I have been a professional wrestling fan my entire life. For a while, it was taboo to say such a thing out loud. When I was young, you could only watch the sport once a week at midnight on Saturdays. Then Hulk Hogan came along and made the industry cool, and it all exploded. Since the days of Hulkamania, things have tailed off a bit, and in recent years your only choice is watching the over-saturated WWE or, if you’re fortunate, several of the great independent professional leagues out there that are able to mix old-school wrestling with high-flying and risk-taking on a nightly basis.

One of the major success stories to come out of the independent ranks and become global sensations is the duo of Matt and Nick Massie --- better known as Matt and Nick Jackson, or the Young Bucks. They are possibly the greatest, most exciting tag team I have ever seen, and YOUNG BUCKS just may be the most insightful and enjoyable wrestling book I have read thus far. The Prologue finds the Young Bucks, along with their best friend in the wrestling business, Kenny Omega, seeing their current wrestling contracts with Ring of Honor about to expire and pondering their next move. The book will end by revealing this move, which perhaps has permanently changed the face of professional wrestling.

"YOUNG BUCKS just may be the most insightful and enjoyable wrestling book I have read thus far.... [It] is not to be missed by any true wrestling fan, and I defy you not to want to throw a Superkick at someone after reading it."

Matt and Nick share storytelling duties here, with every other chapter told from each of their points of view. But it is done so expertly --- a tribute to their editors --- that the narrative is seamless. We learn about their start in Southern California and their lower middle-class upbringing in a Christian household that supported their love of wrestling from their childhood. A lot of young people like to emulate their wrestling heroes, and Matt and Nick (with help from their father) built their own ring in their backyard. After school, their house was the most popular in the neighborhood, and their passion for professional wrestling turned into their own “league” --- the BYWA, or Backyard Wrestling Association. What started out small actually grew into another independent wrestling promotion that eventually attracted some outside professional wrestling talent.

Matt talks about the only girl he had time for outside of wrestling, Dana, with whom he ended up marrying and starting a family. It is encouraging to see that both Bucks have positive, loving family lives that mean everything to them. They clearly put their loved ones first when it comes to every decision they have made throughout their careers. There is enough name-dropping to make the book a who’s who of the current wrestling world. What I enjoyed most is how they humanized them and allowed us to see behind the curtain these very real and dedicated professionals who give their all for their fans’ entertainment.

A touching part of the book is when Matt must talk a fellow wrestler down from a suicidal moment. Regrettably, Chris Kanyon did end up taking his own life a few years after that incident as he battled demons brought on by his homosexuality.

The Young Bucks grew quickly from the backyard wrestling ranks and enjoyed success with TNA/Impact Wrestling, as well as Ring of Honor. Perhaps the one move that really gave them wider appeal and respect was when they traveled to Japan to wrestle with the highly competitive New Japan Wrestling promotion. They made some lifelong friendships and connections there that included Kenny and later Cody Rhodes and Adam Page --- the group that would become the cornerstone of their own wrestling promotion. When the Young Bucks became part of the immensely popular stable of heels known as the Bullet Club, they took off on a global scale.

Matt and Nick revolutionized self-promotion and continue to do so. Their t-shirt sales often rank with the top wrestling merchandise in the business. They knew they finally made it in 2018 when Funko put out dolls of the Young Bucks, along with Kenny and Cody.

This all paved the way for the life-changing phone call that Matt took from Tony Khan, the co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C. of the English Premier League. The dreams of Tony and the Young Bucks were in sync, and their initial discussions turned into what is now known as AEW, or All Elite Wrestling, which they helped form along with Kenny, Cody and Adam. All of the years that I have devoted to watching professional wrestling did not prepare me for this promotion, which is a mix of longtime wrestling favorites and some of the top young stars and independent talent on the circuit, many of whom never could have gotten the exposure they are receiving from AEW. You can tell that they all like each other; they are doing things the right way and treating everyone involved with a level of respect usually not seen in the profession.

I most enjoyed how Matt and Nick spell out all the choices they made along the way and analyze how any of these decisions could have led them down a completely different path. Many people say that everything happens for a reason, and this is self-evident throughout the book. It is a refreshing look at life that allows readers to step into their shoes and experience what is happening to them every step of the way. YOUNG BUCKS is not to be missed by any true wrestling fan, and I defy you not to want to throw a Superkick at someone after reading it.