AEW gets in its way regarding storylines sometimes, and Jungle Boy's return to Wednesday Night Dynamite is the most recent example. Christian Cage's heel turn nearly one month ago was a masterstroke by the veteran, and he went from afterthought to top heel in the company in one promo. Getting Jungle Boy's tag-team partner and friend Luchasaurus to turn to the dark side was the icing on the villainous cake.
Cage's comments over the last few weeks have been scathing, to the point where they made some viewers uncomfortable with how close to Jungle Boy's bone they were cutting. Christian said gnarly things about Jungle Boy's family, and fans couldn't wait to see him return to make Cage pay. Up until Dynamite, it seemed like Cage was going to be the Final Boss in Jungly Boy's singles push, with Luchasaurus standing tall as a tough and towering Elden Ring-style sub-boss. It had all the makings of a fantastic long-term feud. It was personal. It made sense. And most importantly, the audience cared about Jungle Boy and his quest for revenge.
Cage was getting booed like the jerk that he had become, and the pop that Jungle Boy received when his music hit on Dynamite was awesome. It was all going marvelously, and the audience was hooked. Then Luchasaurus turned face, rejoined Jungle Boy with no internal struggle, and now the good guys have a two-on-one advantage over the heel. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you nuke an interesting program in less than 60 seconds.
AEW rightfully receives a lot of credit for some of its long-term storytelling, but sometimes, it feels as if things weren't in the plans six months ago, they can't be pivoted towards. There's not a lot of room for organic growth if it doesn't happen within an established storyline frame. Jungle Boy was injured and needed to take a few weeks off of television to recoup. This gave Cage time to build legitimate, real heat. It isn't how Tony Khan planned it, but it's how things shook out. What transpired in a flash on Wednesday night could have (and should have) been told over the next several weeks. Luchasaurus rejoining Jungle Boy could have been one of the best feel-good moments of the year if it had been executed with even a modicum of grace and patience.
Instead, less than a minute into Jungle Boy's return, he gets his best friend back and will get his hands on his nemesis without much resistance. Luchasaurus swiveling to stand by his diminutive tag-team partner felt good at the moment, and the live audience reacted, but it felt like empty calories as soon as the commercial break hit. AEW decided to serve its fans a Snickers when it had all the ingredients necessary to serve them a four-course, Michelin star-level meal.