The Young Bucks’ controversial no-sell at AEW Redemption has led to plenty of debate online, but Booker T isn’t piling on. If anything, he thinks people should already know what they’re getting by now.
The whole thing exploded after AEW Redemption, where Nick Jackson immediately popped back to his feet after taking Will Ospreay’s 450 splash, then carried on with a string of superkicks, BTE Triggers and more as if nothing had happened. The spot divided fans online, with many criticizing the no-sell, but Booker wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer said AEW’s audience has been conditioned to expect exactly that kind of wrestling.
“I’m not surprised, man, about the stuff that happens in AEW. Because the audience is conditioned to see something like that happen, and it’s something that’s very entertaining to them.”
Booker even defended Nick Jackson, saying it makes perfect sense to keep doing something that gets the desired reaction.
“I can’t knock Nick Jackson for doing something that he knows will make the audience happy. They’re just different, man—the stuff they do in AEW.”
That doesn’t mean Booker suddenly understands it. He admitted AEW’s approach is very different from the wrestling he grew up watching, pointing to the company’s fast-paced tag team matches as something he’ll probably never fully get.
“They’re changing the way wrestling has been watched for many years. It’s like the tag team matches, when you see guys stay in the ring for 20 seconds and they do different moves on each other before the guy gets out. Do I understand that? No, I don’t. But their core audience seems to like that kind of stuff.”
Love it or hate it, the sequence has become one of the most talked-about moments from AEW Redemption. Booker T may not be sold on the style himself, but he also isn’t expecting AEW—or the Young Bucks—to change course anytime soon.
What did you think of Nick Jackson’s no-sell at AEW Redemption? Let us know in the comments below
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
