The Young Bucks Recall Difficult Moments Coming Up In Pro Wrestling, What Led To Them Leaving Impact

As part of promotions for their new book, “Killing The Business: From Backyards To The Big Leagues”, The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson were on the Talk Is Jericho podcast to talk in more detail about the topics they touch on in their memoir. Matt revealed that it was tough to write about the rock bottom moments in their life, like when they had to quit TNA and when he was struggling financially.

“For me, it was really painful to go back to some of these terrible times we had to live,” Matt admitted. “I don’t know why this is my favorite, maybe because I knew we overcame it, but I tell a story about how we knew we had to quit TNA because there was no money there. We were basically starving ourselves because if you didn’t work, you don’t get paid with the contract we signed up for. It was terrible, and we go into great detail about the terrible contract that we signed. But I was pregnant with my first baby, me and Dana, and it was little Kourtney, and she’s on her way.

“And I’m making no money, and we have to quit this thing. We have to quit wrestling for TNA, and at the same time, I had a side job which people don’t know about. I worked at a machine shop on the side while I’m on television every Thursday night, and that business went under too because we’re in the middle of a recession. So it was just rock bottom for me, and I told Nick – I remember we quit the company. We were connecting. It might have been in Atlanta actually, and I was starved, so I went into a Popeye’s Chicken and I went to buy a chicken sandwich for $1.99. My credit card got declined, and Nick was already waiting with his receipt because he was before me.

“And I called him over, and I was devastated like having to ask my younger brother to buy me a $2 sandwich. So he slid his card and bought it, and I didn’t talk for that entire flight home. I was just devastated, and I came home and I told Dana. I was like, ‘I have to quit wrestling. This is no way to live. I’m 20 something years old. We have a baby on the way. I don’t have a job. I’m unemployed now. I have to quit wrestling. And Nick, credit to him, he had faith that there was more to come for us and he convinced me not to quit yet.”

Matt continued also revealing that he was emotional while remembering these moments but hopes they can be inspirational to those reading the book. Nick gave his big picture thoughts talking about how it’s important to be nice to everyone, using the example of their friendship with NJPW star Kazuchika Okada. He said that friendship helped them get an offer from NJPW, and Jericho added that he had a similar instance where he was friends with Jado and Gedo, and years later, with Gedo as the head booker in NJPW, Jericho is headlining the Tokyo Dome.

“I think, in a sense, just try to be nice to everyone. And little did we know, being friends with Okada in 2009 in TNA and having his back would actually help us get our biggest break of our career four years later,” Nick noted. “And he would actually call us and say, ‘Hey, I’m a big thing now here. You guys want to come over to Japan because we’re friends. And here you are, here’s a job pretty much.’ That would probably be my cool take from it is you never know who’s going to help you later on in life.

“I bought Jado and Gedo a hot dog in Mexico City in 1993 because they don’t have any money,” Jericho recalled. “I took them out for lunch, they got hot dogs. I’m like, ‘hot dogs? You can have the Salisbury steak if you want.’ And here they are, Gedo, same thing as you, 25 years later, I’m headlining the Tokyo Dome with him as the booker, who got me over there. You just never know.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with a h/t to PWrestling.com for the transcription.