The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Ronjon Massie and Nicholas Lee Massie, who perform under the ring names Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson., they are signed to All Elite Wrestling, where they are also executive vice presidents and co-founders of the company. In AEW, they are record three-time former AEW World Tag Team Champions. They also make appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
The Young Bucks are also known for their work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring of Honor, where they became members of the NJPW faction Bullet Club; after a "civil war" in 2018, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Adam Page, Marty Scurll, and Cody Rhodes were kicked out of Bullet Club and went on to form The Elite. They have performed for various American independent promotions – most notably Pro Wrestling Guerrilla – and had previously worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Generation Me under the names Max Buck and Jeremy Buck. On the independent circuit, they have won numerous titles as well, including four reigns as PWG World Tag Team Champions as well as being the only team to win PWG's annual Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament on three occasions.
They have held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship seven times, three reigns as ROH World Tag Team Champions, three reigns as NJPW's NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, three reigns as ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions, and the IWGP Tag Team Championships twice, and the AAA World Tag Team Champions once. They were also the inaugural AEW World Trios Champions with Elite stablemate Omega. All totalled between AEW, ROH, NJPW, and AAA, they have held nine world tag team championships, seven junior heavyweight tag team championships, and eight six-man/trios championships.
Professional wrestling career
Training and debut (2001–2004)
In 2001, the Massie family put a wrestling ring in their backyard, where brothers Matt, Nick and Malachi taught themselves how to wrestle by impersonating what they saw on television. At the age of 18 or 19, Matt began his professional wrestling training in La Mirada and City of Industry, California, at the Revolution Pro Wrestling School called Rudos Dojo, training primarily under Ron Rivera, Disco Machine, Scorpio Sky and Super Dragon, among others. Matt attended the school with his good friend Dustin Cutler, and the two taught what they learned to their friends back home. Eventually Nick joined his brother and attended a few sessions at the school. Matt, Nick and Dustin were involved in their first professional match at an Alternative Wrestling Show/C4/Revolution Pro joint event held on August 8, 2004. Matt worked as Fluffy the Dog, Dustin dressed as a hillbilly and Nick was a high flying referee wearing a Santo mask. Afterward, Matt and Nick wrestled various times for Revolution Pro and Revolution X in chicken costumes, under the team name "Los Gallineros".High Risk Wrestling (2004–2009)
In October 2004, with the help of his family, Matt opened up his own independent wrestling company called High Risk Wrestling. Matt was originally the head owner of HRW, but had help from Nick and Malachi, as well as good friend Dustin Cutler – these three eventually took over ownership years later. The company ran shows twice a month and helped Matt and Nick learn their craft. In the main event of HRW's "Highway 2 Hell" on August 4, 2007, Matt and Nick teamed up with Marty Jannetty ín a six-man tag, where they defeated Joey Ryan, Karl Anderson and Diablo.On February 26, 2005, at a show for Full Contact Wrestling, Matt and Nick were called "The Young Bucks" for the first time. Originally, Matt was wrestling under the name "Mr. Instant Replay", while Nick was called "Slick Nick". That night The Young Bucks were defeated by the Kaos and Mongol, the Santino Brothers. Later on, another promoter decided that Matt and Nick needed a surname and came up with "Jackson", which the two have used ever since.
With the help of HRW, Matt and Nick eventually landed spots in several popular companies in Southern California. They also gained experience working in front of a camera doing television tapings for the National Wrestling Alliance starting in 2006. The Young Bucks filmed their first matches for the NWA on Maverick Television on November 7, 2006, when they were defeated by Anderson and Ryan.
HRW closed in 2009.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2007–2018)
Feud with The Dynasty (2007–2008)
The Young Bucks debuted for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla on June 10, 2007, in Burbank, California at Roger Dorn Night, losing to Arrogance. On August 31, 2007, PWG held the first night of the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where The Young Bucks picked up their first tag team victory in PWG by defeating Los Luchas. At the show Matt and Nick met Dragon Gate wrestler Cima and Dragon Gate's American talent agent Satoshi Oji for the first time, both of whom were impressed by the brothers' performance. On January 5, 2008, The Young Bucks faced prominent Dragon Gate team Muscle Outlaw'z at All Star Weekend 6 – Night 1 in a losing effort. The next night, they lost to The Dynasty.At the following show, on January 27, the Young Bucks received their first shot at the PWG World Tag Team Championship, but were once again defeated by the Dynasty. During the next two months the Young Bucks participated in the 2008 DDT4 qualifier series, where they lost to T. J. Perkins and Hook Bomberry, defeated Ronin and Scorpio Sky and drew with Los Luchas, before losing a deciding four-way elimination match to Los Luchas, who then advanced to the tournament itself. Soon after, The Young Bucks went on their first Dragon Gate tour. Upon their return from Dragon Gate, the Young Bucks defeated the Dynasty on July 6, 2008, at Life During Wartime, PWG's fifth anniversary show, in a three-way match, which also included Kazma and Miyawaki.
