Expectations were high for FTR vs. Young Bucks III, and man, did those guys deliver.
Where to even begin with this, right? As this Ups & Downs is being written in live time as All In takes place, it's impossible to recap everything, and we sure did get everything here.
To start with, the Jacksons came out in Freddie Mercury-inspired gear, whilst FTR had custom UK-driven attire and armbands paying tribute to Bray Wyatt, Brodie Lee, and Jay Briscoe. In terms of the work itself, there were so many call backs to FTR and the Bucks' previous meetings, including Cash Wheeler once again missing a springboard 450 splash.
There was (of course) superkicks, both teams attempted a Power-Plex, likewise both teams delivered their own BTE Triggers, and there was also an extremely rare kick-out from the Shatter Machine; Matt Jackson the one to kick out of this highly protected finishing move. That's without even mentioning the Bucks hitting their own version of the Shatter Machine on Dax Harwood for a 2.99 count. Plus, there was a great homage to the finish of the iconic Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith SummerSlam '92 match.
When the finish here did come, it was FTR managing to evade a Meltzer Driver and hit the Shatter Machine on Nick Jackson to score the pinfall.
This was blistering stuff from start to finish, with the pacing - as is so often the case with FTR matches - exemplary in how it built and built into what was ultimately a genuine Match of the Year contender.
Post-match, the Bucks refused a handshake of respect, meaning this rivalry is wide open to revisit at any point AEW so chooses in the future.
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.
