Joey Janela Fires Back After Bryan Idol Drags Him Into AEW vs NWA Drama

Bryan Idol decided to take shots at AEW while defending the NWA’s honor—but he dragged Joey Janela into the crossfire, and Janela didn’t let it slide.

What started as Idol accusing Tony Khan of hijacking the NWA’s legacy by reviving the National Title quickly turned into a scorched-earth response from the Bad Boy himself. Idol threw jabs at several AEW originals on Twitter, writing a post that dismissed their value in a few brutal lines.

“marko stunt - small
orange cassidy - weird hands in pockets wrestler style
janela/gage - local vfw heros who were given main event glory
thats aew’s legacy. hope that clears it up”

Janela wasn’t about to sit back. He called Idol out for dragging his name into the mess despite the fact he hasn’t wrestled for AEW in years.

“Bryan we’ve been cool (I thought) for a long while, never any issues with you. I haven’t wrestled for AEW for 4 years. Idk why you’re dragging my name into this trying to trash me during your crybaby meltdown on Tony Khan..”

Janela went further, saying the NWA had actually tried to book him several times—including a main event with Matt Cardona—but he turned them down because he thinks the company’s product is outdated and irrelevant.

“But NWA has tried to book me on many different occasions, including a main event vs Matt Cardona but I declined everytime because I think it’s an extremely lame product that no one watches. Sorry I guess I didn’t want the ‘Main Event Glory’ there.”

Janela made it clear he’s happy with his career path and wasn’t going to let himself be dragged into someone else’s personal vendetta. Idol’s comments may have been aimed at AEW’s reputation, but he ended up reigniting beef with someone who left the company years ago.

Bryan Idol tried to go after Tony Khan, but Joey Janela ended up dropping the final elbow. When you come for someone who isn’t even in the room, don’t be surprised if they kick down the door anyway.

What’s your take—was Janela right to clap back, or did Idol have a point about AEW’s roots? Sound off and let us know how you see it.