Cody Rhodes has further explained why he publicly defended AJ Styles’ 19-year-old son Avery following the controversy surrounding a GCW event in August.
Arik Cannon criticized Avery for not helping set up chairs at the event, sparking an online debate about whether the young wrestler should have been expected to “pay his dues.” AJ Styles responded at the time by pointing out that his son was there to wrestle rather than work as part of the ring crew, while Rhodes also came to Avery’s defense on social media.
The situation was revisited during the latest episode of What Do You Wanna Talk About? with Cody Rhodes, where AJ Styles described the controversy as excessive. “Probably the most ridiculous thing that was ever talked about on X,” Styles said.
Rhodes argued that the number of wrestlers who came to Avery’s defense reflected the reputation the young performer has already established within wrestling locker rooms. “You’ve set such a reputation and such a precedent that you saw with the chairs thing,” Rhodes said. “This kid, he’s getting fair treatment here. We’re gonna fight over this. That’s respect to you, and to him,” he added.
Rhodes acknowledged that he occasionally gets involved in wrestling debates on social media and felt strongly enough about this particular situation to speak up. “I like to get in there every now and then, you know. I like to get in there, but that one, I thought, this kid, we’re not doing that,” Rhodes said. “Some of us, myself included, couldn’t let it be,” he said.
Rhodes also clarified that his defense of Avery was not meant to suggest that second-generation or multi-generation wrestlers should be exempt from paying their dues. “I didn’t mean second gens and multi gens don’t need to do the things that they’re supposed to do. What I meant is there’s a level of knowledge and osmosis. And my mom, for example, even though she slapped you three times, I consider her a wrestler. She never set up a chair in her life. My sister, I consider her a wrestler. She never set up a chair in her life. She lived this. She lived by it. You went through your run with your children, like you lived by it. So a little grace is all I’m saying here, and also to really bring it down, he wasn’t there for that show. He was there for another show. He just happened to be. He’s got a target on his back, and that’s never going to go away,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes stressed that he had no regrets about defending Avery while again clarifying his position. “I don’t regret for one second getting in there because we weren’t having it, but I didn’t mean the second gens don’t have to set up the chairs,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes noted that he drove the ring truck during the early stages of his own wrestling career. Styles added that Avery will be expected to help when a wrestling ring is moved into a gym he is starting.
