Young Bucks: Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues
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- Create Date：2021-11-30 06:19:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Matt Jackson
- ISBN：0062937855
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Summary
The electric and daring independent wrestling tag team share their inspiring story of how two undersized， ambitious athletes from Southern California became the idols of millions of popular sports fans， coveted among the ranks of AEW’s elite wrestling lineup。
Featuring over 60 photographs and alternating between each brother’s perspective， this entertaining memoir is a complete portrait of what it means to grow into—and give back to—wrestling， the sport and profession they embody and love。
Famous for their highflying moves， Superkicks， and viral videos， Matt and Nick Jackson are two of the hottest and most talented competitors in professional wrestling today。 Known as the Young Bucks， this pair of ambitious brothers are an inspiration to both fans and aspiring wrestlers worldwide due to their message of resilience and determination。 That they are also faithful family men devoted to their loved ones gives them additional appeal。
Young Bucks begins in Southern California， where two young boys grew up dreaming of success and fame。 Matt and Nick look back on the sacrifices they made to achieve their ambitions， from taking odd jobs to pay for their own wrestling ring to hosting backyard events with friends。 They share their joy at being recruited into the independent California wrestling circuit and the work it took to finally make it professionally， and speak frankly about what it means to have the support of millions of fans cheering their talents in arenas nationwide。 The Young Bucks talk endearingly about their sport， their faith， and their families， sharing personal reflections and behind-the-scenes anecdotes while paying tribute to the wrestling acts and inspirations that came before them。 They also elaborate on this historical time in the evolution of wrestling， as the sport and its culture dramatically change day by day。
Told with the brothers’ signature wit and charm， Young Bucks is warm， heartfelt story of hope， perseverance， and undying ambition。
Featuring over 60 photographs and alternating between each brother’s perspective， this entertaining memoir is a complete portrait of what it means to grow into—and give back to—wrestling， the sport and profession they embody and love。
Famous for their highflying moves， Superkicks， and viral videos， Matt and Nick Jackson are two of the hottest and most talented competitors in professional wrestling today。 Known as the Young Bucks， this pair of ambitious brothers are an inspiration to both fans and aspiring wrestlers worldwide due to their message of resilience and determination。 That they are also faithful family men devoted to their loved ones gives them additional appeal。
Young Bucks begins in Southern California， where two young boys grew up dreaming of success and fame。 Matt and Nick look back on the sacrifices they made to achieve their ambitions， from taking odd jobs to pay for their own wrestling ring to hosting backyard events with friends。 They share their joy at being recruited into the independent California wrestling circuit and the work it took to finally make it professionally， and speak frankly about what it means to have the support of millions of fans cheering their talents in arenas nationwide。 The Young Bucks talk endearingly about their sport， their faith， and their families， sharing personal reflections and behind-the-scenes anecdotes while paying tribute to the wrestling acts and inspirations that came before them。 They also elaborate on this historical time in the evolution of wrestling， as the sport and its culture dramatically change day by day。
Told with the brothers’ signature wit and charm， Young Bucks is warm， heartfelt story of hope， perseverance， and undying ambition。
Reviews
G。E。 Newbegin
，
