The Young Bucks break character; comment on late star - "I couldn't stop thinking about him"
Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks are two of AEW's most villainous heels. The Executive Vice Presidents have also been fan-favorites, and at times the brothers break character when the situation calls for it. Now The Bucks are opening up on a special in-ring moment they recently experienced.
AEW's fourth annual Blood & Guts match aired this past Wednesday on Dynamite and saw Mark Briscoe, Swerve Strickland, Darby Allin, Max Caster, and Anthony Bowens defeat the team of Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Kazuchika Okada, Jack Perry, and Adam Page. At one point, the ROH World Champion paid tribute to the late Jay Briscoe by delivering his Jay Driller move to The Young Bucks, Perry, and Okada. Mark then pointed to the sky as fans cheered the tribute to his brother.
The Briscoes shared the ring with The Young Bucks more than any other tag team, almost 50 times since 2009. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, The Bucks said Blood & Guts was a bit emotional as they were overcome with memories of their friend, who tragically passed away on January 17, 2023, at the age of 38. Nick recalled the series of Jay Drillers during the match.
"We wrestled The Briscoes so many times. It felt really good to wrestle Mark. When he was hitting those Jay Drillers on all of us, I knew Jay was smiling. I was feeling pain by then, but I still kind of smiled a bit during that moment," Nick Jackson said.
Matt noted how being in the ring with Mark brought back memories of their legendary rivalry with Dem Boys. He recalled being in his hotel room hours later when he was hit with a sobering thought that brought tears - they will never share another moment with the two-time ROH World Champion.
“Wrestling Mark, it was like old times. It brought back so many memories of years past. I was reminded of the amazing chemistry we have. It’s like lightning in a bottle, a type of magic you only have with a very few select opponents. ... I felt Jay out there with us, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was such an overpowering feeling," Matt Jackson said.
The last standard two-on-two bout between the tag teams of brothers came on November 3, 2018, on ROH TV. The number-one contender's match ended in a double DQ, which led to The Briscoes defeating The Young Bucks and then-ROH World Tag Team Champions, SoCal Uncensored in a Ladder War at Final Battle 2018.
Mark Briscoe to defend days after war with The Young Bucks; AEW stars in action
AEW will continue its residency at Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas later tonight as they host ROH Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view. Several All Elite Wrestling stars will be in action.
Tonight's main event will feature two AEW stars as Mark Briscoe defends the ROH World Championship against Roderick Strong, just days after the brutal Blood & Guts war with The Young Bucks, Adam Page, and the rest of The New Elite. This will be their seventh singles match since 2006, and the series is currently tied at three a-piece.
AEW stars will also be in trios action as Dustin Rhodes teams with The Von Erichs to face The Dark Order. A few other matches for tonight with All Elite Wrestling stars include ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta defending against Lee Moriarty, and Leyla Hirsch facing Diamante in a Texas Deathmatch.