Anna Marie Jernigan (born July 15, 1998), better known by her ring name Anna Jay, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling, where she is a member of The Dark Order stable, led by Brodie Lee, formerly known as Luke Harper in WWE. Let’s take a look at these 8 interesting career and personal facts about the 23-year-old AEW bombshell.
Anna Jay: 8 Unknown Facts About The Dark Order Recruit!
1. Anna Jay began her Independent circuit training in 2018:
Anna Marie Jernigan started training at One Fall Power Factory in July 2018 before she was famous as Anna Jay. In April 2019 while training, she suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and was out of action for 4-6 months. On September 14, 2019, Jay made her Professional wrestling career debut at the Glacier charity event “The Battle of Altama”. In January 2020, Jay defeated Thunder Blonde in a hair-on-hair match at a Georgia Premier Wrestling event.
A quote about Anna’s transition from the independent wrestling to the lights of WWE’s television:
“I would say the biggest difference was when we started shooting in Jacksonville and there was no audience. I mean honestly, it reminded me of when I was training, so it was almost easier for me to start that way , because I wasn’t used to having a big crowd or the audience reacting. So when I started, and there was no audience, there were just the fighters, it was almost like training, so I think I actually felt more comfortable”, she said.
“Now, the transition from no audience in the pandemic to sold-out stadiums, it’s been crazy! It’s so much better, it’s so great to see you all. It’s so great to hear from everyone. And it definitely makes what we’re doing that much more enjoyable. It was a great transition,” Anna continued.
2. Anna Jay has been with All Elite Wrestling since 2020:
Jay made her first appearance in All Elite Wrestling on April 1, 2020, losing to Hikaru Shida in the singles competition at Dynamite. The American pro-wrestler was announced as having signed with the company within the same month.
After a loss to Abandon on the June 17 episode of Dynamite, she was helped behind the scenes by The Dark Order. The now 23-year-old was officially introduced as a member of The Dark Order stable on the August 27 episode of Dynamite. On the November 25 episode of Dynamite, the future The Dark Order stable member challenged Shida for the AEW Women’s World Championship in a losing effort.
3. Teaming up with Tay Conti has many benefits:
Anna Jay teamed up with Tay Conti in the AEW Women’s Doubles Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw. They advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Nyla Rose and Ariane Andrew, but lost to Ivelisse and Diamante during the semifinals. Taynara Conti recently debuted in All Elite Wrestling, after spending a season without much success in the WWE yellow brand. The fighter of Brazilian origin arrived at AEW and has already stomped along with Anna Jay, a beautiful 23-year-old American, who has amazed everyone in Tony Khan’s company.
On December 30th, she and Conti defeated Britt Baker and Penelope Ford in the special episode of Dynamite and tribute to late Dark Order leader Brodie Lee, nicknamed the Brodie Lee Celebration of Life. Anna Jay competed in the TBS Women’s Championship Tournament, where she lost to Jamie Hayter in the first round in November. After months of fighting, Jay and Conti’s team defeated Ford and The Bunny’s team in a December 31 street brawl at Rampage. The female pro-wrestler then challenged Jade Cargill for the AEW TBS Championship in the main event of the January 21, 2022 edition of Rampage, where Anna Jay lost in a losing effort.
4. Injuries:
In February 2021, Jay was set to compete in the AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament, but was withdrawn after sustaining a shoulder injury during training. She underwent surgery the following month, and was expected not to struggle for 6 to 12 months.
The September 1 episode of Dynamite was spectacular as Jay returned from injury, saving Conti from an attack by Ford and The Bunny after Conti defeated Ford in a match.
5. Boyfriend or husband:
On June 28, 2021, Jay revealed on social media that she is currently in a relationship with AEW wrestler Jungle Boy. AEW stars Anna Jay and Jungle Boy hadn’t yet publicly disclosed their relationship. As can be seen on the fighter’s Instagram account, the couple appears happily kissing in a parking lot. But neither Jay nor Jungle have commented on the matter. It was speculated about the two due to comments made on social networks, but this is the first confirmation that they are together. Speaking of Jungle Boy, he challenged Kenny Omega for his AEW world title.