While it's not the most complex writing （not that I expected it to be）， this is an incredibly fun read。 Fans of professional wrestling -- particularly those of AEW， the indie scene， and NJPW -- will absolutely get a kick out of this。 It effectively tells the tale of what it's like to work on the OTHER side of wrestling （you know。。。 the side that's not WWE）， as well as what it took to make the Young Bucks the massive success they are today。 And while it isn't really a book about the formation of While it's not the most complex writing （not that I expected it to be）， this is an incredibly fun read。 Fans of professional wrestling -- particularly those of AEW， the indie scene， and NJPW -- will absolutely get a kick out of this。 It effectively tells the tale of what it's like to work on the OTHER side of wrestling （you know。。。 the side that's not WWE）， as well as what it took to make the Young Bucks the massive success they are today。 And while it isn't really a book about the formation of AEW， there's a lot to take away in here about that very topic， and I do hope that we get a more in-depth look at that tale somewhere down the line。And for those that aren't so interested in wrestling？ If you like autobiographies or books about sport or anything like that， and you'd like to understand wrestling a little better， this might be a good place to start。 It's a quick and easy read， with some really likeable characters and an exciting （and true！） story。Recommended。。。 particularly for wrestling fans。 。。。more
Sophia
，
I listened to it on a long drive and it was amazing！ I learned a lot about the independent wrestling scene and so much more about AEWs foundation。 As someone new to wrestling it was a great place to start！
Heber
，
It was really great getting to know the insight of the events I saw unfold real time since I became a full on wrestling fan around 2016， seeing the young bucks everywhere， aj styles becoming a massive star on japan， kenny omega v kazuchika okada amazing matches， cody joining the bullet club， the BCInvasion， the excitement about All In， the AEW announcement at new years 2019。 It made me go on a trip down memory lane。 Loved it。You deserve it！ （clap， clap， clap clap clap）
Dan
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Really good wrestlers， not good writers
Kevin
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4 1/2
Anna
，
This was fun and also insane like the first five pages wall to wall family information that I was NOT prepared for！ Otherwise like general sports autobio energy w a lot of charm and good union energy from the Massies
Vedran Karlić
，
If you are a wrestling fan I think this book is quite easy and enjoyable to read and follow the events that happened to Matt and Nick。 If you are not I still think there is a lot of good things to get from this book。It's a story about their journey。 from birth to become one of the best tag teams in wrestling business history。 You will find how hard it was for them， mostly mentally from a money and family standpoint。 What drove them to keep going， and how did they manage to become the world best If you are a wrestling fan I think this book is quite easy and enjoyable to read and follow the events that happened to Matt and Nick。 If you are not I still think there is a lot of good things to get from this book。It's a story about their journey。 from birth to become one of the best tag teams in wrestling business history。 You will find how hard it was for them， mostly mentally from a money and family standpoint。 What drove them to keep going， and how did they manage to become the world best without no1 company。As a wrestling fan， I got so much。 From the information that I didn't know or just relive the part I knew。 An easy recommendation to any and every wrestling fan。 。。。more
Tommas Ethridge
，
great book cool stories from one of the best tag teams in wrestling today
Jacky
，
Honestly， how can you not love the Young Bucks？
Miikka Lehtonen
，
A good overview of the Young Bucks' career from their childhood to the formation of AEW， the wrestling federation that has upended the entire business in just a couple of years。 Unlike many other wrestling autobiographies， the book was actually written by the Bucks themselves with every chapter's author alternating between Matt and Nick。 Much like Bryan Danielson's "Yes！" and Mick Foley's "Have a Nice Day"， "Killing the Business" is very personal and talks a lot about the fears， hopes， dreams an A good overview of the Young Bucks' career from their childhood to the formation of AEW， the wrestling federation that has upended the entire business in just a couple of years。 Unlike many other wrestling autobiographies， the book was actually written by the Bucks themselves with every chapter's author alternating between Matt and Nick。 Much like Bryan Danielson's "Yes！" and Mick Foley's "Have a Nice Day"， "Killing the Business" is very personal and talks a lot about the fears， hopes， dreams and uncertainties of Matt and Nick on their journey。 The content is wonderful and if you're someone who discovered the Bucks only in recent years through their work in AEW， you'll learn a ton about their past work， build a big list of matches you suddenly desperately want to hunt down， and learn a bunch of cool little details which give context and background to many of the things they do and reference。 For instance， Brandon Cutler， the Waluigi of Wrestling？ The guy who follows the Elite around spraying them and their opponents with cold spray？ Both him and his brother are childhood friends of Matt and Nick and shared a bunch of adventures which are recounted in the book。 So with all this praise， why only three stars？ Well， I experienced the book as an Audible audiobook， and the book's narrator just has a way of speaking that bugs me on some deep， subconscious level。 I would definitely recommend the book itself， and rate it very highly， but the audiobook may not be your cup of tea， like it wasn't mine。 。。。more
