Nick Jackson has offered a candid assessment of his relationship with AEW President Tony Khan, saying he would “do anything” for Khan after the years they have spent building All Elite Wrestling together.
The Young Bucks have occupied a distinctive place in AEW from the beginning. As founding Executive Vice Presidents as well as active in-ring performers, Matt and Nick Jackson were part of the group that helped turn the concept of a new major wrestling promotion into a reality in 2019. Their responsibilities have extended beyond simply appearing on television and working major matches. Their names, reputations, and creative influence were central to the early identity of the company, while their work in the ring has remained a major part of AEW’s event presentation.
Speaking on Being The Elite following The Young Bucks’ appearance at AEW WrestleDream, Nick recalled an emotional exchange with Khan after he came backstage. Jackson said he had made a comment about the physical and emotional toll of continuing to work pay-per-view events, only for Khan to react with surprise before embracing him.
“I go, at the end, I go Tony, I don’t know how much more of these pay-per-views I could do,” Jackson said. “Yeah. I walked through the curtain. Tony goes, ‘I can’t believe you said that!’ Gives me a big hug. I don’t know why I said it, but, man, I would do anything for Tony at this point. I love that man. We’ve given our entire careers to him, and he’s given us so much. So I don’t think he gets enough praise and credit from us.”
For more background on this topic, read AEW Dynamite Returns to Wednesday With 715,000 Viewers as Collision Posts Major Gain.
A Foundational Role in AEW
The comments underline just how deeply tied The Young Bucks are to AEW’s history. Before the company formally existed, Matt and Nick Jackson had become two of the most recognizable independent wrestling stars in the world. Their run with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and other promotions, along with the rise of Being The Elite, helped establish a direct connection with a fan base that was eager for a fresh national alternative in the United States.
When AEW launched in 2019, the brothers were not merely signed talents joining an established organization. They were included among the company’s original EVPs alongside Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes. That position brought heightened scrutiny, particularly as AEW sought to build a roster, establish weekly television, cultivate a locker-room culture, and run increasingly ambitious live events.
The Young Bucks have continued to be fixtures through nearly every stage of that process. They have been involved in championship programs, tag team title matches, faction stories, and prominent pay-per-view attractions. At different points, they have been presented as beloved high-flying stars, disruptive antagonists, self-aware authority figures, and key members of the larger Elite universe that has been woven throughout AEW programming.
That longevity makes Nick Jackson’s remarks especially notable. The phrase “we’ve given our entire careers to him” reflects both the intensity of the brothers’ AEW commitment and the personal nature of their working relationship with Khan. For performers who reached substantial success before AEW was founded, choosing to invest in the company’s future represented a defining career decision.
The Demands of AEW Pay-Per-Views
Jackson’s story came in the aftermath of WrestleDream, an event that carries considerable weight on AEW’s annual calendar. AEW pay-per-views are regularly built around lengthy cards, high-pressure championship bouts, and a style of wrestling that often places a premium on pace, athleticism, and escalation. The Young Bucks’ own body of work has helped establish those expectations.
Over the years, the brothers have been associated with some of the company’s most physically demanding tag team encounters. Their matches frequently rely on rapid exchanges, tandem offense, dives, counters, and dramatic near falls, all of which require precise timing and a significant physical output. Even without knowing the full context behind Jackson’s remark to Khan, his recollection speaks to the exhaustion that can follow a major event and the difficult reality of sustaining that workload over a long career.
His comments were not framed as an announcement of a retirement, departure, or reduced schedule. Instead, they were delivered as a reflection on a moment backstage and on the affection he feels for Khan. Jackson immediately followed the anecdote by emphasizing his loyalty and gratitude toward AEW’s president.
That distinction matters. Wrestlers often speak openly about the strain of high-level performance, particularly after major shows, but Jackson’s larger point was one of appreciation. His remarks centered on the support he believes Khan has provided and on the mutual investment between the company’s president and one of its foundational acts.
Nick Jackson Calls for More Credit for Khan
Perhaps the clearest takeaway from Jackson’s comments was his belief that Khan deserves greater recognition from those around him. Khan has been one of the most visible and frequently debated executives in professional wrestling since AEW began. As president of the promotion, he has overseen its expansion from its first event to a company with weekly television programming, an extensive roster, multiple championships, international events, and a continuing pay-per-view schedule.
That prominence naturally brings constant discussion about AEW’s creative direction, business decisions, talent relations, and long-term place in the wrestling landscape. Jackson did not address any of those wider debates directly. Instead, he spoke from the perspective of someone who has worked closely with Khan since the very earliest days of the promotion.
“I don’t think he gets enough praise and credit from us,” Jackson said, making clear that he sees Khan’s contributions as worthy of more acknowledgment. It is a personal endorsement from an EVP who has experienced AEW’s development from inside the company rather than as an outside observer.
For The Young Bucks, that relationship has evolved while remaining rooted in the original gamble of AEW’s launch. The promotion provided Matt and Nick with a platform to help shape a company at the national level, while the brothers supplied AEW with established star power, a loyal audience, and a tag team identity unlike that of most modern American wrestling promotions.
The Young Bucks’ Continuing Legacy
The Young Bucks’ importance to AEW cannot be measured solely through title reigns or match totals. They helped demonstrate that tag team wrestling could be a central attraction rather than a secondary part of a card. Their arrival also represented the value AEW placed on wrestlers who had built their reputations outside the traditional major-company system.
That philosophy was significant to AEW’s formation. The company was launched with the idea that performers who had found success in independent promotions, Japan, Mexico, and Ring of Honor could be featured on a larger stage without abandoning the styles and personas that had made them popular. The Young Bucks were among the most prominent examples of that path, and their move into executive roles made them symbols of the company’s performer-driven beginnings.
Since then, AEW has changed in scale and structure, but Jackson’s remarks indicate that his personal bond with Khan has remained strong. There can be a difference between the public presentation of wrestling storylines and the real relationships developed through years of shared work. Jackson’s comments offered a glimpse of the latter: a performer reflecting on fatigue after a major match, then recognizing the support and opportunity he believes Khan has given him.
For fans, the statement also reinforces the emotional stakes attached to AEW’s original core. The company’s first several years have included major growth, changing alliances, memorable matches, and plenty of challenges. Through all of it, The Young Bucks have remained synonymous with AEW, whether they are competing as a team, working as EVPs, or appearing within larger stories involving The Elite.
Nick Jackson did not present his comments as a grand declaration about the future. He simply explained why an unexpected backstage hug and a spontaneous comment after WrestleDream stayed with him. Yet the sentiment was unmistakable: after years of building AEW alongside Tony Khan, Jackson feels a profound sense of loyalty, gratitude, and respect for the man at the head of the company.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.