Huge AEW Stars Admit WWE Move Came Very Close
Two big names in AEW have admitted that they came close to being WWE superstars earlier in their careers.
When AEW launched in January 2019, Shahid Khan and his son Tony were announced as the owners of the company, while Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), and Kenny Omega were Executive Vice Presidents.
As EVPs, the foursome of Cody, Kenny, and the Bucks helped build the roster by bringing in talent they had worked with in other promotions and indies.
If there hadn’t been an AEW created in January 2019, it’s certainly a possibility that The Young Bucks could have been WWE superstars. At the time, there was reported interest in the brother tag team.
During an interview with Adam’s Apple, Matt Jackson admitted the brothers were close to signing with WWE.
“Pretty close. Like, yeah, we were almost going to sign the contract. I mean, there was never an actual physical contract, but we were negotiating.”
Nick Jackson added that WWE tried to sign them a few times, while Matt said that 2019 was different.
Nick: “Not even at that time, but many times before in our career almost.”
Matt: “There’s been a couple, but in 2019 was probably the closest.”
In the late 2010s, the Young Bucks were very successful working on the independent wrestling scene, performing at a high level with NJPW and in ROH as well.
Matt: “We had a groundswell at the time, with stuff we were doing in Japan and on the indies.”
The Young Bucks Set For $1 Million Tag Team Match At AEW Full Gear
The next AEW PPV is Full Gear on Saturday, November 22nd. At the show, The Young Bucks will team up with Josh Alexander against Kenny Omega and Jurassic Express in a match where the winners receive a $1 million reward for simply winning a match. It’s part of the story that The Young Bucks are broke.
Don Callis has been trying to get The Young Bucks to join the Don Callis Family, but with he way the story is going, it’s possible that the Bucks say no to that idea and that the duo become babyfaces again.
Here’s the lineup for AEW Full Gear.
* AEW World Championship Steel Cage Match: “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. Samoa Joe
* AEW World Tag Team Championships: Brodido – Brody King & Bandido (c) vs. FTR – Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler
* AEW Women’s World Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Mercedes Mone
* TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe – If Briscoe loses, then he must join the Don Callis Family
* No Holds Barred Match: Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly
* $1 Million Cash Prize Match: Kenny Omega and Jurassic Express (“Jungle” Jack Perry and Luchasaurus) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) and Josh Alexander
* Casino Gauntlet Match for AEW National Championship
* Babes of Wrath (Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale) vs. Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart and Skye Blue) vs. Timeless Love Bombs (Mina Shirakawa and “Timeless” Toni Storm) vs. Marina Shafir and Megan Bayne
(The winning team chooses the stipulation for their semifinal match in the inaugural AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship tournament.)
* Darby Allin vs. Pac
* Tailgate Brawl Pre-Show: Boom & Doom (“Big Boom!” A.J. and Q. T. Marshall) (with Big Justice) vs. RPG Vice (Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta)
* Tailgate Brawl Pre-Show: $200,000 Four-way tag team match – Max Caster and Anthony Bowens vs. Bang Bang Gang (Austin Gunn and Juice Robinson) vs. Big Bill and Bryan Keith vs. The Outrunners (Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd)
* Tailgate Brawl Pre-Show: CMLL World Trios Championships: El Sky Team (Máscara Dorada, Místico, and Neón) (c) vs. Don Callis Family (Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita, and Hechicero)
* Tailgate Brawl Pre-Show: Hook and Eddie Kingston vs. TBA