Stacey
，
After watching shows like Dark Side of the Ring， it was lovely to immerse myself in a wholesome story of two wrestlers dedicated to being their best and uplifting their friends。 Lovely stuff。
Sandra Ferreira
，
I was a wrestling fan when I was younger but not so much now my fiancé is a huge wrestling fan so he told me about the Young Bucks who wrestle in AEW so I thought why not and surprising I really enjoyed it they go into detail about younger childhood from making a wrestling ring in there back yard as kids and having kids from school come watch！ They struggle through there years to finally come out on top！
Meagan Tripp
，
AMAZING。 I’m crying so much😭
Jam Rohr
，
I absolutely love the Young Bucks as wrestlers。 This book just would have been so much better had it been written by an actual writer working closely with them。 It's a privileged story， but a very great look into the business nonetheless。 If another book comes out in 10 years I would read it， and I would recommend this to any fan， but this could have worked better as any other medium than a book。。 I absolutely love the Young Bucks as wrestlers。 This book just would have been so much better had it been written by an actual writer working closely with them。 It's a privileged story， but a very great look into the business nonetheless。 If another book comes out in 10 years I would read it， and I would recommend this to any fan， but this could have worked better as any other medium than a book。。 。。。more
Jake Prest
，
If I could change my rating to more than 5， I'm basically Dave Meltzer。 As a pro wrestling fan， I've read a few books by legends from the past eras （the 80s， 90s， early 00s）。 But nothing， NOTHING， is as good as reading a book by guys currently at the top of their game。 Matt and Nick remind me of me: dreaming big， being creative， and not caring what others think or say。 I want to be a pro wrestler myself one day， and reading this book felt like I was getting tips on making it big。 From their back If I could change my rating to more than 5， I'm basically Dave Meltzer。 As a pro wrestling fan， I've read a few books by legends from the past eras （the 80s， 90s， early 00s）。 But nothing， NOTHING， is as good as reading a book by guys currently at the top of their game。 Matt and Nick remind me of me: dreaming big， being creative， and not caring what others think or say。 I want to be a pro wrestler myself one day， and reading this book felt like I was getting tips on making it big。 From their backyard ring to selling out Sears Centre on their own， they did it their way and are enjoying the fruits of their labor。 An absolute blast of a read from cover to cover。 TOO SWEEETTT！ 。。。more
Nathaniel Creed
，
I've read 3 wrestling biographies。 Mick Foley， Chris Jericho， and the Young Bucks。 I can't remember Foley's， it's been over a decade， but I know I'm probably unfairly comparing this to Jericho's book。 Jericho had a really distinct voice and he talked a lot about how he messed up in specific instances and what was going on at the time。 These guys talk more about their successes。。。 almost exclusively。 And yeah they've had a lot of success， don't get me wrong， they've earned a victory lap。 But ther I've read 3 wrestling biographies。 Mick Foley， Chris Jericho， and the Young Bucks。 I can't remember Foley's， it's been over a decade， but I know I'm probably unfairly comparing this to Jericho's book。 Jericho had a really distinct voice and he talked a lot about how he messed up in specific instances and what was going on at the time。 These guys talk more about their successes。。。 almost exclusively。 And yeah they've had a lot of success， don't get me wrong， they've earned a victory lap。 But there's obviously more beneath the surface that never comes to the top。 Like how they very obviously got a faction within Bullet Club over at the expense of BC。 They marked the heck out of themselves and The Elite and made a big chunk of change doing it and that was the right thing to do from a business perspective but it very obviously pissed off their fellow BC members。 So how is that addressed in the book？ Brief mention， then move on。 I get it's a recent fresh wound。 This book shouldn't be a hit piece or a gossip piece or whatever。 But I get almost exclusively the bright spots and the "we're frustrated and going to rise above this and become super successful" spots。 Even at the end of the "2nd act" which I thought would be when they're in Impact and making no money and not seeing any TV time there's not a lot of negative there。 I dunno if that's the book's fault or my fault。 Either way it was an overall pretty fun read that left me wanting to see below the surface of the iceberg。 。。。more
