The Young Bucks are one of the best tag-teams in the world today, if not the best. We sat down with them earlier this week and spoke about a number of subjects ranging from The Elite, to their road to becoming to the top team on the indies. Matt and Nick also spoke to us about the current state of the Bullet Club and where the faction is heading next.
Q: You guys are completely self-made having made your name in the indies. Was it difficult leaving TNA early on to venture out on your own?
Matt: For me, it was an easy decision to leave TNA because they weren't doing anything with us at the time. We were on a per-appearance agreement but weren't getting booked much, so that meant we weren't making any money. We were too young, & too hungry to just sit at home and waste our potential. I was thrilled to leave and start something new.
Nick: I wasn't scared because I knew we could count on our talent to get us to the next level, and that's exactly what we did. We wanted to work hard and have fun and do it our own way.
Q: What’s the biggest difference between Bullet Club and The Elite?
Matt: The Bullet Club is the largest, most successful faction in wrestling history which spans multiple companies in the world: NJPW, ROH, and even WWE. The Elite or as we've branded it, "theELITE" is a subgroup within the Bullet Club made up of only 3 members: Kenny Omega, and Matt and Nick Jackson. We are the elite wrestlers in the world who all have the same beliefs in what wrestling should be: a limitless place made of no rules or boundary. Fun, athletic, interactive storytelling.
Nick: There isn't a huge difference because we are all cut from the same cloth. The only difference, in my opinion, would be that Matt, Kenny, and I have been best friends for a very long time and we wanna change the business in the same way.
Q: How have New Japan management reacted to your idea of forming The Elite?
Matt: I feel that the NJPW management has been resistant to the formation of the ELITE. But, it's so good and has such a following, it's impossible to ignore.
Nick: I don't think they were very happy at first because they thought it was us trying to separate from the Bullet Club. But now I think they're fine with it because it's good for business and it's good for the Bullet Club because it gives the group more density.
Q: You guys recently defeated Naito and Bushi at ROH War Of The Worlds in New York. How do you guys like the cross promotion between NJPW and ROH?
Matt: I love the cross promotion. It's healthy for both companies. It's healthy for wrestling. It gives fans the rare opportunity to watch the most popular wrestlers from two different organizations, and go at it. You normally probably wouldn't see us wrestling guys like Naito, so it's cool to show NJPW what we could do with him.
Nick: I love the cross promotional stuff. It's great for business and it makes wrestling fun! I wish every company could work together because it would create more storylines and crazy dream matches. I hope the relationship continues and it helps us personally because we work for both promotions.
Q: Marty Scurll recently joined the Bullet Club. Any thoughts on him joining and the future of the Bullet Club?
Matt: I'm all about Marty joining Bullet Club. I think this breathes new life into the group. It gives us one of the hottest, most buzzworthy stars in the business right now. Every time someone counts us out, we make a big play like this.
Nick: Yes I'm very happy about him joining. Matt and I have been pushing for him lately and we helped create the magic that fans witnessed in NYC live on PPV. He's awesome and he will help Bullet Club grow and evolve.
Q: Going back to WrestleKingdom, what was it like watching Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada tear the house down from ringside?
Matt: It was surreal. We knew we were sitting ringside, watching something special. Kenny is on another level right now and is the most brilliant performer I've ever seen.
Nick: We knew we were watching a historic match and we were so happy that Kenny had us ringside. We've known how good Kenny is for over a decade so seeing him get a lot of praise afterward made us very happy. He deserves everything and more!
Q: What is the biggest difference between Ring Of Honor and New Japan?
Matt: The styles between the two companies are very similar. I think the biggest difference is the age difference. ROH is much younger. Younger as in a younger group of guys, and younger as a company. New Japan has more traditions and sticks to its old style, where ROH seems to be taking newer approaches. I think a big reason for that is myself and Nick constantly pushing new ideas.
Nick: The biggest difference is that NJPW has been around a lot longer. Both companies focus on good old fashion pro wrestling and not a lot on the drama outside of the ring. The companies are a lot more similar than different so it's a tough question to answer.
Q: You guys wrestled the Hardyz recently in ROH. What was the experience like and who are the best tag-team you’ve faced inside the squared circle?
Matt: It was so much fun wrestling Matt and Jeff. They're my favorite wrestlers of all time, so getting to work a small program with them was a career highlight for me. We learned so much being in the ring with them. They're the greatest Tag Team ever.
Nick: It was an honor to wrestle guys we both look up to. We learned a lot Wrestling them because they're quite possibly the most successful and best Tag Team of all time! We've been very fortunate to learn from Tag teams like the Hardy's, the Dudley Boys, Briscoe brothers, Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels, as well as the Motor City Machine Guns.
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