“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry is one of the several young and hot prospects that AEW has on its roster. He is considered to be one of the “pillars” of AEW, appearing on the very first show, climbing his way to more prominence as the years have gone on.
He has had some great moments in AEW, with him feeling on the periphery of superstardom at times. However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the 25-year-old, as he has experienced some questionable booking on occasion, which caused some potential threat to his momentum and standing in the company. It must be said though, that when compared to most in AEW, he is up there with the more consistently well booked individuals.
10 Best: Defeating The Elite
Jack Perry is someone who isn’t the biggest of winners in AEW, with him playing the role of the underdog most of the time. However, he has picked up some big wins here and there. One of his biggest came at Full Gear 2021.
Jurassic Express and Christian Cage had been having issues with The Elite for several months, and it all led to a huge Falls Count Anywhere six-man clash. It was chaotic, featured lots of big spots, and it saw Perry get the win.
9 Worst: Not Winning A Match Until 2020
Jurassic Express were instantly a popular act when they debuted in AEW, with the fans going crazy whenever they were in the ring. Even with the crowds on their side, it seemed as though Tony Khan had no immediate plans for the group.
For Perry, he didn’t win a match in AEW until January of 2020, with him going months and months without seeing his hand raised. Thankfully, this didn’t affect him in the long-term, but he could have at least got a victory here and there to build some steam.
8 Best: Getting “Tarzan Boy” Music
The entrance music for Jurassic Express played very much into their gimmick, but getting “Tarzan Boy” as a theme song was a great choice.
The throwback hit allowed fans to sing along with it, in addition to waving their hands. Entrance music can do wonders for a character, and this ensured that Perry got even more over with the fans, with it allowing a level of interaction with the audience.
7 Worst: Terrible Match Vs Bear Country
Jack Perry doesn’t often have bad matches, but perhaps his worst came in a tag team bout against Bear Country, in a match which was sponsored to hype up the King Kong vs Godzilla movie.
The teams just didn’t click, and it featured several awkward moments and botches. It was a poor showing from all involved, and it certainly didn’t do its job in getting people excited for the film.
6 Best: Surviving Against Chris Jericho
Early in Chris Jericho’s AEW World Title run, he worked with a few of the younger names on the roster to help try and establish them. One of those was Perry, who found himself in a mini-feud with Jericho.
They had a match under the stipulation that Perry would draw if he could survive 10 minutes with the champion. This did a decent job of introducing him to fans properly, and it allowed him to share the ring with the number one name in the company.
5 Worst: Getting Tricked By Luchasaurus
After Christian Cage’s heel turn, it looked as though their feud would propel Jack Perry to the next level. In an unexpected move, it appeared as though Luchasaurus had aligned with Cage in Perry’s absence.
When the babyface returned, Luchasaurus never touched him, with it appearing as though they were on the same page. However, this was all seemingly a double bluff and a ruse, as Luchasaurus then turned on Perry. The booking was a little illogical, and there has still not really been any sort of solid explanation as to why Luchasaurus decided to start hating Perry.
4 Best: Winning Casino Battle Royale
As mentioned, Perry isn’t someone who picked up a lot of big wins early on, but that perhaps made it even more impactful when he emerged victorious at the Double or Nothing PPV in 2021, winning the Casino Battle Royale over the favorite, Christian Cage.
The crowd went nuts for him winning, and it saw him earn a shot at the AEW World Championship.
3 Worst: Squashed By Christian Cage
The rivalry between Jack Perry and Christian Cage started off quite hot, though it did cool as they neared their PPV clash at All Out.
Prior to the show, Cage picked up an injury which kept him out of action, but he still appeared for the match. Luchasaurus laid out Perry, and Cage hit his finisher and pinned his opponent in 24 seconds. Sure, Perry was protected in a way, but the entire thing could’ve been damaging, and it needlessly gave Cage a win that he didn’t need.
2 Best: Winning AEW World Tag Titles
Jurassic Express had been a team from essentially day one of AEW, with fans watching their climb over several years. They had feuded against the likes of MJF & Wardlow, The Inner Circle, FTR, and more as they steadily picked up wins and earned their way to title contention.
In the first episode of Dynamite in 2022, they defeated the Lucha Brothers to become the new AEW World Tag Team Champions in a huge moment. It was great to see the pair get their rewards for being such a pivotal part of the division.
1 Best: Defeating Luchasaurus
The feud between Jack Perry and Luchasaurus may have had some poor storytelling at times, but their big blow-off match at the Full Gear PPV in 2022 was great. The pair battled in a violent and physical Steel Cage match, opening the show in a great way.
Perry was bloodied and worked from underneath, but he managed to pull off the victory in what may be his biggest win as a singles star to date in AEW, with it making him finally look like someone who can stand on his own two feet.