Des Fox
，
This is an incredible book， and one hell of a behind the scenes look at not just professional wrestling， but the nature of magic in art。 The Young Bucks story is almost unbelievable， but here we are， in the midst of a true wrestling renaissance， in large part thanks to the Brothers Jackson。 It's an emotional read， full of amazing history and locker room moments as well as a set-up for the landscape changing phenomenon that is All Elite Wrestling。 It's a killer read， and if you're a pro wrestling This is an incredible book， and one hell of a behind the scenes look at not just professional wrestling， but the nature of magic in art。 The Young Bucks story is almost unbelievable， but here we are， in the midst of a true wrestling renaissance， in large part thanks to the Brothers Jackson。 It's an emotional read， full of amazing history and locker room moments as well as a set-up for the landscape changing phenomenon that is All Elite Wrestling。 It's a killer read， and if you're a pro wrestling fan， it's an absolute must read。 My favorite wrestling bio ever。 Long live the Young Bucks， long live The Elite， and long live the sport of kings， PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING。 。。。more
Bryce Kitcher
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Excellent book。 It spotlights just how hard the Young Bucks worked to get where they are today。 They broke the mould on multiple occasions， and always had people talking about them。 Good or bad， it's all publicity。 I learned a lot of lessons here that I'll be applying to my own career in wrestling。As a big AEW fan， it was also incredibly interesting to hear how all of that came together。 Looking forward to a "part 2，" where Matt & Nick write about the success that AEW has had thus far！ Excellent book。 It spotlights just how hard the Young Bucks worked to get where they are today。 They broke the mould on multiple occasions， and always had people talking about them。 Good or bad， it's all publicity。 I learned a lot of lessons here that I'll be applying to my own career in wrestling。As a big AEW fan， it was also incredibly interesting to hear how all of that came together。 Looking forward to a "part 2，" where Matt & Nick write about the success that AEW has had thus far！ 。。。more
Brandon
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In 2019， Nick and Matt Jackson， alongside several of their friends and peers， as well as American businessman Tony Khan， founded AEW （All Elite Wrestling）， a new and exciting competitor to the monopolistic WWE in the United States。 However， the duo weren’t always the trendsetting disrupters they came to be in recent years， they had to start at the very bottom。 YOUNG BUCKS: KILLING THE BUSINESS FROM THE BACKYARDS TO THE BIG LEAGUES is the story of how the two Jackson brothers rose through the ran In 2019， Nick and Matt Jackson， alongside several of their friends and peers， as well as American businessman Tony Khan， founded AEW （All Elite Wrestling）， a new and exciting competitor to the monopolistic WWE in the United States。 However， the duo weren’t always the trendsetting disrupters they came to be in recent years， they had to start at the very bottom。 YOUNG BUCKS: KILLING THE BUSINESS FROM THE BACKYARDS TO THE BIG LEAGUES is the story of how the two Jackson brothers rose through the ranks and went from undesirable to undeniable。The book spends considerable time on how they both came up in the business as self-taught backyard wrestling performers before receiving legitimate training through a promotion in Southern California。 From there， Nick and Matt remained focused on establishing themselves as a tag team first and foremost forgoing any ambition of becoming singles stars。 The Jacksons write at length regarding their difficulties in getting attention from Vince McMahon’s WWE due to their size and boyish looks。 They also dig into their frustrations working under promoters and writers who were always looking to split them up and move them away from tag team wrestling。It wasn’t until they were on the verge of quitting wrestling altogether in 2011 that they changed their approach to the business itself and used the criticisms they frequently received as fuel for becoming intentionally obnoxious performers。 