Being The Elite returns with direct & indirect statements about why it was on hiatus

We got one episode of The Young Bucks’ seminal YouTube series Being The Elite after the company-changing events that occurred after AEW All Out.

It was filmed prior and contained no references to CM Punk’s “Gripebomb” at the media scrum or the “Brawl Out” fight that followed (although fans did have some fun with images of Kenny Omega and Matt & Nick Jackson in their locker room after winning the Trios title tournament on the Labor Day weekend PPV). Then the show went on hiatus as the All Elite founders and Executive Vice-Presidents behind it were suspended while the company investigated the fight they were a part of in the early hours of Sept. 5.

But with The Elite returning to our screens at Full Gear this weekend, Matt and his trusty sidekick/videographer Brandon Cutler announced the return of BTE:

At noon ET today (Mon., Nov. 21), the show dropped at its usual time. The episode’s title is obviously a reference to Matt, Nick & Kenny’s entrance in Newark on Saturday night. Fans debating whether “Carry On” is a reference to everything that went on during CM Punk’s time in AEW will find more fodder in the episode.

After the intro, we get a montage of behind-the-scenes footage. Welcoming The Bucks back from suspension is the unspoken theme, although shots of Matt Jackson sharing a moment with Colt Cabana before his return to AEW television speak a bit louder.

A shopping trip sees Matt comment that they’re “starting to get back into the groove, starting to feel like our former selves”. Dark Order has a bit where Evil Uno and Alex Reynolds talk about the great material they think they’ve been filming for the last six weeks of BTE, setting up an angle where they’re looking for Pres10 Vance. We also see Leva Bates, Peter Avalon, Trent Beretta & Ryan Nemeth watching D.O. film their scene (and giving Beretta more chances to plug his mom’s new children’s book).

Footage from Saturday night doesn’t include “Carry on Wayward Son”, so The Bucks didn’t pay the same royalties to Kansas that Tony Khan did. In it’s place is Neffex’s “Statement”, the chorus from which includes:

I don’t ever slow up, no I don’t take shit
I got no love for the fakeness
If you wanna play tough and wanna hate this
I’ll always show up, and make a statement

The music does stop so we can hear several seconds of the New Jersey crowd chanting “Fuck CM Punk” during the Death Triangle match.

After the match, Omega cuts an in-character promo about their loss that explains the best-of-seven series for the Trios titles that The Elite is now in with PAC, Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero M. Portions of it can be interpreted as being about something else, though:

“What’s happened to this place? I don’t even recognize AEW any more ... I don’t know what we’ve come back to. This is the place we built and it's become this? Even someone like Fenix resorts to cheating. I thought he had more pride than that. I thought he had more respect than that.

“Well, I don’t know what’s next but if there’s any justice in this company, in this world, and if you have any self-respect — whoever’s in charge, cause it’s not us — you’ve gotta make this right. You gotta make this right. Cause at this point I’m not sure if we should just let it go. Or if we should carry on.”

The episode closes with an interview with Matt & Nick conducted the day after Full Gear. They confirm reports they returned backstage four weeks ago, but they didn’t feel like they were back until the wrestled. The Bucks were anxious, worried if they still had it. They say they wanted “Carry On” because it’s one of their dad’s favorites, and a song they "entered to" when playing wrestler in the backyard as kids. Matt also says:

“This has been two of the hardest months of my life, I know you [Nick] too, and my family. Here we are, we got through it. You just never know what’s gonna happen until you do it, and just to hear the support last night and to hear how happy, and to see how happy a lot of people were to see us, that really meant the world to us and Kenny. It felt good, and we’re going through the healing process right now, but I think last night was a big step for us to get there.”

There’s lots to unpack from the whole episode if you want, and fans of The Bucks’ meta sensibilities no doubt will. Whether you do or not, though, the bottom line is... BTE is back.