History
The Young Bucks and the Lucha Bros are at the forefront of tag team wrestling. They’ve met six times total in an AEW ring, with two of those being 2 v 2 matches. Fenix has also had one singles match with each of the bucks on Dynamite, with victories over both.
The rivalry between the Bucks and the Lucha Bros goes back much farther than AEW, though; they’ve had two title matches in AAA, wherein the Bucks won the AAA tag team titles off the Lucha Bros and then lost them again. The two pairs of brothers have also had several matches in both American and Mexican indie promotions that haven’t been tracked in databases.
Their most notable match is undoubtedly their Escalera de la Muerte Match (Death Ladder Match) at the first All Out in 2019.
Mirror Reflections
There’s a concept in theatre and literature called foil characters. These characters aren’t necessarily antagonists, but they exist to highlight attributes of the main character. My favorite example of a foil is Mercutio from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio doesn’t care about anything, and exists to show how Romeo cares too much about everything. A more modern example of a foil is Draco Malfoy, who exists so that his snobbery highlights Harry Potter’s humble beginnings.
To me, the Lucha Bros and the Young Bucks are real life examples of literary foils. They are similar enough that fans can draw parallels between them, but different in ways that illuminate each other’s unique strengths or weaknesses. They make for perfect rivals.
The most obvious similarity between the Lucha Bros and the Young Bucks is that both are pairs of brothers. The more interesting coincidence, though, is that they’re the same age; Penta and Matt are 36, while Nick and Fenix are 31 and 30, respectively. In addition to being the same age, they have very similar sibling dynamics; the older one is the primary talker of the duo who mostly stays on the mat during matches, while the younger one is the daredevil high-flyer.
As individuals, Fenix and Penta are more independent. The bucks need each other more. Matt, for example, lost his singles match against Fenix because he held Fenix in position for a Meltzer driver, waiting on Nick to complete the move.
Also, it’s not just the two team units that share similarities; there are several parallels to be drawn between the two older brothers and the two younger brothers.
Penta and Matt
Matt and Penta are both the spokesmen of their teams. This, I think, can be attributed to their charisma, and probably a bit of the pride that comes with being the older siblings. Penta and Matt both prefer to keep their fighting on the ground, though Penta is much more likely to take the action out of the ring than Matt.
Both wear their hearts on their sleeves, but this comes out very differently. Penta is never afraid to speak his mind; he always declares his intentions to the world, whether it’s to lay down a challenge for a title, or to just let a wrestler know he doesn’t like them. More often than not, this leads to fights (not that Penta minds a fight). Matt is more emotional; he gives his friends second and third, sometimes fourth chances, until his options are exhausted and he’s forced to make a teary-eyed split.
Fenix and Nick
The two younger brothers are even more similar than the older pair. This is immediately noticeable through their wrestling styles; both are show stopping high fliers, who can also hold their own on the mat when they need to.
Personally, their rivalry is one of the most enjoyable to witness in all of wrestling. This is not only because of how spectacular their high-flying sequences are, but also because of the incredible chemistry Nick and Fenix have. When the two of them share the ring, sparks fly.
Nick and Fenix also have a fun personality dynamic; Fenix is, for the most part, all smiles. His emotions are extremely fluid; he doesn’t just get angry, he becomes infuriated; he doesn’t just get sad, he comes close to tears. Nick, on the other hand, is more or less stoic. This is especially true in tough situations, where he tends to wait for Matt to make decisions for the two of them.
Ultimately, both are loyal to their older brothers. Which is interesting since both are arguably the stronger partner in their respective tag teams.
Conclusion
The Young Bucks and the Lucha Bros are both once in a century talents. I’m personally rooting for the Lucha Bros to take the AEW tag titles off the Young Bucks. But, with how deep the AEW tag division is, Fenix and Penta have tough competition to beat in order to climb the top of the mountain.
Whenever they meet next, whether it’s for tag team gold or not, the fact that we get to see both teams in the ring and on TV at the same time is a blessing the wrestling community should be grateful for.
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