If people believed they were disrespectful， put too much elaborate choreography in their matches， or overused certain moves and ideas， they decided they would lean harder into what many had considered their faults。 This drastic change in attitude led to fans all over the world embracing them as favorites while also paying top dollar for truckloads of merchandise。 This allowed Matt and Nick to create a career in wrestling that no longer required them to seek the approval of the biggest wrestling promotion in the world。Before reading this book， I wouldn’t have considered myself knowledgeable when it came to the careers of Nick and Matt given that I hadn’t watched much wrestling outside of WWE until about maybe five years ago。 It was interesting getting to learn the ups and downs of life on the modern-day independent scene as well as the massive success the two enjoyed while a part of New Japan Pro Wrestling throughout the 2010s。 I would have liked more about the formation of AEW， but the promotion is still young， so there will be lots of time for that。 While I’m more in favor of wrestlers waiting until their careers are either over or mostly winding down， Nick and Matt have been wrestling in some form or fashion for over twenty years and had a wealth of material to pull from allowing them to produce an engaging， yet brief， memoir。 。。。more
Shane
，
A really good look into the life and careers of Matt & Nick Jackson。 Clearly written by them， and not a ghost writer， it's an honest look at this beloved， and polarizing， tag team。 A really good look into the life and careers of Matt & Nick Jackson。 Clearly written by them， and not a ghost writer， it's an honest look at this beloved， and polarizing， tag team。 。。。more
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Courtney Rose
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I have always been a few fan of professional wrestling having grown up watching WCW and WWE when I was just a wee babe with a lucha obsessed uncle。 Since then I've flown around the world to watch professional wrestling shows and I've been to five Wrestlemania's so I think of myself as a pretty good authority on talking about wrestling related media。 The Young Bucks are， without question， two of the most popular wrestlers in the world。 If you're a wrestling fan， even one who exclusively watches W I have always been a few fan of professional wrestling having grown up watching WCW and WWE when I was just a wee babe with a lucha obsessed uncle。 Since then I've flown around the world to watch professional wrestling shows and I've been to five Wrestlemania's so I think of myself as a pretty good authority on talking about wrestling related media。 The Young Bucks are， without question， two of the most popular wrestlers in the world。 If you're a wrestling fan， even one who exclusively watches WWE， you have heard of the Young Bucks at one time or another。 They are fantastic wrestlers and have a flair for the dramatic which makes them both brilliantly and overly obnoxious depending on what a show needs， and they always manage to deliver。 In terms of this book， it's pretty much what you'd imagine as a wrestling life story。 I don't know why you'd bother to read this unless you were a fan of the Young Bucks， so the fact that it's written in a style that caters to wrestling fans makes a lot of sense。 While they do explain who certain people are， they assume you know what certain companies and moves which are is perfectly fine in my eyes。 The first half of the book is centered around their early lives from birth to becoming backyard wrestlers and the duo trying to figure out how you break into the wrestling business。 The second part of the book （after the break for photos） centers around how they became the phenomenon's they are today， from wrestling in Chikara to their lengthy stint in Ring of Honor， as well as being signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling and talks with the WWE。 The very end of the book is where they begin to discuss how their current company， All Elite Wrestling， came to be， which was fun to read about even though I've heard interviews about it before。 If you're a wrestling fan， you'll enjoy this book。 Sure， it's not overly well written but it's not bad at all， and Matt and Nick alternate chapters which helps it move along。 A lot of Matt's chapters discuss how he deals with traveling around the world for wrestling while having a wife and children at home， and Matt really comes across as being the most family centric man on Earth and I believe it。 