AEW Star Spotlight #2 – Jungle Boy Jack Perry

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Next up in my series of star spotlights is ‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry. Billed as one of the four pillars, Jungle Boy is a former tag team champion and has been a stalwart in AEW. He’s always had a constant presence on TV, and has been shown a lot of faith by the upper management with frequent appearances on PPVs. He’s still a young star, yet because of this exposure he can feel like one of the more experienced members of the AEW roster, so why is he regarded so highly, and what does the future hold in store for him?

I believe that Jungle Boy really shows the attitude that AEW has in developing their young talent. He’s been given a lot of chances to prove himself, and has repaid that faith by showing determination and a willingness to learn. He carries himself well and has garnered a lot of affection from the crowd. The upbeat entrance music inspires people to sway their arms and Jungle Boy approaches the ring riding a swell of positive emotion. It’s pure babyface adulation, backed up by strong work inside the ring. Jungle Boy shows different facets of his technique every time he steps into the ring. His athleticism is matched by his technique, and his move set is one that does match his gimmick, blending the skill of twisting and jumping through trees along with the brawling power that would be needed to defend against stronger enemies. The Snare Trap is a protected finisher that I can see him using for the rest of his career as it doesn’t strain on his body, and looks punishing on the opponent.

With Luchasaurus there was a good rhythm to the matches, and this carried Jurassic Express to the summit of the tag team division. Of course we know how that worked out, with Christian turning on Jungle Boy, a feud that reached its conclusion at Revolution 2023. While I enjoyed Jurassic Express, I do think it was necessary for Jungle Boy to move on to the next phase of his career. The personal feuds with his former allies gave him strong emotions to work with and added an edge of betrayal to the matches, and it helped Jungle Boy get used to putting on these important matches that cap off feuds. I believe it’s a skill that will serve him well, as I’m sure he will main event many PPVs in the future.

I also like how Jungle Boy has been built up in his matches as someone who can take a hell of a lot of punishment. Toughness is imbued in his character, and this is a quality he can take with him as the character evolves, something I think we are in the middle of seeing now.

While the Jungle Boy gimmick is fine, Jack Perry has been straying from it since the split of Jurassic Express. He’s blurred reality and kayfabe by allowing his deceased father to be brought into the feud, and of course his mother and sister have been a frequent presence at ringside. I’m a big fan of wrestlers who bring every element of their gimmick together, but there’s a clear split between Jungle Boy and Jack Perry, one that I think will lead to him dropping the moniker sooner rather than later, along with the music. He has already started wearing different attire, appearing in jeans, dark t shirts, and leather jackets. AEW does tend to play around with their costume choices and uses colours to foreshadow certain things, such as with Adam Cole and Britt Baker incorporating pink into their designs during the Owen Hart finals last year. Just recently we saw Ruby Soho having a green streak in her hair just before she joined the Outcasts, so there’s precedent to look to the attire of the wrestlers to glean any clues as to the evolution of their character.

But what can this attire tell us about Jack Perry?

Well, I believe he might be heading for a heel turn. This might seem counter intuitive because Jungle Boy is a face who has been constantly over and doesn’t show any sign of having the crowd turn on him, but I think it could help with elements of his character. First of all, it would make it easier to shed the Jungle Boy gimmick, and is an easy way for him to gain heat. Secondly, I think it would give him the opportunity to flesh out his character, as well as developing his promo ability.

Even by his own admission promos have been the weakest aspect of his time in AEW, but he has improved leaps and bounds since he was partnered with Christian, and I think he has come into his own. That’s not to say there isn’t still room for improvement though. At the moment he is good at delivering fiery promos from the heart, but there are still some moments when he can come across as stilted, like he’s trying to make sure he says all the right words and so the emotional flow suffers. He could learn from someone like Ricky Starks, who changes his cadence and lowers his voice to a hush to draw people in, but I think this will come in time. As someone who hates public speaking, I fully admire Jack Perry for taking these strides to face his anxiety and take the challenge head on. One of the things I love about having these young wrestlers at the forefront of AEW is looking at their evolution. It means that we, as fans, get to go on the journey with them, and it’s wonderful when we get to see them reach their potential.