World Tag Team Championship reign (2008–2010)
At the following show, All Star Weekend 7 – Night Two on August 31, 2008, Matt and Nick defeated The Age of the Fall to become the new PWG World Tag Team Champions. One of The Young Bucks' biggest accomplishments in PWG came at the annual DDT4 tag team tournament on May 22, 2009, in Reseda, California, when they defended the titles three times in one night. They defeated Dustin and Brandon Cutler in the first round, Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor in the second round and the Hybrid Dolphins in the final round to win the tournament. At that same event their younger brother Malachi made his PWG debut, losing to Phoenix Star. Around that time, after the Young Bucks started touring the World, the PWG crowds started turning on them. On July 31, 2009, at Threemendous II, PWG's sixth anniversary show, the Young Bucks suffered their first loss in the company in sixteen months, losing a non-title match to the re-united 2 Skinny Black Guys. Despite their win and the Young Bucks' wishes, Tornado and Generico never received their rematch for the titles as the following month they lost the number one contendership to The Men of Low Moral Fiber, whom the Young Bucks defeated for the titles on October 4 in a rematch of their DDT4 semifinal match.On November 21, during the second night of the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles, The Young Bucks retained their title over Kevin Steen and El Generico and afterwards turned heel by aligning themselves with Brian Kendrick and attacking the new PWG World Champion Kenny Omega. On January 30, 2010, at Kurt Russellmania, the first PWG show since the Bucks had signed contracts with TNA Wrestling, Matt and Nick announced that from now on they would be known by their TNA names, Max and Jeremy of Generation Me. They turned on Brian Kendrick, only for him to be saved by his old tag team partner Paul London. Later in the night, the team of London and Kendrick defeated Generation Me in a non-title match. Despite the announcement made by the Young Bucks, PWG still continues to refer to them under their original team and singles names.
On April 10, the Young Bucks made PWG history by making their thirteenth successful title defense against the Briscoe Brothers. On May 9, the Young Bucks entered the 2010 DDT4 tournament and were for the second year in a row set to defend the Tag Team Championship three times in one night. The Bucks defeated Johnny Goodtime and Jerome Robinson in the first round and the Cutler Brothers in the semifinals of the tournament. However, in the final of the tournament El Generico and Paul London, the team known collectively as ¡Peligro Abejas!, defeated the Young Bucks to not only win the tournament, but also the PWG World Tag Team Championship, ending the Bucks' reign at 616 days. During the final match Nick was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, but was able to finish the match.
Various feuds (2010–2012)
On July 30, at PWG's seventh anniversary show, the Bucks received a rematch for the World Tag Team titles in the first ever tag team Guerrilla Warfare match, a three-way match, also involving the Cutler Brothers, where ¡Peligro Abejas! ended up retaining the Championship. In the first round of the 2010 Battle of Los Angeles, Matt and Nick were paired up against each other, but instead of wrestling the match, they got themselves disqualified by superkicking referee Rick Knox. Afterwards the Cutler Brothers challenged the Young Bucks to a match, in which they finally managed to defeat their nemesis tag team. On March 4, 2011, the Young Bucks entered the 2011 DDT4 tournament, which was this time used to determine new number one contenders to the ¡Peligro Abejas!. In their first round match, the Young Bucks defeated Brandon Gatson and Willie Mack. Later in the evening they defeated the American Wolves in the semifinals and finally the Nightmare Violence Connection in the final to win their second DDT4 tournament and earn another shot at El Generico and Paul London. The Young Bucks received their shot on April 9, 2011, when they defeated El Generico and Ricochet, who filled in for Paul London who was unable to appear at the event, to regain the PWG World Tag Team Championship.On May 27, during the first night of All Star Weekend 8, The Young Bucks made the first successful defense of their second title reign, defeating the RockNES Monsters. The following night, The Young Bucks defeated Austin Aries and Roderick Strong to retain the title. On August 20, The Young Bucks defeated the Kings of Wrestling in an unadvertised match to retain the PWG World Tag Team Championship. The Young Bucks made their next title defense on September 10, defeating the Dynasty. On October 22, The Young Bucks made their fifth successful title defense by defeating Future Shock, before interfering in the main event and costing Kevin Steen the PWG World Championship in his ladder match with El Generico. After challenging Steen to a handicap Guerrilla Warfare match, Super Dragon made his first appearance in over three years and named himself Steen's partner for the match on December 10. On December 10, The Young Bucks lost the PWG World Tag Team Championship to Appetite for Destruction in a Guerrilla Warfare match, ending their second reign at 245 days.
Following their title loss, The Young Bucks started a rivalry with Super Smash Bros. ; on March 17, the Super Smash Bros. picked up their first PWG win by defeating The Young Bucks in a three-way match, which also included the RockNES Monsters. On April 21, The Young Bucks attempted to win their third DDT4 tournament and earn a rematch with Appetite for Destruction, but suffered another loss against the Super Smash Bros. in their first round match. On May 25, The Young Bucks and the Super Smash Bros. faced each other in a No Disqualification match to determine the new PWG World Tag Team Champions. In the end, The Young Bucks suffered their third straight loss against their rival team. On July 21 at Threemendous III, PWG's ninth anniversary event, The Young Bucks unsuccessfully challenged the Super Smash Bros. for the PWG World Tag Team Championship in a three-way ladder match, which also included Future Shock, losing following interference from referee Rick Knox, whom they had attacked earlier in the match.