Their relationship was finally confirmed when Jungle Boy the young AEW fighter confirmed on social networks his courtship with the fighter from the same company. This was in the year 2021 and we don’t know more details about when and how their love affair began, but for now, the boy from the jungle confirmed their relationship by uploading the first photo of the two together.
6. Anna Jay wants the Women’s Tag Team Championship to be introduced in AEW:
Anna Jay calls for the creation of a new women’s title in AEW stating that the AEW women’s division needs to grow.
Despite having the World Championship and TBS, the women of the company need more to stand out, fighter Anna Jay proposes a solution so that everyone can get more opportunities. During an interview recently granted to the Women’s Wrestling Talk medium, the fighter was asked about the possibility that AEW could create a new championship for the women’s division and had no doubts about asking for a Women’s Tag Team Championship.
“Definitely yes, although we do not think it can be in the short term. It was great to bring the secondary championship, so now if I had to guess which title could make it to the women’s division it would be the tag team. Hopefully, that’s next”, she stated.
“I do not know when. I think we need to keep building and do what we’re doing before that happens. But I definitely think it should happen in the near future. Sometime”.
7. Joining the Dark Order:
In the episode of Dynamite on August 27, Anna Jay officially joined the Dark Order by decision of Brodie Lee and in the following weeks she often accompanied the members of the group in their matches. So how did she join the Dark Order? Let’s find out.
Anna Jay once commented that she knew it was all meant to be: “When I debuted with the Dark Order, when I was with Cody (Rhodes) and Brodie (Lee), and I strangled Brandi. That was the moment for me that really sealed the deal. I mean, I found my place at that moment. Being with those great wrestling stars and being given that moment meant a lot to me. I’ll literally never forget it, and I definitely think it’s still my favorite now.”
8. Anna Jay’s first fight in AEW was only her seventh:
Anna Jay arrived at AEW and was quickly hired and the Georgia native eventually gained more experience and became a member of the stable: Dark Order. Anna Jay needed that experience because she was very green when she made her AEW debut.
During AEW Unrestricted, Anna Jay revealed that her first fight in AEW was actually her seventh in her career. She was making a big impression on a massive stage before she even realized her career was taking off. The fact that the now 23-year-old was nominated for Rookie of the Year by PWI was also a life-changing moment for the female wrestler.
Aubrey Edwards – “Today we have an Anna Jay and of course I want to start off by congratulating you on being nominated for the 2020 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year.”
Anna Jay – “Thank you so much, I was surprised. I was like, what? But yes, thank you. It’s exciting”.
Aubrey Edwards – “This is super super awesome. So you made your Dynamite debut when we had the crazy Georgia shows where it was like an all day fight with Shida. Which, if I remember correctly, was like his seventh fight ever.”
Anna Jay – “Yes, it was… and it was my second fight with AEW. I actually had the fight in the Dark with Penelope before that. Umm, but yeah, it was the seventh fight in my professional wrestling career.”
Other Frequently Asked Questions:
Who is Dark Order leader Brodie Lee?
Jonathan Huber, better known as Brodie Lee, a WWE and AEW fighter, died in 2020 due to a lung problem unrelated to Covid-19.
Jonathan Huber, better known during his role in WWE as “Luke Harper”, had left WWE due to a lack of opportunities, so his employment relationship belonged to AEW. Both companies gave the last goodbye to the renowned fighter.
Independent circuit and joining the WWE as Luke Harper:
Brodie Lee made his professional debut in 2003 and spent many years on the independent scene working for companies like CHIKARA, ROH, Dragon Gate USA, among others. In 2012 he was renamed Luke Harper after he signed a contract with WWE.
