wrestling / News

Young Bucks On the Elite’s Creation, Developing Talent in AEW

February 16, 2020 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Young Bucks AEW Full Gear Image Credit: AEW

The Young Bucks spoke with Sports Illustrated for a new interview discussing their work as a team, the creation of The Elite and more. You can check out some highlights below:

Nick on the two of them keeping each other grounded: “If I didn’t have my brother, these types of events would drive me crazy. Right before we step out through that curtain we always say a prayer, which helps us focus and get into the zone. Having him there for a lot of pressure-packed moments helps a lot.”

Matt on their relationship: “There’s absolutely zero people other than him that will ever be able to relate with what I’ve gone through. He’s my tag-team partner forever.”

Matt on the pressure of performing: “Every time before I walk up those steps and hit the curtain, I’m a nervous wreck. No matter what it is that I am doing out there, whether it’s just a run-in, or a full blown match, I feel like I’m having heart palpations and I could pass out. I feel every single emotional and physical feeling before that moment. Then I look at Nick and wonder if he feels these same things. I feel more comfortable having him by my side. I feel my most alive. I’m afraid of getting hurt. I’m terrified of slipping on live television. I have self-doubt. But then, the crowd roars and I hit the ring and I remember that I belong, and that I’m actually really good at this.”

Matt on their critics: “For a long time, I enjoyed proving others wrong. Every time we accomplished something, I craved rubbing it in their faces. But I realized at some point recently, these people will just continue to move the goalpost and they don’t deserve my energy. I’m more interested in positive energy, and doing my best for true fans who love and have a passion for good wrestling content.”

Matt on planning matches: “Putting together matches is almost just as fun as performing the matches, often. You get to create art from a blank canvas. It’s always a challenge when you’re given limitations—time constraints, injuries, story lines to get across—but I enjoy making the most out of my minutes and always turning in an entertaining segment. Every week you get to work with someone new, so it feels like you’re collaborating and writing a new song with a new partner all of the time. Sometimes you can see real-life character flaws in each other, whether it’s insecurities or lack of confidence. However, you can also see how truly talented and intelligent your colleagues are, sometimes giving new ideas from a different perspective, seeing things from a different lens.”

Nick on the creation of the Elite: “We came up with the Elite name on a bus as a joke. We’d ask each other, ‘Who do you think are the most elite wrestlers in the world?’ Then we’d make a list, but every list was just us and our friends. We thought it was hilarious, and we decided, ‘What if we just called ourselves that?’”

Matt on the moment when the group was born: “‘The Elite’ is something we did on our own. We were all leaving the ring after turning on AJ Styles at Korakuen Hall. Kenny asked us, ‘Should I go back in the ring and give AJ the Styles Clash? And you guys double-superkick him?’ The rest of the Bullet Club had left, so this was going to be a signal to the audience that we were the three guys. Kenny looked at Nick, and Nick said, ‘Ask Matt.’ So Kenny asked me, and I said, ‘Let’s go.’ Kenny slid in the right, we were right behind him, and he picked up AJ in the Styles Clash. We double-superkicked him, Kenny gave him the deal, and we all posed. That was the night the Elite was born.”

Matt on the challenge of AEW Dynamite: “Live weekly television wrestling is a completely different beast, but it’s a new challenge. My goal is to conquer those challenges. And I really enjoy watching the process of a character growing into a star. The power of television makes things happen so rapidly, and it still blows me away. What took us 10 years on the indies to do only takes a couple of weeks with the exposure TNT gives us.”

Nick on developing talent in AEW: “Seeing new stars develop right in front of your eyes, that excites me the most. There’s nothing better than seeing someone you have high hopes in get a big reaction from the audience.”

article topics :

AEW, The Young Bucks, Jeremy Thomas