Arik Cannon has spent days arguing that Avery Styles needs to pay his dues. Now GCW owner Brett Lauderdale has stepped into the mess—and he’s making it clear AJ Styles’ son didn’t get his spot because of his last name.
Lauderdale took to Twitter to defend Avery amid the increasingly ugly argument over his behavior at GCW, while making it clear he respects both Cannon and AJ Styles. His bigger issue is the standard being applied to a teenager who is barely into his wrestling career.
“I respect Arik Cannon & I respect AJ Styles. Regardless of which side of this situation you’re on… Avery Styles is a kid and he deserves the same grace that would be afforded to any other teenager being thrown in to the deep end at this early stage in his career (and LIFE).”
Lauderdale isn’t claiming Avery handled everything perfectly. In fact, he expects him to screw up. Avery has fewer than 10 matches under his belt, and Lauderdale believes mistakes are inevitable for someone learning the wrestling business that early. The difference is that Avery happens to be AJ Styles’ son, meaning every mistake comes with considerably more attention.
“Hes gonna make mistakes along the way just as all rookies in this business will, but the difference is he will be held to a higher standard because of who his dad is. From talking to Avery personally, im certain hes going to learn from them all and continue to grow on his journey.”
Then Lauderdale went directly after one of the biggest accusations surrounding Avery since this whole thing started: privilege. According to the GCW owner, Avery didn’t get booked because AJ Styles is his father. He got booked because Lauderdale believes he’s already showing an unusual amount of natural ability for someone with so little experience.
“He earned his spot on the show because I’ve never seen a wrestler with less than 10 matches under his belt show so much natural talent and ability. He was highly recommended & endorsed by people whos opinions i value. There is no privilege here. If he sucked, he wouldnt be here.”
That’s quite the response after Cannon spent days producing examples of established wrestling names doing the work he believes Avery should’ve done.
Cannon accused Avery of avoiding setup and teardown work at a GCW event in Minneapolis, claiming he was asked multiple times to help with chairs before disappearing into the locker room. AJ fired back that his son was booked to wrestle, not work ring crew, and eventually called Cannon a “jealous douche.”
Cannon then started bringing other wrestlers into his argument. First came a photo of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart helping with chairs. Then he posted Cody Rhodes sweeping broken glass from a ring during his independent run, using both as examples of why he believes nobody should be above pitching in.
Now the man who actually booked Avery on the GCW show has weighed in. Lauderdale isn’t saying Avery shouldn’t learn from whatever happened. He’s saying a teenager with fewer than 10 matches shouldn’t have every rookie mistake turned into proof that he’s a privileged wrestling kid.
As far as the accusation that Avery only got booked because he’s AJ Styles’ son goes, the GCW owner couldn’t have been much clearer. If Avery couldn’t wrestle, Lauderdale says he wouldn’t have been there.
Do you agree with Brett Lauderdale that Avery Styles deserves more grace this early in his career, or does Arik Cannon still have a point about paying dues? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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