How I Went From Hating The Young Bucks to Admiring Them

Is there anything certain wrestling fans take more pride in than referring to themselves as “purists”? It’s an ambiguous term as it’s said without any specific reference to what form of wrestling they deem as “pure”. Professional wrestling didn’t remain static until the 1980s before suddenly undergoing a drastic cosmetic change. The art of professional wrestling is in constant motion all over the world, one person’s idea of “old school” is another’s idea of, well, bad.

No two men sum up the ire one can draw from so-called purists than Matt and Nick Jackson, the brotherly duo better known as The Young Bucks. The sibling tandem are familiar to many who don’t even watch independent wrestling, and, along with Kenny Omega, are arguably the best-known professional wrestlers to exist outside of the WWE bubble.

Where can you start with The Young Bucks? They tend to be commented on in a similar vein by wrestling pundits. They sell a boatload of merchandise, their matches are high-energy, often ridiculous affairs, and they’re either the best or worst thing in the business today. Finding someone who doesn’t feel strongly one way or the other about the brothers Jackson is no easy task. If you thought John Cena or Roman Reigns were controversial figures in wrestling, then just listen to the vitriol that you can find directed at the Bucks.

There’s many a YouTube video out there consisting of a 10-minute rant, whereby every individual action made by Matt and Nick is scrutinised to the nth degree. If these two guys were guilty of just a tenth of what they’ve been accused of online, then there might not be a wrestling industry to critique.

I was once one of those people. I didn’t make YouTube videos, but man, oh man would I wave the anti-Young Bucks flag on comment threads. My arguments against them lacked any kind of uniqueness, and I regret to say that the term “flippy shit” was thrown around. When I looked at these two, it was nothing more than an over-the-top athletic display that was an affront to the wrestling business.

There I was, sat atop my ivory tower, arrogantly surveying the legion of Young Bucks fans who had all been so foolishly duped into supporting this style over substance pair. Nobody knew better than me, this was nothing more than a fad that would come and go.

Truth be told, I couldn’t tell you why I carried such an intense hatred for The Young Bucks once upon a time. I hadn’t seen a substantial number of their matches, nor was I familiar with any of their storylines that weren’t related to Kenny Omega’s ascendance to the main event of New Japan Pro Wrestling. I was doing exactly what I’d accused their fans of doing: I was hating on them because I deemed it cool to do so.

So, what was the precise catalyst for me turning around on The Young Bucks? I don’t know if there is one. It was, however, a recent revelation. I remember sitting down to enjoy Wrestle Kingdom 12, which was opened by their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match against Roppongi 3K. “Great, I have to get through a Young Bucks match to get to the good stuff”, I thought, but then, I started having fun.

What followed was one of my favourite matches on the entire card, filled with fun interplay between team members, consistent selling, and just generally strong wrestling. What was going on? This wasn’t what I’d convinced myself all Young Bucks matches were. Since then, it’s started to sink in as to why so many people are Young Bucks fans: they’re fun. What a novel thought, professional wrestling being fun. Isn’t that why we watch, to have fun? In denying myself such fun, I started to harbour a grudge against a team who only want to entertain and innovate. I had no right to do so.

The Young Bucks aren’t for everyone, I get that, and I haven’t done some kind of hyperbolic 180 on them and started praising everything they do. They’re a team who want to push the boundaries of pro wrestling and, for the most part, it really works. All the crazy spot-fests and comedy matches they put together aren’t necessarily up my street, but I can now admire what’s going on. It’s a fun little jab at how ridiculous wrestling can get sometimes, a tongue-in-cheek wink to the viewer.

When Matt and Nick want to be serious, they can, but who said wrestling has to be serious all the time? If they want to spam superkicks and put it on a t-shirt that sells out on Pro Wrestling Tees, then they’re doing something right. When a team takes the name of Dave Meltzer and works it into the name of a move, you can criticise them for being marks for themselves, but I see it as an ironic reflection of just how overly cynical we’ve become as fans.

I can’t spend my time complaining about a lack of fun in wrestling and then dump on two guys who are single-handedly bringing fun back to wrestling. The Young Bucks can go in the ring when they need to, but they know how to market themselves and have cultivated an impressive following. Independent wrestling has received more exposure in the last two years than it had done in its entire existence up until that point. The Young Bucks played a huge part in that, like it or not.

Spending your time piling hatred upon wrestlers is something that I’ve come to realise is a pointless endeavour. These are human beings who make unimaginable sacrifices to perform for us. You’re allowed to not care for a wrestler, but at least let other people support them. The Young Bucks no longer offend me to such an extent that I spend every possible moment deconstructing everything they do. I’m now on their side and it’s a much more positive experience. I highly recommend it.