without.

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