Matt Jackson, All-Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President and member of the Young Bucks, posted a video story on Instagram on Tuesday promoting the release of the team’s new basketball shoes. It was the first public comment from either member of the Young Bucks since they were suspended following the All Out pay-per-view on Sept. 4.
Jackson was suspended along with several others following a fight in CM Punk’s locker room following Punk’s comments about the EVPs during a press conference. In Tuesday’s Instagram post, Jackson was emotional and reflective about the release of the sneakers and the tag team’s fans over the years.
“Thank you for everything the last 18 years,” Jackson said. “You’ve supported us and been so great for us and I really can’t wait to see you guys soon.”
Matt and Nick Jackson, Kenny Omega, Ace Steel and CM Punk remain suspended while a third-party firm continues to investigate a brawl that occurred after the show.
Jackson made his comment to fans during a video promoting the release of the Diadora Young Bucks basketball shoe by Champs Sports scheduled for Wednsesday, Sept. 28. The Young Bucks have become synonymous with their shoe collection during their last two years, wearing expensive and designer Air Jordans to the ring, even attracting mainstream press attention. Their Dior designed Air Jordans were a small part of a storyline in a feud with Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston in 2021.
Jackson said he and his brother consulted with Denise Cutler, wrestling outfit designer and wife of AEW wrestler Brandon Cutler. The shoes were made by Diadora and are being released through a promotion with Champs Sports.
“I got Denise Cutler on the job,” Jackson said. “I said please Denise, you need to come up with a Young Bucks sneaker. I wore them at the mall for two hours and they got so many looks.”
The Young Bucks wore the sneakers in their trios tag team tournament final match at All Out with Omega.
“Our dream was to make it to the NBA and to have our own basketball sneaker,” Jackson said. “We were too short to make it to the NBA, but our dream of our own sneaker did pan out. I’m super proud of this. You (our fans) have always supported us with all of our crazy projects. This is the one I might be the most excited about. It’s definitely in the top three.”
Jackson said the shoes tend to run ‘big.’ He said he normally wears an 11 or 11.5 size shoe, but wore 10.5 size shoes at the PPV. He recommended fans buy a half-size or full-size smaller than their size in other brands.
A limited number of shoes are available. Jackson said fans who want the shoes should buy them early on Wednesday because of limited quantities.