The Cold War between the Young Bucks/Bullet Club and WWE isn’t going anywhere, it seems. During a recent WWE conference call, Roman Reigns took a not-so-veiled shot at the indie superstars when he proclaimed that WWE needs “original characters,” not “guys running around doing ‘Too Sweets’ and […] acting like they are D-X from, you know, 15 years ago.”
You can listen to Reigns’s comments in full below, courtesy of the Inside The Ropes podcast.
Reigns may not explicitly name the Young Bucks or Bullet Club, but it’s crystal clear that they’re exactly who he means. At the end of September, WWE hit the Young Bucks with a legitimate cease and desist order concerning their usage of “Too Sweet,” just one day after Bullet Club “invaded” Raw in Southern California.
More importantly, the Young Bucks know Reigns meant them – and Matt Jackson responded.
You expect old-timers/shock jocks to bury you, but not current, young, top-guys that you respect. Disappointing. #usVSthem
— The Young Bucks (@MattJackson13) October 10, 2017
Ugh.
This whole thing disappoints me, and all you have to do is look at Matt Jackson’s hashtag up there to see why. It SHOULD NOT be WWE vs. the Young Bucks/Bullet Club/indie wrestling, and I’m saddened that the Bucks continue to foster that mentality in their fans. Leave “us vs. them” in the 90’s where it belongs. I don’t want promotion wars; I want WWE fostering relationships with and celebrating indie wrestlers and vice versa. If the Young Bucks want to flaunt their great success outside WWE, by all means, they can go right ahead. But they don’t need to belittle, mock, and vilify WWE in the process.
As for what Reigns had to say, however, I don’t agree with him 100%, either. After taking his shots at the Bucks/Bullet Club, he continued:
We need original Superstars who have no clue what was done 15 – 20 years ago. And no disrespect of our history and our past, but we’re trying to create something new here. And that’s the most important thing – that we’re true to our characters, we’re true to our originality and where we’re trying to go forward as a product.
In my opinion, there’s always room for nostalgia in pro wrestling; WWE wouldn’t be resurrecting Starrcade and WarGames if there wasn’t. However, Reigns is right that today’s wrestlers shouldn’t rely on what happened in the past to “get over.” It’s a “New Day,” so to speak, and there’s nothing wrong with embracing that.
What do you think of the Young Bucks’ vendetta against WWE? Who do you side with? Can you see both sides equally? Share your thoughts below!