When news broke that the Young Bucks, fresh off of their CM Punk All In footage reveal on AEW Dynamite, were going to wrestle FTR in a Ladder match for the Tag Team Championships, it added some much-needed excitement to one of the most can't-miss matchups in all of professional wrestling.
Sure, the Bucks and FTR have battled before, with the latter holding a 2-1 record over the former, but this marked the first time the four men would throw down with a stipulation playing into the bout's final outcome. Would the Young Bucks, who have had some of their best AEW matches on a ladder, be able to use this to their advantage in order to not only even the score up at two all but to become the first-ever three-time AEW Tag Team Champions? Or would FTR keep their momentum going, with the duo of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler cementing their place as the top tag team in the world definitively?
Discussing the match in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Matthew Jackson explained how the feud came together and why he's incredibly excited to face off against the ex-WWE duo once more at AEW Dynasty.
“For the better part of 2008 to most of the 2010s, we ruled tag team wrestling across the board. We were the only tag team really making waves, and standing at the top of the mountain at that time. It was lonely up there for a long time. Second place to us was so far apart, you didn’t really hear about anyone else. Then, all of a sudden, this tag team who’d been around was starting to make some noise. Seemingly out of nowhere, fans and critics were saying that there might be a new team in town to knock us off our throne. It definitely caught our attention and made us interested. Who were these guys?” Matthew Jackson asked.
“When we watched them, we noticed that they were the polar opposite of us. Their presentation was different. Their style was different. I knew one day, it would make for a compelling match. As different as we are, we all have the same mindset. Let’s make the crowd the loudest, for the longest period of time. We just accomplish that task in different ways. Them gaining momentum and buzz all those years ago only made us hungrier, because now there was a new team vying to replace us. Competition breeds excellence.”
Heading into the match, FTR would theoretically be the betting favorites based on their recent success both in the ring and against the Young Bucks, but remember, if you will, that these aren't the same Jackson brothers, Matt, and Nick, that they wrestled against in the past. No, these are Nicholas and Matthew Jackson, and they present an entirely different dynamic that FTR simply might not be ready for.
FTR aren't ready for the 2024 version of the Young Bucks.
Continuing their conversation with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the Young Bucks noted that while they could have continued on as the same factions fans have come to know and – partially – love, they decided to shake things up and grow into something new, a tag team, unlike anything FTR have seen before.
“Oftentimes, it’s easy to just play the songs everyone knows the lyrics to. But we enjoy testing ourselves, which is a big reason we decided to strip away nearly everything from our old ways and start from scratch. Could we adapt? Could we make this new thing work? It’s a challenge,” Matthew Jackson explained.
“FTR hasn’t faced this version of Young Bucks, so it’s immediately going to be different and feel different. Not to mention, we’ve got ladders to play with this go-around. Ladder matches over the years have been one of our staples, and nobody does them quite like us. Fun fact–last time we won the tag titles, it was during a ladder match that also took place in St. Louis [against Jurassic Express in June of 2022]. Can we do it again? Lord knows the tag team division needs us to strap it onto our backs and carry it back to prominence. So, if I’m a fan, my fingers are crossed.”
Is this the match where the Young Bucks finally go back on top, earning a proper run with the tag team titles after they were audibled into the belts last time due to Jeff Hardy's suspension? Or will FTR reign once more, making things a whole lot harder for the Rancho Cucamonga Kids? Either way, with ladders and a (likely) returning “Scapegoat” Jack Perry – plus maybe even the Motor City Machine Guns- in their corner, it's safe to say AEW fans truly will be in for something special this Sunday in St. Lousi.
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