AJ Styles fiercely defended his son Avery after the young wrestling upstart was criticizing by another wrestler for not helping take down the ring at a recent GCW event. However, the WWE Hall of Famer’s message only led to more debate, as wrestlers and fans alike shared their thoughts.
The talk about the treatment 19-year-old Avery Styles — who made his in-ring debut earlier this summer — has had on the indie circuit began after Natalya praised him during a a recent interview with The Wrestling Classic
podcast. Wrestler Arik Cannon later responded in the comments of an X (Twitter) post from Fightful’s coverage of Nattie’s remarks.
“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.
That message caught the attention of the elder Styles, who 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.”
Of course, this resulted in more back-and-forth.
“I have all of the respect in the world for you, AJ. I understand why you’d defend your son, and it is admirable,“ Cannon wrote. ”But the fact remains…He can stay ‘AJ’s kid’, continue to skirt responsibility, & paying dues. Or he can earn the respect of his peers, & stand on his own as Avery.”
The Phenomal One came back with 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.”
Arik then claimed Avery was asked by GCW personnel twice to help put away chairs, but instead he “hid in the locker room until everything was done.”
While many fans on social media accused Avery of receiving “nepo baby” treatment due to his father being a legend in the business, other wrestlers weighed in with messages defending the younger Styles.
“Big Trouble” Ben Bishop said both AJ and Arik are right with their opinions. Bishop said that while most wrestlers starting out should help with breaking down equipment, he added that they only do so because they want a spot on the card.
“Avery Styles has a spot. He’s already booked,” Bishop said in a video posted on X. “You can hate it, you can be mad at it. You really shouldn’t hate the player, just hate the game.”
TNA star Moose directly responded to Cannon.
“Bro relax it’s an Indy show the whole pay your dues at an Indy show is dumb. Different story if it was a tv company…we’re talking about a freaking Indy show,” Moose wrote on X. “A 20 year indy vet giving advice to the kid of one of the greatest to do it in a professional level is kinda laughable.”
NXT star Lexis King also offered his perspective, which carries special significance as he’s the son of wrestling legend Brian Pillman.
“As someone who has walked in this kid’s very shoes, being the son of a legendary high flyer and taking to the indies for the first time, all I can say is that it is a different path than most,” King posted on X. “I was 5 matches in and promoters would fly me in, tell me to hang out at the hotel until call time and when I’d get there the ring would already be set up.”
He continued: “To put it plainly, people treat you differently when you are one of us and it’s not his fault. There’s a different type of baggage this boy carries, an expectation to live up to his father’s greatness that most will never understand.
“I hadn’t set up or tore down a single ring until I got to NXT but yet I’m so glad I started because it taught me a lot about the work that goes into making the magic that is pro wrestling. I was treated like royalty by everyone in the business until I walked into NXT and the leadership here humbled me and treated me like everyone else.
“It’s up to the leadership on the indies to show him the way. He’s putting his body on the line and drawing extra eyes for your show at a young age and you wanna blast him on the internet instead of talking to him in person.”
King concluded his statement with a message directed at Cannon: “Well guess what Arik? Your tweet didn’t sell any more tickets for the next show but I bet Avery Styles being on the card will…Because it’s his BIRTHRIGHT.”
What do you think, Cagesiders? Should Avery or the children of other wrestlers get preferential treatment, or should they do the menial chores like everyone else? Let us know in the comments.
