Matt Jackson (2) (1985–)

As someone relatively new to wrestling and unaware of The Young Bucks I really enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the Jackson brothers and their persistent struggle and no-quit attitude towards turning their dreams into reality. The book is one big journey of how they started to wrestle in their backyard In Reseda to wrestling all over the world.

I never realized how hard wrestlers work. Sometimes basically wrecking their bodies night after night for little to no pay-off and promotion. Reading this makes you privy to some of the stuff that your average fan doesn’t know. It was also cool to learn wrestling terminology and just how AEW started. I mean what would've happened if Matt never returned Tony Khans call?

Reading about how they dedicated themselves to achieving their goals in life was fun and at times depressing. The chapters alternate between each brother so you can get a feel of their personalities. I also liked learning about the wrestlers they met in the circuit. Wrestlers we see on tv and who are actually very kind behind the scenes.

One thing I will say is there is a lot of hyperbole in this book and sometimes it can take away from their believability. I recommend reading a chapter at a time and not binging it, otherwise it can seem like excessive bragging in some chapters. It was fun though to read about a match and then look it up on YouTube to see if it really was as they described.

It’s impressive that they wrote this on their phones in between their busy schedules. The Young Bucks definitely have a lot of drive. Even for the people who can’t stand them you can’t deny how hard they have worked and practiced to get to where they are. If you are into wrestling and even if you are not, this is an entertaining read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Dey Street Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.… (meer)