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

Jungle Boy already has the kind of crowd connection most babyfaces would kill for. Established early in his run, it has been strengthened through his spirited, fighting performances opposite bigger stars in Rhodes, Jericho, Omega, and co., and will stick with him for as long as the audience has a reason to believe in him. You cannot fake the kind of reception he received at Double Or Nothing 2021.

It helps, too, that his entrance theme is a total bop that encourages mass singalongs.

At 24, he is a bumper and seller beyond his years, able to generate heat for the heel and sympathy for himself by being great at getting the tar kicked out of him. The fire and spirit often missing in his character work outside of the ring is more than present between the ropes, too, where he looks much more at home. The Jungle Boy comeback spot already has heart-stopping power, as demonstrated against Omega.

Sure, his frame is still filling out, but he's a good looking kid - and already marketable in that regard.

The blueprint for a successful, card-topping babyface is there. To reach that level, AEW and Jungle Boy must now develop his other skills so that he leaps off the screen as a legitimate megastar - which will take a long time yet. If Hangman Page becomes World Champion at All Out 2021, as has been predicted, he will do so as a 13-year veteran. Page has seven years on Jungle Boy, and there are still lingering doubts over whether he can make the jump.

As with Page, who entered the company at a considerably higher level, AEW will continue taking baby steps with Jungle Boy, who has so much left to prove but much more to offer as his gradual star-making process unfolds. They haven't made a single misstep with him yet - and there's no reason to believe they ever will.