MR. TITO: Instantly on AEW Dynamite Last Night (3/6/24), the Young Bucks have BURIED Kazuchika Okada

I should have known… In my last column, I actually praised the Young Bucks for putting over Sting at the AEW Revolution 2024 Pay Per View. I thought maybe this was a “humbling moment” for the pair, who aren’t very good at making others look good despite it being in their best interests as Executive Vice Presidents (EVP) of All Elite Wrestling (AEW). But then just 3 days later, they proved my past criticisms of them to be correct.

On AEW Dynamite 3/6/24, the Young Bucks have instantly buried Kazuchika Okada.

BURIED.

Instead of bringing this free agent in and pushing him as a major babyface sensation to wrestling fans who haven’t seen much of him before, Okada has turned heel and become a flunky of the Young Bucks. That’s right, your NEW free agent takes marching orders from two 5’10” guys who are under 180 pounds each. This major superstar who just signed a lucrative financial deal with AEW and who has won many “Match of the Year” and “Wrestler of the Year” awards by multiple publications (besides Meltzer) is now following a tag team who have performed more harm to AEW than good.

It’s equally, if not moreso, stupid to when WWE brought in Brock Lesnar during 2012 and made him become the muscle of John Laurinaitis.

Completely idiotic for Okada to carry the bags of the Young Bucks who have done nothing but poison the wells of AEW:

(1) Signed a significant portion of wrestlers to AEW to deals and most haven’t panned out.

(2) Tag Team division is a mess, always has been.

(3) Buried FTR instantly upon them joining AEW.

(4) Constantly leaking info to dirt sheets.

(5) Ruined CM Punk’s tenure with AEW over baseless lies about Colt Cabana’s status with the company.

So Tony, you want to place your million dollar free agent that you likely overpaid to keep him away from WWE (and they were definitely interested) with a pair of guys who have created a toxic work environment for your company?

Oh wait, Tony, YOU were the one who re-signed both Young Bucks as wrestlers and EVPs during 2023. My bad, and you retained the services of Kenny Omega as EVP, too, the absolute ruiner of the women’s division for AEW. And you re-signed Adam “Hangman” Page to a contract, the same guy who was the vessel for sabotaging CM Punk in AEW. YOU, Tony, are signing all of their checks and enabling them all.

What should have happened is that the Young Bucks should have been completely wrecked by Okada last night to send the live attendees home happy and to end the show on a positive note. Okada’s in-ring talent should have been on display, too, and hitting his biggest offensive moves on both Nick and Matt Jackson who should have been begging for mercy as heels. Okada coming to Kingston’s aid could set-up a tag match next week on Dynamite between Kingston/Okada vs. the Young Bucks to REALLY showcase Okada’s in-ring abilities. It would be like in 1989 when NWA/WCW re-introduced Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat who came to the aid of “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert who was feuding with Ric Flair and Barry Windham.

But no, as wrestling fans, we can’t have good things happen in AEW… Everything is to placate the egos of the Young Bucks whom Tony Khan overvalues as draws and leadership components in his wrestling company. While CM Punk’s reaction was harsh, it’s a FACT that he didn’t just act-up randomly. When your EVPs are willingly leaking sensitive company info and absolute lies to wrestling insiders, that is nothing but trouble. When your EVPs tell their stooge to go unscripted on live television, that leads up to more trouble. When you as EVPs REFUSE to meet with CM Punk to possibly mend fences, that leads to even more trouble.

And now, your prized free agent has to work willingly with the Bucks.

Yes, I know that the Bucks have a past working relationship with Okada, but that was years ago. The politicians that both Nick and Matt have become is MUCH DIFFERENT than whom Okada worked with years ago. It’s one thing if they are your fellow members of the locker room, but it’s another when they have managerial and creative input. While the Bucks know Okada, there’s probably still an issue over what Tony Khan has agreed to pay Okada versus what he’s paying the Bucks. I believe that the payment to Punk, along with Punk having some direct input, infuriated the Bucks into sabotaging their own shows and a talent.

So here we are, AEW… We’re 1 for 2, thus far, on your big recent free agent signings. Will Ospreay is gonna be Will Ospreay no matter what situation you put him in… So far, so good as he had a great match in his debut at AEW Revolution that seems to be well received, mostly, online. However, Okada is immediately made into a Young Bucks flunky and stooge from day 1… We barely had a moment to see him and he’s turning heel, joining the Young Bucks to begin carrying their bags like a complete stooge. Any curiosity of him as a talent or for his debut are GONE from wrestling fans.

What will happen with Mercedes Moné (formerly Sasha Banks in WWE)? Because I think she’s a bit more complicated to fit in and to win over fans. After all, she’s walked out of the WWE twice over creative issues along with having a lukewarm New Japan run. She honestly works best as a heel, but many fans like her too and she’s a major upgrade over most of Kenny’s women’s wrestler signings.

To me, Ospreay and Okada were the easiest to implement… Just let Ospreay wrestle, as in-ring is his specialty. Okada is much more, as actually larger than most of the AEW roster and on a different planet athletically. Unlike Ospreay, WWE had serious conversations with Okada and I would put money on Okada later joining WWE than I would Ospreay. Yet, AEW went 1 for 2 implementing these big free agent signings by having Okada become a flunky of the Young Bucks.

What a disaster…

Can this promotion get free agents right? Beyond 2019, we’ve seen the AEW meat grinder take care of many free agents who have joined the AEW roster. Aside from the undefeated Sting, look at the Hardy Boys. FTR loses upon immediately joining AEW and were misuded for the year after that. How is Paige doing? How is Miro? How is literally any ex-WWE doing who were signed from 2020 and beyond? I guess Samoa Joe is doing OK, but he’s champion presiding over a company obtaining 850,000 viewers on a Cable/Satellite channel available to 70 million homes.

Okada is the Young Bucks’s flunky… 5 time IWGP Heavyweight Champion for New Japan and a man who has collected some of the best matches we’ve seen during the past 10 years.

Instantly, Okada has become “just another guy” in AEW.

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