AEW President Tony Khan knew going into 2023 that he would have to offer big money to top talent to keep them on board with his promotion before their contracts expired in 2024.
The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks, and “Hangman” Adam Page) have all signed multi-year contracts with AEW.
As previously stated, The Young Bucks and Page’s decision to stay with the promotion they helped build was influenced by the reduced AEW touring schedule. With WWE’s nonstop touring schedule, the schedule would have been much different.
In the most recent issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that The Young Bucks surpassed WWE Hall of Famers Kevin Nash and Scott Hall as the highest guaranteed tag team in wrestling history during the process, according to Barry Bloom, legendary agent in the wrestling business.
Meltzer wrote, “Bloom had told the Young Bucks that as far as he knew, this was the highest guarantee any tag team in pro wrestling history had ever gotten, and that would include the highest contracts for Kevin Nash & Scott Hall in WCW, although obviously comparing a 2023 dollar figure with late 90s in straight dollars doesn’t mean much given how much inflation has changed the value going that far back.”
Nash and Hall earned that money when they switched from WWE to WCW in 1996 to create the nWo and change the wrestling business.