Jungle Boy is, of course, being thrust into the main event scene at the moment along with the other pillars Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and MJF. He’s made it clear that he wants a singles title this year, but I think the hunt for that championship is going to be more important this year than him actually winning one. I could see him getting frustrated with some near misses, and start to question his path in AEW. He has already learnt a lot from Christian, including being ruthless. But how far will he take that ruthlessness? I could see him getting an edge to his character, even playing into a story beat of Christian having the last laugh. I even think that he and Sammy Guevara could make an interesting heel tag team if they wanted Jack Perry to join forces with someone else again.

But I also like the aspect of his character that has been betrayed by his allies so now has trust issues. I enjoyed the brief partnership with Hook, and I hope we see more of this from Jack Perry; where he wants to trust again, but can’t bring himself to take that final step of fully allying himself with someone. He could also play into his Hollywood roots as well, acting like a nepotism baby and gaining heat this way.

Of course, a heel turn isn’t always necessary for character development, but it was in my mind because of the dark clothes he’s been wearing, and the lingering influence of Christian. If he stayed babyface then I could still see a shift in his character, and he could even lean into his Hollywood roots this way as well; saying that he could have gone into acting, but he chose wrestling over Hollywood (and this could even be a further aspect to his feud with MJF, who has referenced leaving for Hollywood before).

But either way I think Jungle Boy Jack Perry has a huge year ahead of him and I’m looking forward to seeing where he sits at the end of the year. He’s shown exciting growth as a character and performer, but I don’t think we’ve scaled the heights of his potential yet.

A Fundamental Flaw with Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Image credit: Nintendo

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a turn based, tactical strategy game with RPG elements that was released on the Nintendo Switch in 2019. This is not going to be a review of the game. I shall keep it as spoiler free as possible as I share a complaint that has completely eradicated my excitement for the game during my second playthrough.

The game’s protagonist is Byleth, who is quickly appointed a professor in the monastery. At the beginning of the game you get to decide which house you will lead; the Black Eagles, Blue Lions, or Golden Deer. Each house comes with a unique cast of characters you can interact with, teach, and utilize in battle. Through the RPG portions of the game, which have you running around the monastery, you can build support with characters outside of your own house to recruit them as well. The storyline is split between these houses, meaning that you won’t get the full picture unless you play as each house in three separate playthroughs. As well as this, each character has their own personal background that you can discover through conversations with them, and at the end of the game you receive an epilogue to tie a neat ribbon around the narrative.

I adored my first playthrough of the game. I chose the Golden Deer and spent just over 70 hours. I spoke to everyone in the monastery, carefully planned out my lessons, honed the class progression of my students, went fishing, entered tournaments, invited people to tea and dinner, and fulfilled all of the quests within the monastery. No stone was unturned by the time I had finished, and I was enthused to play through it again as another house.

I waited for a while (hence why I’m writing this post now rather than closer to the game’s release) as I wanted some elements of the game to be fresh again. Now, I’m not usually the type of person to play through a game more than once, especially not one that demands so much time. On my second playthrough I wanted to try New Game+, and I wanted to play for mainly the story of the other houses, not so much the day to day activities in the monastery.

You see, most of these can be monotonous. The conversations are middling (this will be important later) and the quests are mostly find this item and take it to this person, meaning it can get repetitive. I thought since there’s not going to be much variability in this section of the game I should focus on the monthly missions to progress through the story as much as possible. That’s not to say I didn’t spend any time in the monastery at all, I did still build support with my students, but I wanted to get the playtime down from 70 hours. I never skipped the prompted conversations that arise (there will be a message saying ‘X wants to speak with you, is now a good time?) and you can choose to play through the conversation or not. There is also an option in the menu to view support conversations, which happen regularly as the game progresses and relationships between the characters within your house build up.

Now, before I continue with my main gripe I do have a minor one from my first playthrough. I played on the ‘Classic’ setting, meaning that if a unit falls in battle they die permanently. I thought I would try this out as I assumed that this mechanic would lead to some good story developments. Many of the characters are well drawn and interesting, so how would it affect my students if one of them died in battle?

Well, the truth is nothing happens. In fact it’s as though they never existed at all. I lost one student (I don’t play on a hard difficulty, and there are ways within the game to undo deaths) and I let this death play out because I assumed there would be a funeral scene, or some melancholy conversations where the other students can pay tribute to their fallen peer. Instead it was as though they were plucked from the world with little ado, erased from every memory aside from my own. This was unsatisfying, but it was only one blot on an otherwise incredible game, and was simple enough to avoid; I played on ‘Casual’ mode in this playthrough (meaning that if a unit falls in battle they merely retreat and are not removed from the game).

So onto this second playthrough then. I chose the Black Eagles (and some of you reading may guess at what’s coming up). I managed to avoid the more monotonous parts of the game and made quite good progress. Around 15-20 hours in a choice arose that was the main reason for me choosing this house. Basically, you get to either side with your house leader or turn your back on them (I’ll leave the particular details of why this choice occurs out in case anyone reading this has still yet to play the game). I was all ready to make the choice (siding with her, if you’re wondering) only to find that it was robbed from me.

I knew that there were some requirements to get to this choice (like having a certain support level) but these were easy enough to achieve without paying too much attention to them. I didn’t want to look up too many details in case the storyline was spoiled for me. But after missing it I had to figure out what I went wrong and apparently in the month leading up to this choice you have to speak to your leader in the monastery.

Fine, you might say that I should be speaking to them every month anyway, but as I mentioned before the conversations within the monastery are mostly brief and don’t add as much insight as the ones that are prompted. It was not hinted that I needed to speak to her, nor was it labelled as a quest or signposted. There was nothing to suggest that it was important to speak to her on this particular month. I don’t know why they would hide this path behind this optional action and not give any sign or any way to return to that point after the fact. They already have the function to prompt conversations during the month, which I always did. Why was this not one of them? At least then if I skipped it I would understand that I had made the choice to ignore something the game was trying to tell me was important. All the conversations the game told me I should pay attention to I did. All the quests that were integral I did. This one conversation that opens up an entire storyline that is the only reason I chose this house for this playthrough is hidden behind an optional action that is never displayed as being important.

That, to me, is a completely baffling decision and I just can’t wrap my head around it.

When I realized this the wind was knocked out of my sails. The only way to get back to this point is to replay the first 15-20 hours, meaning that if I want to get to the end of the playthrough it’s going to be getting close to the 70 hours that I wanted to avoid in the first place. It’s a baffling design decision that has completely drained me of all enthusiasm not only in this playthrough, but also to play through the final house. If there’s a decision in the game to be made then let me make it, or let me choose to ignore it. Don’t hide it from me, especially when getting back to that point is going to take a huge chunk of time. I’m not going to be inclined to make that journey again, and at this point I’m just thinking of giving up on Three Houses entirely.

Burying this choice has buried my feelings for the game. Maybe I’ll give it another couple of years before I play it again and try again, but I’m not sure I’ll ever forget this frustrated feeling.

Have you played Fire Emblem: Three Houses? If so, have you completed all playthroughs? Did you manage to find the Crimson Flower path, or did it elude you as well?

AEW Star Spotlight #1 – Jamie Hayter

Image Credit: AEW

I’m beginning a series where I look at some of my favourite AEW wrestlers and talk a little bit about why I like them, what I think their shortcomings are (if any) and where I’d like to see their stories go. Since I come from the same town as the current AEW Women’s Champion, Jamie Hayter, I thought she would be a natural place to start.

I began watching AEW in late 2021 and it’s been a joy to watch the ascension of Jamie Hayter to the position of champion. She’s been getting better and better as time has gone on, and is now arguably the most over champion in AEW, especially now that The Acclaimed are no longer tag champions. Hayter has nailed practically everything in her presentation. Her theme has a high-octane rhythm to rally the crowd into a frenzy, and it’s an apt precursor to such an impressive performer appearing on the ramp. Her attire again adds to the majesty of her entrance, the jacket reminiscent of a warrior’s cloak they skinned from large beast. The championship belt is just the added extra that fits perfectly; she certainly makes a believable champion.