During his stay in NXT, he joined The Wyatt Family alongside Erick Rowan and Bray Wyatt, managing to win the Black and Gold Tag Couple Championships and rising to the main roster together, incorporating Braum Strowman into the family. After winning the Intercontinental Championship and winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships two times, Lee was released from his contract in December 2019 and returned to the independent scene.
Huber belonged to The Wyatt Family faction. In the company he was once WWE Intercontinental Champion, twice SmackDown Tag Team Champion along with Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Erick Rowan, as well as once NXT Tag Team Champion.
In AEW he competed under the name Brodie Lee:
At the beginning of this troubled 2020, in March 2020, he appeared on AEW Dynamite as ‘ The Exalted One’ Brodie Lee, the leader of the Dark Order. He was the second member of AEW to become TNT champion, having a reign of 55 days. His last fight was when he lost the championship to Cody Rhodes on October 7.
In this place, according to the local media, his greatest achievement was having been a TNT Champion once.
“We had the privilege at AEW to call Jon Huber a brother, a friend and one of our own,” can be read in a fragment of the statement issued by this fighting company. Immediately the networks were paralyzed with this news and the name of Luke Harper became a trend.
Harper leaves a great void in the world of wrestling, however, the impact of this irreparable loss does not compare to what his family suffers, because in addition to his wife, his children Brodie and Nolan will miss him.
Who is Anna Jay’s boyfriend Jungle Boy?
Los Angeles native Jack Perry, better known by the ring name Jungle Boy is an American wrestler born on June 16, 1997. He is the son of a celebrity: actor Luke Perry. Jungle Boy is also the grandson of writer Alan Sharp. Since childhood, he was a fan of wrestling, so much so that he attended the 2009 edition of SummerSlam live with his father.
He is under contract with All Elite Wrestling and is the current holder of the AWW World Tag Team Championship with Luchasaurus.
Jack Perry’s beginnings started with his career on the independent circuit in 2016 with the ring name Nate Coy. On November 20, he won the West Coast Cruiser Cup. On August 17, 2018, Coy won the All Pro Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Championship, his first professional wrestling title. He later lost it to Jake Atlas during the Bay Area Bash event on June 15, 2019. In February 2019, Jungle Boy formed a tag team with colleague Luchasaurus, under the name “A Boy and His Dinosaur”. In May 2019, Perry wrestled and defeated actor David Arquette in a Bar Wrestling event, in a tribute match to Perry’s late father.
Anna Jay’s boyfriend joined her in All Elite Wrestling, as Jungle Boy as Perry signed with the group in January 2019. He made his AEW debut at the Double or Nothing company’s inaugural event on May 25, taking part in the pre-show in the Casino Battle Royale, but was knocked out by Jimmy Havoc.
The following month at Fyter Fest, Jungle Boy battled Jimmy Havoc, Adam Page, and MJF in a four-way match, which was won by Page. At Fight for the Fallen on July 13, Jungle Boy fought alongside Luchasaurus against Angélico and Jack Evans and The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) in a three-way tag team match, which saw the Dark Order triumph. Shortly after, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus teamed up with Marko Stunt, creating a new stable called “Jurassic Express”. On August 31 at All Out, the Jurassic Express was defeated by SoCal Uncensored in a six-man tag team match. In October, Jungle Boy and Stunt entered a tournament to determine the first AEW World Tag Team holders but were eliminated by the Lucha Brothers.
Jungle Boy took part in the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale, in the November 20 episode of AEW Dynamite, but failed to win. In the December 4 episode, Jungle Boy was challenged by AEW World Champion Chris Jericho to last 10 minutes in the ring against him, in the December 18 episode of Dynamite he won the challenge. In the February 19 episode of Dynamite, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus participated in a team battle royal to determine the challengers at the AEW World Tag Team Championship, which was won by the Young Bucks.
Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus beat the Lucha Brothers and won the AEW World Tag Team Championship in the episode of Dynamite on January 5, 2022.