The Young Bucks reflect on how far they’ve come since All In 2018.
Five years removed from the first All In independent pay-per-view event, AEW will present All In London at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. During a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Matt and Nick Jackson discussed how All In 2018 led to where they are now.
“Once the show sold out in a few minutes, we knew something was up,” Nick said. “We knew that show changed the wrestling business forever. I just don’t think we knew how much we helped change it. Now we kind of do and it’s insane to think about.”
“Everybody said we were crazy if we thought we could ever put 10,000 people in an arena,” Matt said. “It was impossible, they said. Then, we did it. Fast forward to now, and we’ll be putting 80,000-plus people into a stadium. I mean, wow. I’m an ambitious guy, but even this is beyond anything I could’ve ever expected or dreamt of. I don’t know if it’ll hit me until I walk that aisle.
“Fans were clamoring for change in the wrestling they consumed. There were so many unsigned talent, white-hot on the scene. New Japan Pro-Wrestling was molten. And we so happened to be friends with everyone and invited everyone over. So, we gathered everyone together and threw a giant party. Cody just a couple of weeks ago recently shared that it’s still his favorite event he’s ever performed on. It’s definitely still one of my proudest contributions to the business. This time around, it’s not just three people. It’s not our show. It’s everyone’s show.”
All In 2018 came at a time when fans were seeking change from the status quo. That event would ultimately serve as the prelude to what we now know as All Elite Wrestling.
“Wrestling fans craved something new,” Nick said. “They wanted to see change. That’s what All In was. Giving wrestling fans an alternative. AEW is the alternative. It’s given jobs to hundreds of people who might not have income coming in every week. It gives fans a different look at how wrestling can be done on TV every week. In that regard it for sure has that spirit still.”
Rather than worrying about proving their doubters wrong, The Young Bucks are focused on stealing the show.
“I’m not looking to prove anything anymore,” Nick declared. “If fans don’t like us, so what. We’ve proven to the most important people in our lives that we do matter, and that’s all that matters to me. But at the end of the day, I’m still gonna go out there and try to steal the show.”
“I’d like to remind everyone who the hell we are,” Matt said. “We’re the Young Bucks.”
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