How AEW Are Quietly Building Wrestling’s Next Main Event Megastar

Kenny Omega had been wrestling for 17 years by the time he fought Kazuchika Okada at WK 11, after which his journey to megastardom accelerated. His 26 June opponent, Jungle Boy, has less than half that experience. The 24-year-old debuted in 2015, working his first bout 14 months before Omega and Okada broke Dave Meltzer's star rating scale in the Dome.

Making stars takes time. Unless your name is Dwayne Johnson and you possess gifts unlike all but a select few in wrestling history, there aren't any shortcuts. Years of development, growth, careful booking, and luck go into it, and even then, there's no guarantee of success. Consider how long Vince McMahon and Roman Reigns spent swimming against the tide before surrendering and turning the failed babyface star heel.

For now, Jungle Boy will have to wait. At a minimum, MJF, Hangman Page, and Darby Allin (who may already be there after his business-boosting TNT Title run) are ahead of him in the star-making hierarchy - as they should be. Each is more seasoned, complete, and further along their development curve. Each has a much better chance of holding the AEW World Championship than Jungle Boy within the next few years.

But make no mistake, AEW is quietly, slowly, and delicately building Jack Perry for a spot on the mountaintop.

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