AEW adds some needed hype for Omega/Jericho vs. The Young Bucks

AEW entered Full Gear go-home week with some work to do. To be clear, the company has put together another strong card for Saturday’s pay-per-view at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., but a few of the matches needed a kick in the pants to get fans racing to the box office (or the Bleacher Report website).

One such match was the tag team offering pitting Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho against The Young Bucks. AEW has already added some stakes to this by putting the Bucks’ AEW World Tag Team Title shot and The Golden Jets’ partnership on the line. Plus, the Bucks’ frustration with Omega and (well-founded) distrust of Jericho effectively laid the groundwork for this bout coming to be.

Still, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this encounter exists to give the Bucks a PPV match in their home state, which is probably why the Jackson brothers forewent the rules in their match on the Nov. 15 Dynamite.

How did AEW hype up The Golden Jets vs. The Young Bucks?

On Wednesday’s show, the Bucks took on Penta El Zero Miedo and Komander (filling in for Fénix). For the most part, it was the sort of athletic showcase you’d expect from these two teams (see: the latest mind-bending spot from Komander), but the tone shifted once Nick Jackson kicked Penta and Komander below the belt.

Then, to “send a message” to their Full Gear opponents, Nick hit Komander with the Judas Effect (Jericho’s signature back elbow). One BTE Trigger later, and the Bucks had a tainted win on their ledger.

Minutes later, Lexy Nair asked the Bucks why they cheated to win (in their hometown, no less). They said that they were tired of following the rules and didn’t care what anyone thought about this new outlook.

“Anyone” apparently included Omega and Jericho, who took the Bucks to task for “embarrassing themselves” in front of their family and friends. The Bucks reacted with irritation at their moralizing and blindsided Jericho (they noted that their beef was with him, not Omega). With that, a somewhat contentious dispute into heated contest.

Some fans will probably still view this as a thinly-veiled spectacle for The Bucks, Omega, and Jericho. It still could be that, but putting something at risk for both teams and infusing some animosity into the situation makes this match feel more consequential to the overall product.

For a PPV schedule that’s suddenly more bloated, that’s the promotion needs to do for a match featuring four of its biggest stars.