Jungle Boy: AEW’s ‘Little Buddy’ System Of Pairing Young Stars And Veterans Helps Us Learn And Grow
Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling is rolling with seemingly unstoppable momentum right now, and Jungle Boy remains at the forefront of the buzzworthy company.
Jungle Boy’s AEW career arguably reached new heights when he joined forces with Christian Cage. During a recent appearance on Oral Sessions with Renée Paquette, the 24-year-old described his pairing with the veteran, who just won the IMPACT World Championship on the debut episode of AEW Rampage. Looking back on this partnership, Jungle Boy described how he enjoys working with Cage because, as a wrestler, he has some of the skills and traits that Jungle Boy hasn’t quite mastered yet.
“You know, that kind of just came about kind of organically,” said Jungle Boy. “That was not really in the books, I don’t think. We were both a part of this Battle Royale at Double or Nothing, and I think that was kind of just supposed to be where it ended.
“And then we kind of just had this cool kind of connection. Now that we’ve kind of been put together, it’s really cool because he kind of has all the pieces I’m missing as a wrestler, in terms of the style that I’ve kind of tried to emulate is a lot more kind of new school, and all about crazy stuff and moves and all that, which I love, I’m all about that. But…just the way he thinks about things, it’s so different than kind of everyone in my age range or experience level, so it’s cool to be able to get that from him and kind of pair it with that I’m doing.”
Jungle Boy then looked beyond his own relationship with Cage and commended AEW for the way it has a “buddy system” where young stars are often paired with renowned veterans and, in some cases, legends. This approach, which can also be seen with Darby Allin and Sting, allows the newer names to get more established before they’re put in more high-pressure roles where they’re expected to carry the ball themselves.
“I think that’s one thing AEW has done really well with kind of some of the older guys, pairing them up with younger guys,” said Jungle Boy. “Like you have Darby and Sting, for example and I think Chris Jericho’s really taken Sammy [Guevara] under his wing, and I don’t know, it just feels cool, it’s kind of like a little buddy program.
“…We haven’t just been thrown to the wolves right away, it’s like alright, it’s you guys, we’ve been able to learn from these guys who have been around a lot longer than us, and it’s kind of a slow build, but I think it’s cool.”
Jungle Boy also described how he feels like he’s had a “slow burn” in AEW, where he’s been consistently moving up the card without, as he put it, getting thrown to the wolves too quickly. He also shared his belief that he’s become a different wrestler in the past year.
“I feel like I’ve had this slow burn, just this kind of constant moving up and nothing too crazy right off the bat,” said Jungle Boy. “Like even when I look at my stuff from a year ago, I think I’m such a different wrestler and kind of performer than I was even a year ago, so I’m glad to be able to grow slowly.”
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Jungle Boy, ironically one of AEW’s longest-tenured stars, reflected on the company’s growth in recent months and the buzz that continues to surround the promotion. He made it clear that he’s excited for the way the promotion has “exploded” during this exciting time.
“It feels kind of wild,” said Jungle Boy. “I’m glad I got in when I did because I’ve been there kind of since the beginning. You know the past year was like so strange with everything that went on. And I feel like kinda since people have been back for the last couple months, everything’s kinda just exploded and there’s all this new growth after kind of like a weird year so it just feels really cool and it feels like an exciting time to be not only a part of this, but a part of wrestling as a whole.”
The full episode is available here: