The online debate continues about the alleged favored treatment AJ Styles’ son Avery received at a recent independent wrestling event with none other than Cody Rhodes weighing in.
According to Rhodes, Avery has already in effect paid his dues through his father’s hard work and “holding down the fort” while the elder Styles wrestled on the road.
So, in a metaphorical sense, Avery has “already set up the fn’ chairs,” per Cody.
What drew Rhodes into the story is the fact that the person who started the feud
with AJ referenced Cody helping out after working an indie event.
For those not following the social media beef, it kicked off when indie wrestler Arik Cannon responded to a story about Natalya praising 19-year-old Avery’s wrestling ability during a recent match at a GCW event.
“As someone who watched this kid skirt away from helping with a single thing at this very show…I’d just like to say: L O F’ING L !” Cannon wrote about Avery in a message posted on X (Twitter).
AJ took exception to the remark and responded: “He was paid to wrestle at GCW, not help you put up and take down the ring. That sounds like your job. You just sound like a jealous douche.”
Arik then replied by writing that the younger Styles wasn’t “paying dues” and wouldn’t “earn the respect of his peers & stand on his own as Avery” with such decisions.
The Phenomal One fired back in another post: “You don’t ask someone to have dinner at your house and have them do the dishes. He was asked to wrestle at GCW. Although grateful for the opportunity, a vet would have talked to him professionally or at least face to face.”
The exchange between the WWE Hall of Famer and Arik resulted in a wave of messages from fans, several of whom criticized Avery for acting like a privileged “nepo baby,” while others defended the teen.
Some wrestlers also spoke up on Avery’s behalf, including TNA star Moose, “Big Trouble” Ben Bishop, and NXT’s Lexis King, who is the son of wrestling legend Brian Pillman.
Arik wasn’t about to bow out quietly, though. He went on to post images that he seemingly thought bolstered his notion of paying dues in wrestling.
One photo he shared on X showed Jimmy Hart helping put away folding chairs. Another image Cannon posted was of Rhodes sweeping a ring with a broom and a title belt around his waist at what appeared to be a small wrestling event.
Rhodes took exception to the implied message of the post and responded directly to Cannon on Tuesday (April 11).
“Arik my friend no shade intended, but my outlook…,” The American Nightmare wrote. “Avery is 19. His Father was paying dues and making sacrifices throughout that young man’s youth that some people may never understand. When you’re the family holding down the fort.
“To simplify…he already set up the fn’ chairs.”
Lexis King also followed up with another post on the matter which likewise referenced chairs.
This post featured a photo taken with a group of second-generation stars. In the pic, King is seen with Aalyah Mysterio (daughter of Rey Mysterio); Marie Malenko (daughter of Dean Malenko); Uriah Connors (son of Fit Finlay); Avery Styles; and Brooks Jensen (son of Bull Buchanan).
The photo features a simple caption: “We already setup the f’n chairs…”
Any thoughts on this ongoing debate or specifically about Cody’s take? Let us know in the comments.