This extends to her in-ring work as well. Her power is undeniable. I never get the sense that she is holding back with her strikes, and her opponents do a good job of selling the crunching moves, especially the devastating ripcord lariat, which comes across as having the impact of a gunshot. But although Hayter is a dominant champion, she does not steamroll her opponents and sells well, making herself all the more impressive when she eventually overcomes them as well as giving a bit of shine to whoever is in the ring with her. Another aspect she excels at is her involvement of the crowd, and it’s no wonder she grew as popular as she has when her expressions and taunts help the audience to connect with her. Her moveset really fits in with her character and I can’t think of anything she does that looks clumsy or awkward. She seems like a wrestler who knows what she’s good at, and excels at it.

So where do I think she could improve?

Well, there’s one aspect that I think hasn’t been explored as much as it could have, but I don’t think Hayter is to blame, and this is her promos. While she was merely Britt Baker’s sidekick she had a few opportunities to speak, but it was mostly to parrot whatever Britt was saying. Over time she’s been given more opportunities to express herself on the mic and in promos, but I still think more could be done. At the moment she’s been given a few brief moments where she ends with the tagline ‘Hayter Hits Hard,’ but I would love to see her in the ring addressing the fans. When she has had a chance to speak I think she has been great. I enjoyed the insight into the former friendship and rivalry during the feud with Toni Storm. Hearing how they lived together during lockdown added an extra edge to the match, and I was more inclined to be emotionally involved.

Now, I’m hoping that this is going to be rectified soon because the story of the AEW Originals and the Outcasts seems to be heating up. I would love for there to be added personal tension among the wrestlers involved. We know that Hayter and Storm have history, and I’d love for Hayter to juxtapose why she remained friends with Britt Baker while she turned on Storm. Given that Saraya is from England I could also see an angle where Hayter was inspired by Saraya (I have no idea if this is true in real life or not) and has been disappointed at meeting her hero, who hasn’t lived up to what Hayter always thought she would be.

I’m glad that Britt Baker has taken a step back. It shows a lot of humility from her as it can’t have been easy to do so when she had been the focal point of the women’s division for, well, certainly as long as I had been watching. I know a lot of fans were clamouring for Hayter to turn on Baker, but I actually like them sticking together and the development it’s shown for Baker to take somewhat of a back seat. It’s a rivalry that they can return to at some point in the future, and I’m happy for them to stick together for now as they take on the Outcasts.

But the one major flaw and the thing I’d like to change the most is just to have her on TV more. I mean, she’s the women’s champion, and all the elements of her character point to her being a big deal. When she comes on TV she seems like a star. Jade Cargill has this as well, but unfortunately her ring work isn’t up to the same standard as Hayter’s. Given that Hayter always gets the fans on their seats I believe she should be on TV every single week. Orange Cassidy is super over and he wrestles every week. The Acclaimed got over and they ended up on TV every week. Why not the same with Hayter?

Now, I can possibly think of one reason, and it’s the lack of depth of the women’s roster compared to the men. I can understand them not wanting to run through all of Hayter’s opponents quickly and have her fight the same people over and over again, which is one of the main failings of the TBS title. However, given that she’s still relatively early into her reign, especially in the sense of title defences, I’m not sure this argument holds water. You’re always guaranteed a great performance when she’s in the ring. She’s a great asset, and she should be showcased far more than she is. If this is the concern then there is an obvious way around it; Saraya could use her ‘outside connections’ to bring in challengers, and since Hayter doesn’t seem the type to back down from a challenge I don’t think she would refuse the chance to prove her (and by extension AEW’s) superiority to whoever wants to try and take the belt. I do feel this would be a little repetitive to the various gauntlets AEW favours so much, especially the recent Danielson one, but it would be a good way to put Hayter front and centre and say ‘This is our Champion, watch her and take your first gulp of the Hayterade’. Having a fighting women’s champion would also be a good contrast to MJF’s reign with the men’s belt as well.

Overall I’m excited to see how this overarching storyline with the Originals vs. Outcasts unfolds as I’m sure it will lead to more Hayter on our screens, and that can only be a good thing. I hope that this is just the beginning of a long title reign because I think she has the chance to put together a seminal stretch of matches that could truly elevate the division as a whole.

So what do you think; is Hayter deserving of more TV time? Who would you like to see her wrestle in the future? Let me know in the comments and I’ll be back with another Star Spotlight soon.

