Backstage Update On Jack Perry's Shock NJPW Debut
The former Jungle Boy made a surprise appearance at NJPW Battle in the Valley.
With Jack Perry having shockingly appeared at NJPW Battle in the Valley over this past weekend, there's now an update of sorts on Perry's first wrestling appearance since August.
Speaking on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted how the security at the San Jose Civic were not made aware that the one-time Jungle Boy would be coming out of the crowd. As such, they initially thought a fan had jumped the rail and attacked Shota Umino, rather than this being something that was simply part of the show.
Per Meltzer:
"Also, the security didn't know about this angle, so that was kind of interesting. They thought it was a fan hitting the ring after Shota, but they were quickly told it wasn't."
For those who missed it, a masked Jack Perry came out of the Battle in the Valley crowd to lay out Shota following Umino having teamed with Jacob Fatu and Fred Rosser to pick up a win over Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs, and Jorel Nelson. Perry would then tear up an AEW contract and put on an armband with the word "scapegoat" on it.
FULL SEGMENT where Jack Perry made his NJPW debut attacking Shota Umino, tearing up the AEW contract and embracing the new nickname "Scapegoat".pic.twitter.com/PBuBXcI8vz
Advertisement— Drainmaker ?️ ? (@DrainBamager) January 14, 2024
This was the first time wrestling fans have seen the former AEW Tag Team Champion since the infamous All In back in August, where Perry's Zero Hour bout with Hook featured Jack chatting about "real glass" and "cry me a river". That was immediately followed by a backstage brawl with CM Punk; a brawl which resulted in Punk exiting the company, Perry suspended, and Tony Khan fearing for his life.
Where Jack Perry and Shota Umino are concerned, Dave Meltzer and WOR co-host Bryan Alvarez speculated that the two would likely meet at NJPW Windy City Riot in April.