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Jurassic Express have been the AEW Tag Team Champions since January 5th, 2022, when they defeated the Lucha Brothers on an episode of Dynamite from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, to end their 122-day run.
Though the decision to put the straps on a boy and his dinosaur were largely met with positive feedback at the time, as Jungle Boy was notoriously named one of the four young pillars of the company alongside Darby Allen, Sammy Guevara, and either MJF or Britt Baker – depending on who you ask – and giving him a larger platform could have further elevated his star power, the actuality of his run alongside Luchasaurus has been largely underwhelming, with FTR largely earning more positive press as the top tag team champions in the promotion.
So, after securing a surprise-ish win over both Team Taz and “Swerve in our Glory” at Double or Nothing, fans of wrestling the world over wondered what Tony Khan had in store for his current tag team champions and who would eventually take their spot as the promotion’s top guys.
Depending on how Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite shakes out, the answer to all of those questions might just be a simple one: The Young Bucks.
That’s right, even with the Hardy Brothers removed from the scheduled Tag Team Championship ladder match to decide on the belts’ next holders, there’s a pretty good case to be made for making a change right here and now in order to push forward a pair of storylines in need of some shaking up.
3 reasons why The Young Bucks should dethrone Jurassic Express on Dynamite.
3. Christian Cage’s heel turn.
AEW has been teasing Christian Cage’s heel turn on Jungle Boy since, well, since before he became a tag team champion.
Since arriving in the promotion, Christian has served as a father figure to Jungle Boy both inside the ring and out of it. He’s helped to advocate for his younger pal, advised him on the ins and outs of being a pro, and even performed with him in the ring on seven occasions, most recently versus Hikuleo and The Undisputed Elite in a match presented live from the “Fabulous” Kia Forum.
And yet, around every turn, there’s been tension, largely one-way, between Cage and the son of Luke Perry, with a heel turn heavily implied at the end of Jurrasic Express’ win at Double or Nothing. If the team loses the belts to The Young Bucks, either cleanly or due to some interference, it’ll allow for TK to turn his attention to a Cage-Boy feud that could not only provide multiple incredibly entertaining matches, but also do what the title run was supposed to: Elevate Jungle Boy into the stratosphere.
2. A new dynamic at the top of the card
Since winning the AEW Tag Team Championship, Jurassic Express has had eight title defenses; with wins over The Factory, The Dark Order, Private Party, The Gunn Club, The Acclaimed, a three-way win over reDragon and The Young Bucks, a solo win over reDragon, and another three-way win over “Swerve in our Glory” and Team Taz.
All things considered, that’s not a bad collection of wins, but it’s also not a Tour De Force through the best non-WWE tag teams the wrestling world has to offer.
With The Young Bucks back with the belts, a whole new collection of dream matches open up on AEW television, Pay-Per-Views, and even the next Ring of Honor event, with a 15th title match versus reDragon, a third title match versus The Hardys, FTR 3, and even a bout with The Briscoes potentially back in the cards for big money Pay-Per-View bouts.
No one puts on a Pay-Per-View bout like The Young Bucks, so getting them on any card in an important match is a very good idea.
Unlike Jurassic Express, who have never wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling, The Young Bucks have an extensive history in the promotion that can be drawn upon at Forbidden Door. They could wrestle against the premier Bullet Club tag team Guerillas of Destiny – even though they’re currently out of the faction – could go to bad versus Sho and Yoh, or even throw things back to last year and take on The Good Brothers in a “Battle of the Danglies.”
Does every match at Forbidden Door need to have history? No, it’s entirely possible wrestlers like Darby Allin or Jungle Boy could make it on the card in a test of strength versus the best New Japan has to offer. But, giving the Bucks a consequential match with long-term implications could not only influence more PPV buys but also have serious storyline implications well into the future.