It’s been a wild 18 months for A.J. and Big Justice, also known as social media superstars “The Costco Guys.” From family TikTokers, to viral sensations, all the way to the set of The Tonight Show and the ring of All Elite Wrestling, A.J. and Big Justice have managed to do something few viral stars can: Remain interesting and relevant.
Now the father-son duo are the official brand ambassadors of Great Clips’ back-to-school campaign, and I managed to sit down with the duo to discuss what it’s been
like working in pro wrestling, whether the allure of a Costco Chicken Bake is too much for Big Justice, and get advice on the haircuts they think will be key this fall.
When it was announced that The Costco Guys would be a part of AEW it was met with a healthy degree of skepticism and trepidation. Wrestling companies having social media influencers on their shows is nothing new, and it’s often disappointing. However, little did most people know that A.J. had an extensive history in pro wrestling before joining the company, with independent matches dating back to 1999.
A wrestling career than spanned six years, A.J. worked with dozens of independent wrestlers in the northeast, and was a part of one-off matches with established former stars like Jim Neidhart, The Blue Meanie, and Simon Diamond.
“We really quieted everyone down, didn’t we?” A.J. says. “When the TikTok channel began getting a lot of attention and people started pulling up old clips of my wrestling matches — the energy was out there ‘Big Boom A.J., when are you stepping back in the ring?’ I thought it was maybe going to be some small, independent organization — then AEW called.”
A.J. and Big Justice were a key part of the AEW All-in Texas zero hour preshow, with A.J. working a match, and Big Justice making a cameo where he got in the ring and speared Trent Beretta before celebrating with his father. Die-hard wrestling fans have come to recognize that A.J. has skills, and have embraced him for it.
The secret sauce to The Costco Guys is how they approach their content. A.J. says that while most family content creators focus on the parents, he wanted his son to be front and center, having a legitimate voice in their style of content. This includes showcasing Big Justice’s baseball career, which remains his first love — even during this newfound period of notoriety in AEW.
“I love wrestling so much, it’s my second favorite” Big Justice says. “When I step onto a baseball field I feel like him [A.J.] stepping into a ring. I just get so excited to play baseball. If I don’t succeed with baseball at the college level and get to MLB, which is hard, then I’ll definitely go down the wrestling route.”
Their new deal with Great Clips puts the duo front and center of the haircut giant’s “Back-to-School” campaign, giving advice on what cuts kids (and parents) need to get before the summer ends. Big Justice had a simple answer for the kids out there: “A skin fade,” he says, “because it’s still summer time and you’re gonna be hot, but by the time school rolls around you’ll have a full head of hair.”
As for A.J., it was less of a style choice and more of an ethos he lives his haircut life by. “You got a little bit of grey around the ears? You gotta just rip that right out. Go skin. Get that right out. Keep a little bit up top. Use some hairspray, because gel is gonna weigh you down.”
One of the key differentiators when it comes to AEW is a locker room full of talent who have worked for years, some even decades, on the independent circuit for a chance to finally make it with a big promotion. It would be only natural for there to be a little animosity towards influencers coming in and getting a shot, but The Costco Guys were blown away with the reception they got in the locker room.
“As soon as we got there everyone ended up liking us!” Big Justice exclaims, with a smile from ear-to-ear. “You know who was really nice to me though? Will Ospreay. I love Will.” This didn’t necessarily catch me by surprise, as Ospreay is a delightful character — but if everyone in AEW was nice to them, did that also mean MJF? “MJF... I dunno. When we’re at the hotel he, like, hides. We never see him! He must be plotting something, I guess.”
When it comes to A.J’s experience as a wrestler it was all about proving that this mattered to him, and it wasn’t simply a perfunctory appearance.
“When we came out to Chicago for All Out there was a little bit of the ‘ehhh, are these guys just the typical TikTokers? Are these just your typical celebrities looking to increase their fanbase a little bit?’ Then when they saw we were the last to leave. And then when they saw us come out to Grand Slam, and we were the first to arrive. Then we came out to Full Gear and they watched the match, and they saw that match we put on — they said ‘okay, they’re one of us.”
Obviously The Costco Guys love wrestling, or they wouldn’t keep appearing and putting in the work for AEW. However, imagine a world where Big Justice gets to choose between putting AEW gold around his waist, and his other love: The Chicken Bake.
“That’s a tough one,” “Big Justice says, stroking his chin deep in thought. “Chicken bakes are $3 each,” A.J. pipes in, “the world champ makes a lot of money.” After the briefest of pauses Big Justice made his decision “CHICKEN BAKES!”
A.J. and Big Justice aka The Costco Guys are making content for Great Clips, and are still part of AEW with their next match yet to be revealed.
