GCW owner Brett Lauderdale has shut down claims that his promotion has ties to WWE after the conversation around AJ Styles’ son Avery Styles spilled into a much bigger argument about GCW’s relationship with major wrestling companies.
Lauderdale responded after a fan suggested indie wrestling fans were avoiding an “uncomfortable conversation” about GCW being compromised because of “fed ties.” Lauderdale flatly denied that there is any agreement between GCW and WWE. He then pointed out that while GCW has used some WWE talent, the promotion has actually featured more AEW wrestlers.
“GCW has no ‘fed ties.’ We have no agreement of any kind in place with WWE, and never did. We’ve used select talent on a handful of shows, but far less WWE talent have appeared on GCW shows than AEW talent. This past Thursday, GCW ran a show with 6 active AEW talent on the card.”
The comments came after AJ Styles’ son Avery Styles appeared for GCW in Minneapolis, which became the center of a heated argument between AJ and longtime wrestler Arik Cannon. The whole thing started after Natalya praised Avery and Marcus Mathers following their GCW match and spoke highly of Avery paying his dues as a young wrestler. Cannon clearly disagreed with that assessment and claimed he watched Avery avoid helping with anything at the show.
“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!”
AJ Styles saw the shot and fired back, arguing that Avery was booked to wrestle, not work setup and teardown.
“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.”
Cannon responded by saying he understood why AJ would defend his son, but stood by his belief that Avery needs to earn respect on his own instead of leaning on being AJ Styles’ kid.
“I have all of the respect in the world for you, AJ. I understand why you’d defend your son, and it is admirable. 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.”
AJ then argued that if Avery was brought in to wrestle, nobody should assume he was also there to handle extra work. He also said a veteran should have addressed the issue privately instead of taking it public.
“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.”
Cannon then added more detail, claiming a veteran and promoter asked Avery twice to help with chairs and that Avery stayed in the locker room until the work was done.
“A 20+ year vet & promoter asked him to help w/ the chairs. TWICE! Instead of helping, he hid in the locker room until everything was done. My 2 cents isn’t going to affect his future… But with all due respect, you stating he doesn’t need to help is only doing him a disservice.”
That argument is what opened the door to the larger discussion about GCW and WWE, but Lauderdale is making his position clear: Avery Styles appearing for GCW does not mean there is some formal WWE arrangement behind the scenes.
The situation has now gone from a debate over whether a young wrestler should help with chairs to a broader fight over how independent promotions work with WWE and AEW talent. Lauderdale says GCW has no WWE deal, and he is pushing back hard on anyone suggesting otherwise.
Do you believe Brett Lauderdale’s explanation that GCW has no WWE “fed ties,” or do you think Avery Styles appearing there still raises questions about the relationship? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
