10 Wrestlers Who Drew REAL Heat In The Post-Kayfabe Age

7. The Young Bucks

The Young Bucks were so f*cking obnoxious in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla that even the most snarky, knowledgeable fans jeered them with only a slight note of detached irony.

Nick Jackson in particular was phenomenal at generating that elusive heat. After doing something incredible, after capping off some insanely convoluted twist of a sequence, he would crow to the crowd with a massive sh*t-eating grin, as if to communicate, very smugly, that he knew better than they did. He was smart enough to both outwit the hipster wrestling nerds and throw that in their faces. The connoisseur hates being shown up by their nature. The Bucks did this frequently.

Over in Japan, the Bucks leaned on Americanised heel work as part of the Bullet Club to agitate a set of fans more reverent towards the principles of fair competition. The Bucks disregarded that, interfered constantly before it became a crutch, and even in the guts of a match too exciting to fold in traditional heat elements, the magnificent bastard Nick Jackson was so sublime that he'd shout, simply, "I'm the best!" after doing something spectacular. He somehow made you resent him for thrilling you.

The Bucks were so insufferable in disposition - those hulk-up poses man, you don't have any f*cking muscles! - that it took several years for some fans to approach their work with an open mind. They were just total d*ckweeds.

Who worked you good.

Me.

They worked me good.