AEW has been in acquisition mode throughout 2024, bringing in top-tier names like Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and Mercedes Mone. The next big hire for the promotion is reportedly set to be the popular tag team The Motor City Machine Guns, who are said to be in the final stages of negotiations with the promotion. As it turns out though, another team is beating them to the bunch by debuting in AEW first.
In a social media exclusive interview with Lexy Nair posted earlier this afternoon, James Drake and Zack Gibson, aka The Grizzled Young Veterans, announced that they would be debuting this Saturday on "AEW Collision." After introducing themselves to the AEW audience, the duo announced they would be taking on former AEW World Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed. Gibson made clear the GYV were there to make a statement, while Drake called The Acclaimed an "embarrassment," and that they would learn a very important lesson come this Saturday.
For many fans, Gibson and Drake are best remembered for their five-year run in WWE, which saw them primarily work for the promotion's NXT UK brand. Despite achieving some success, including becoming the first-ever NXT UK Tag Team Champions, the duo never made it beyond the "NXT," and were eventually repackaged as Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler, aka Schism, members of Joe Gacy's Dyad stable. Gibson and Drake requested their releases in early 2023 and left WWE in the fall after their contracts expired.
Since leaving WWE, Gibson and Drake have competed on both the independent circuit and TNA, debuting for the promotion at Hard to Kill in January. The duo last appeared on "TNA Impact" one week ago, teaming with Mustafa Ali to defeat Cody Deaner, Jake Something, and Rhino.