He talks a lot about the struggles both faced when dealing with wrestling in relation to their loved ones， especially their wives and the girlfriends who couldn't handle the traveling early on， which I found to be a very honest take on what their lives look like。 I also enjoyed learning about how different promotions run and who on the indie scene was kind to them when they needed it。 Scorpio Sky always seems to be the greatest dude in stories so many wrestlers have told， so that is lovely。 It was fun to read their perspectives in terms of getting booked on shows， bargaining for more pay or flights and how Colt Cabana and some others helped them really learn how to make big money by using merch。 All in all a good read。 If you like wrestling， you'll enjoy this， I think。 Blog / Twitter / Instagram 。。。more
Michael Dreggors
，
Great book。 It was awesome to really learn the full backstory of where the Young Bucks came from and how they became wrestlers。 I also enjoyed their relating about how they were able to create more hype for themselves based on various situations they faced in their careers。 They， along with Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes， helped me to really begin truly enjoying wrestling again。 Thank you Matt and Nick for doing Being the Elite and helping to create All Elite Wrestling！
DaN McKee
，
As with everything the Young Bucks do， this autobiography was funny， honest and fiercely independent。 Made me really want to go back and watch All In again and proud to be an AEW fan。
Lindsey
，
This is the first wrestling book I’ve read， and I thought it was fascinating。 I loved the behind the scenes look into what it took for the Bucks （and Elite） to get where they are today。 The last two chapters resonated the most with me， and I want a book only about the birth and rise of AEW with TK and Omega contributing too。Hopefully we’ll get more books from the Bucks。 I’d like to hear more and see their writing voice mature。
Farhan Shafie
，
DIY Attitude Key To Young Bucks SuccessThe Young Bucks has been a true disruptor to the wrestling industry。 Their story is an inspirational tale of beating your own drum and staying true to yourself no matter the odds。 Essential reading for all wrestling fans
Shahid
，
A must read book for all pro wrestling fans。 A fantastic autobiography of two brothers who got inspired by the Hardy brothers （Matt and Jeff） and went on to carve their own path。 Never wanted to get into the biggest promotion WWE and eventually created their own AEW， WWE's biggest competitor ever which will certainly outlast WCW， ECW and TNA/Impact Wrestling。 Absolutely loved it。 I wish them both a lot of success with AEW。 A must read book for all pro wrestling fans。 A fantastic autobiography of two brothers who got inspired by the Hardy brothers （Matt and Jeff） and went on to carve their own path。 Never wanted to get into the biggest promotion WWE and eventually created their own AEW， WWE's biggest competitor ever which will certainly outlast WCW， ECW and TNA/Impact Wrestling。 Absolutely loved it。 I wish them both a lot of success with AEW。 。。。more
Christian
，
A really enjoyable read following the careers up until this point of Matt and Nick Massie/Matt and Nick Jackson， better known as the tag team Young Bucks。 It’s quite fascinating seeing their passion for the sport and their parents devotion to helping them succeed， and all the ins and outs of their development。 Also incredibly fascinating seeing the saga of AEW unfold and how that came about。 Regardless of your allegiances， this is an incredibly entertaining memoir that is well worth the read。
Generick
，
As a longtime wrestling fan who only started to really follow the Young Bucks around All In， I found "Killing the Business" to be a good crash course on how Matt and Nick Jackson made their way up in the business to eventually become two of the founding fathers of All Elite Wrestling。 This isn't a tell all book with a ton of juicy details or anything like that， but the stories that count are all here。 For a fan of the Young Bucks， this is a nice， official version of their story。 For newer fans o As a longtime wrestling fan who only started to really follow the Young Bucks around All In， I found "Killing the Business" to be a good crash course on how Matt and Nick Jackson made their way up in the business to eventually become two of the founding fathers of All Elite Wrestling。 This isn't a tell all book with a ton of juicy details or anything like that， but the stories that count are all here。 For a fan of the Young Bucks， this is a nice， official version of their story。 For newer fans of AEW or wrestling fans in general， it's a good introduction to how we got to the state of wrestling as it is today。 。。。more
Oliver Bateman
，