Hangman and Mox Bringing Beauty to Texas Death

Warning: This post contains spoilers for AEW Revolution 2023. Image Credit: AEW

It began with a gentle strum of a guitar. Hangman Adam Page, a cowboy dressed in black and with demons in his eyes entered the arena. He was soon followed by the feral, savage Moxley, a man whose bride is violence. They had already shared concussions between them, but the rivalry had boiled over until there was only one way to bring it to an end, in a sea of bloody carnage. Jon Moxley has made violence and pain his trademark, but Hangman was there to meet him every step of the way. What followed was a display of artistry that cannot be rivalled. The ring was littered with instruments that would inspire a melody of anguished screams and wide-eyed gasps. Chairs were wrapped in barbed wire. Rings of it spiralled on tables, spiked circles that waited to tear through flesh. Soon enough bricks were brought in to cave in skulls, a chain as deadly as a venomous snake slithered along the mat, and in Mox’s hands a fork became a deadly weapon.

I cringed as the prongs were dragged across Hangman’s forehead. Rivers of blood poured out, and there were moments when it seemed as though Mox was crazy for trying to eat soup with a fork. Instead he was just crazy enough to want to carve a man’s face off. He stabbed with fury and I winced with every jab. Hangman was flung head first into barbed wire, his thick locks of hair torn from the scalp. Blood started to pour from Mox’s head as if by will, the bright lights of the arena making it shine cherry red. Tables crunched. Barbed wire became garments as the men wrapped it around their fists and their bodies, making it a part of themselves. Flesh was torn asunder as both of them descended into violence, surrendering to the glorious will of this chaotic god. The crowd chanted for more, then gasped when it was given to them. Heads bounced off the mat. Bodies were snapped in half from heavy lariats. The impact of every strike reverberated around the world, echoing in the hearts of all those in attendance and those watching at home.

And in the middle of it all these two men danced with death.

I have never sought out death matches, and although I winced at points in this one I could not turn away. Hangman and Mox turned it into an artform. There were moments when it was as graceful as any ballet, the heights as soaring as any opera. It spoke to a primal part of my brain and they showed how this gory and brutal thing could be elevated beyond the shock and awe and taboo gruesomeness. Hangman and Mox played their roles to perfection, losing themselves in their characters. Mox has always lusted after violence and more often than not leaves the ring a bloody mess after he has done his shift. Hangman has been pushing himself to newer heights, and newer depths, never shirking from a challenge. They clashed, each promising that neither of them would back down, and throughout the match I believed it.

The small details made the match special; the way Hangman staggered to his feet through nothing but instinct, a dazed look in his eyes, of Mox, who after being thrown onto a barbed wire table waited a moment for the shock to pass before he bellowed in pain, the sensation etched all over his face. There was disbelief as both men kept getting up when they should have stayed down. Maybe it would have been more sensible if they had, but their tenacity could not be doubted and as the match reached its conclusion I was utterly absorbed. And, as Hangman wrapped the chain around Mox’s throat and dangled him from the ropes I was so invested in what was happening that I actually believed I was about to watch a man die.

They both put in committed performances and the story that unfolded through the match was compelling. I’m sure that a lot of people would have been put off by the waves of blood that poured down both men, but beyond the violence lay an elegant tapestry. This was a display of two men who are experts at their craft and they put on a masterclass for all of us to enjoy.

For Mox I am intrigued to see where this is going to lead. It was a situation of tap or die, but I can’t imagine he will be happy with having lost, so who else is he going to make bleed? He seems to be walking a darker path, and I would not be surprised if his BCC buddies join him.

For Hangman he has shown how far he is willing to go, how deep he can reach into the depths of his soul, and I pity the man who gets in his way. If he can survive a death match with Jon Moxley, then he can survive anything.

I enjoyed AEW Revolution 2023 a lot, but in my opinion this death match was my match of the night. The little touches really added some nice nuance to the overt violence, and neither man held anything back. It was a relentless, absorbing contest that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from, even though there were some moments that I wanted to. I know it might be difficult for some to watch, but this match wasn’t just about violence for the sake of violence. It was about two men pushing each other to the limit and seeing who broke first, with the outcome leaving me interested in what happens next for both of them.