Despite having strong interest from WWE, The Elite (Kenny Omega, Hangman Page & The Young Bucks) will be staying with AEW, a promotion they helped launch in 2019.
As previously reported, the belief had been they would be staying with All Elite Wrestling.
Sports Illustrated reported today The Elite has signed new deals with AEW and had quotes from some of the wrestlers. AEW’s Twitter account also shared the news.
The Young Bucks explained why they stayed with the promotion instead of going to the competition.
“We’re literally the ‘E’ in AEW,” says Matt Jackson. “The Elite are the main characters of this company. No matter how different AEW is now from its original inception, we are the DNA. And if you lose the foundation of your home, it eventually collapses. It’d be a lie if I said that didn’t weigh on us, when making the decision.”
For Nick, the schedule, reduced in AEW, was a huge part of it.
“If we’re going to be honest the schedule was a huge part of it,” says Nick Jackson. “I have a wife and three young children and seeing them as much as possible was a big factor. I’m not going to lie, the money was a huge factor, too. At this point of my life and career, I just couldn’t see myself being on the road half of the year or even more than that. I have so much respect for the guys and girls that are able to do that year after year. We for sure could’ve made memories in WWE, but what’s more important to me is making memories with my family. With the position we’re in, I’ll be able to do that and still make memories in AEW.”
Matt stated that he’s not worried about his legacy anymore and feels he made the best call for his family.
“In my older years of my career, being closer to the end than I am the beginning, I’m not really one who worries much about my legacy anymore,” says Matt Jackson. “I’ve kind of noticed, like a summer tan, most memories fade. Or, they’re remembered differently or told with errors anyway. Oftentimes the memory is almost instantly forgotten, because you hit the refresh button. As far as my own personal stories, I’ll have enough to retell my grandchildren for a lifetime. And much of those stories can be about how I helped create a massively successful wrestling company where all of your favorites can be seen on live television every week.”
“Ultimately, I made the best decision for my family. Working in AEW will allow me the most time with my children, and they’re still at the young age where they need their dad home as much as possible. Having the strongest marriage possible with my wife Dana is so important to me as well. When wrestling is finished, I want to come home to a full, healthy home. The entire Elite was going to make the decision of where we were going, together. And that’s what we did. We stuck together. Which isn’t typical in the wrestling business. But again, I used the word family earlier. We’re not just locker room pals. We’re more like a family. And we did what the family wanted.