10 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Jan 22)

5. Welcome To The Jungle

Jungle Boy
AEW

A video package from this week's Road to Bahamas YouTube special aired on last night's Dynamite. Featuring Jungle Boy speaking about his late father, Luke Perry, and the role he played in his life, it ruled, and proved that segments like this absolutely belong on AEW's biggest stage.

Character pieces like this are a fine break from regular promos. This one saw Jungle Boy recall a conversation in which he and his dad spoke about the AEW star pursuing his dream. The elder Perry told him to chase his dream down, tackle it to the ground, cut its head off, and hang it on the wall. This drove Jungle Boy all the way to 2019, when Cody texted him out of the blue - and an AEW contract offer followed.

Such vignettes are all about the tone, and this one was simultaneously heavy and uplifting. Jungle Boy is now so much more than Young Tarzan. He's a fully-formed, developed personality with a compelling backstory, and so much easier to root for as a result.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.