10 Times AEW Put Amazing Details Into Storylines

9. FTR Vs. The Young Bucks

FTR Young Bucks
AEW

Two different FTR Vs. Young Bucks feuds are unfolding at the exact same time.

This is a compelling, near unprecedented storyline development that reflects the core of the rivalry. It's competitive and professional - whenever two sporting legends forge a legacy simultaneously, a (begrudging) respect is forged also - but it's also profoundly philosophical. The Bucks represent the new school; FTR the old. The Bucks resent the notion that what they have accomplished is somehow invalidated by their style and loose application of draconian rules; FTR resent the Bucks for muddying the pure form of an art they are determined to preserve.

This informed FTR's sit-down interview with Tony Schiavone, in which FTR claimed that a Bucks match is of no interest to them: they'd rather smash them in the face.

But those words are betrayed every time FTR and the Bucks interact. It is as if they compelled to help one another through a fierce sense of respect, which in addition to crafting an interesting story thread puts the respective legacies over big.

On this week's Dynamite, another tentative standoff unfolded.

In a sublime verse of visual poetry, each team cast glances towards the other before executing stereo versions of the spike piledriver: the Meltzer Driver and the Brain Buster. This is the move that forces them apart - one is named after the so-called modern apologist, the other inspired by the old school - but proves that they aren't so different at the heart of it all.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!