Since its inception in 2019, All Elite Wrestling has only had a handful of departures. Stars like Kylie Rae and Lio Rush wrapped up their AEW tenure after brief runs in the promotion, while originals like Joey Janela and Marko Stunt departed after AEW elected not to renew their contracts. The biggest defection thus far remains Cody Rhodes, as the company’s co-founder dipped for WWE at the start of 2022. With dozens of wrestlers jumping from WWE to AEW, Rhodes is the first talent to go in the other direction. While many expected Rhodes to be an AEW lifer, his exit reaffirmed that there truly is no permanence to any member of AEW’s roster.
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This has raised speculation on Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks’s AEW futures. The trio known as The Elite also co-founded AEW with Rhodes and AEW President Tony Khan. Omega and the Bucks appeared content with their roles in AEW for the bulk of 2022, but the controversy surrounding the AEW All Out press conference cast doubt on their long-term status within the company. The three men were involved in a backstage fight with then-AEW World Champion CM Punk and Ace Steel, leading to all parties being suspended. Chatter surrounding the fight has died down in the recent months, but early reports indicated that the final outcome of the investigation would be an “us or him” situation.
Outside forces aside, the Bucks have once again alluded to their contract status within AEW. In a now-deleted Twitter bio, the Bucks teased that the clock is ticking on their AEW deals.
“Less than a year left,” the @youngbucks Twitter bio read. “Where does the time go?”
While it is not explicitly stated that this bio is related to the Bucks’s AEW contracts, it is worth noting that the brothers are reportedly on five-year deals with the company, which they inked back in January 2019. If they are still on those same contracts, that would make Matt and Nick Jackson free agents come January 2024.
It’s also worth noting that Omega’s deal was supposedly set to expire last month, but it has reportedly been extended due to the time he missed with injuries. Like their decision to collectively leave New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2019, Omega and the Bucks are said to be making their next career decision together.
As of early January, the Bucks were reportedly in negotiations for new contracts with AEW. AEW is keen on retaining the two, but as of this writing, the two sides are said to be “not close” to a deal.
