Scott D’Amore, former president of TNA Wrestling and current owner of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, floated an idea in his weekly Uncrowned column, The D’Amore Drop, that seems unlikely — yet strangely plausible.
In the column, D’Amore speculated that the Young Bucks could be WWE-bound in the future. Beginning with their loss last week at AEW’s All In, he wrote:
“Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland beat the Young Bucks, with the gimmick the Bucks are no longer AEW EVPs. You had the top stars of tomorrow
ADbeating the guys who helped build the company.
“The Bucks — Matt and Nick Jackson — have done everything there is to do in AEW as characters and as real-life executives.
“Hmmm …
“It’s no secret WWE wanted the Bucks badly before they helped form AEW — and I can see Matt and Nick, not tomorrow, but at some point — maybe deciding it is time to go have a WrestleMania moment like fellow AEW founder Cody Rhodes did.”
In August 2023, the Young Bucks signed a multi-year contract to remain with AEW. The deal reportedly included the highest guaranteed salary ever for a tag team, surpassing the WCW contracts of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.
Depending on when their contracts expire, a jump to WWE could be a now-or-never decision for the brothers. Matt, 40, and Nick, 35, are closer to seasoned stags than young bucks, and the clock is ticking. WWE recently brought in JC Mateo, who debuted at 42, so bringing the Bucks in later isn’t out of the question.
Besides, age isn’t the biggest hurdle. The real issue? CM Punk.
Yes, that CM Punk — the one whose locker room the Bucks reportedly barged into following All Out 2022, after Punk torched them verbally during the post-show media scrum. Depending on which account you believe, the ensuing melee saw the Bucks allegedly getting roughed up by Punk and his associate, Ace Steel.
Ultimately, Steel was fired from his role in AEW. Punk, the Bucks, and Kenny Omega were all suspended and stripped of their championships.
When Punk returned to AEW in the summer of 2023 after recovering from an injury, the Bucks stayed mostly on Dynamite while Punk led Collision, AEW’s new offering, on Saturdays, signalling a split of some sort.
But even that didn’t hold.
Enter Jack Perry, a Bucks ally, who reportedly clashed with Punk over using real glass in a segment. Perry got his way at All In 2023, made a snarky comment on-air, and the two brawled backstage, resulting in Punk’s termination.
Thus, knowing the history, it begs the question: could the Bucks and Punk ever work together in WWE?
In AEW, that clearly wasn’t the case. Khan, who many (including this writer) believe is the boss in name only, never quite managed to rein in his horses — or get them to run in the same direction. But under Paul “Triple H” Levesque in WWE? Those horses just might run for the roses.
If the Bucks agree to do in WWE what they wouldn’t in AEW — work with Punk — it would likely blow up the internet, with AEW’s passionate fan base known as “the sickos,” lighting the fuse.
But let’s be real. People grow and mature. With time and distance, new perspectives form, and forgiveness — sometimes even contrition — follows. I mean, look at Punk. He apologized for a vile tweet aimed at The Miz and Saudi Arabia, proving people change.
Who’s to say the Bucks, with some distance from Punk’s AEW exit, haven’t seen the light? Perhaps in 2025, or when their contracts expire, cooler heads will prevail. That’s likely — and a sign of maturity.
Sometimes, it takes a big fat paycheck to get there. But not always. Still, that’s how the sickos will likely see it.
Why, I can hear the chants now.
“You sold out! You sold out! You sold out!”
Buying in is more like it, but have it your way.
While Punk’s actions in AEW led to his firing, it’s not like he acted in a vacuum. His outburst came in response to a situation Khan never resolved. And at the center of it all were the Bucks.
Ah, the Bucks, who in-character aired security footage of Punk and Perry’s backstage skirmish on Dynamite. Ironically, ratings for AEW’s flagship show declined steadily over the following year. Whether that was due to the Bucks’ on-air smugness is debatable, but they caught the blame.
So imagine the reaction if the Bucks — who many believe led the anti-Punk movement to AEW’s detriment — suddenly show up working happily with him in WWE.
It wouldn’t reflect well on Tony Khan.
“You mean to tell me Triple H can get these guys to work together, and you couldn’t? What kind of boss are you, Tony?”
Exactly.
Those thoughts would become headlines — and they’d haunt Khan. Deservedly so. And instead of AEW being known as “Where the best wrestle,” the new tagline might as well be:
“AEW — Where the best leave to wrestle for WWE.”
More from cagesideseats.com:
- Not everyone is marking out about Eva Marie’s return
- Mansoor’s Raw Debut was classic WWE
- Is this who caught Lilly’s eye?
- Former WWE champs face off on (checks notes) Main Event
- Yes, Angel Garza shoved a rose up Drew Gulak’s butt on Raw
- Raw recap & reactions: Flip the switch
- Flair already added to title match at WrestleMania Backlash
- EVA MARIE IS BACK
