Matt Jackson Reveals AJ Styles Nearly Appeared On AEW Dynamite's Debut
The Young Bucks recently joined The Good Brothers on Talk'n Shop's Patreon Podcast and reminisced over their days together in The Bullet Club, the events that led to the formation of AEW, and a whole lot more.
During the podcast, Matt Jackson spoke about the original plans for AEW Dynamite's debut episode on October 2, 2019. Without naming him directly, Matt said that AJ Styles, along with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, were slated to appear on the premiere episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
Matt, who also serves as an EVP for AEW, revealed that The Young Bucks pitched several ideas to former Bullet Club members.
"When were pitching ideas to have you guys [Anderson and Gallows] come in, it was not going to be just the two of you [debuting on AEW]. There was going to be another person who I would not name. Let us just say he's another Bullet Club member you may not want to talk about," said Matt Jackson.
Matt revealed that WWE offered Styles a lucrative five-year contract after becoming aware of one of their top stars being poached by AEW.
"We were originally going to debut AEW Dynamite at Madison Square Garden. At the end of our match, the three of you [Anderson, Gallows, and Styles] were supposed to jump the guardrail, and we were going to have a Bullet Club reunion. Obviously, things didn't work out like that," recalled Matt.
According to Matt, Styles thanked The Young Bucks for getting him a lot more money with WWE.
"The first guy in this conversation [AJ Styles] buzzed us and said, 'I just got too good of an offer [from WWE] and I would have never got that money without you guys' offer. So, I want to thank you."
Meanwhile, Nick Jackson touched upon AEW's merchandise sales and why he's unable to find any Young Bucks merchandise.
"We have been to 20 different Walmart stores, trying to find our action figures and its been sold out at every attempt. Everything we do makes no sense, and I don't know why but nobody wants to give us credit," he said.
During the podcast, Gallows and Anderson spoke extensively about why The Young Bucks taking their talents to New Japan was a game changer for the wrestling industry.
"You guys bought your entire fan base to Japan, which changed the game in New Japan. It brought this whole new aura to Bullet Club, and then AJ also came in and brought his fan base too. It created a domino effect and was the hottest non-WWE act in the industry," said Anderson.
Gallows referred to The Young Bucks as "the creators of AEW" and said he was looking forward to reading their upcoming book, "Young Bucks: Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues." The new book is expected to be released in November.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please give a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.