AJ Styles made sure his son’s first match ended with the family’s signature move.
Avery Styles, the 19-year-old son of the WWE Hall of Famer, made his professional wrestling debut Friday, June 26 at Squared Circle Action’s Freedom Fling event at the Royston Dome in Royston, Georgia. He faced Ashton Martin of The Program in one-on-one action, with his father in his corner.
According to fan footage circulating from the event, the finish came with a heavy assist from dad. The video shows the elder Styles taking control of Martin and setting up his own Styles Clash, then passing the opponent off to Avery, who delivered the move himself. AJ then counted the three for the pin, handing his son the win in his first match.
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It was a clear passing-of-the-torch moment, with AJ stopping short of hitting the finisher himself and instead letting his son plant the flag on the move that defined his career across TNA, NJPW, and WWE.
Avery wrestles under the name Avery Styles, though his legal surname is Jones. He is the second-oldest of AJ and wife Wendy’s four children. In May, he posted a training video of himself performing his father’s Spiral Tap finisher, an early sign he intends to work in his dad’s style.
The result is a rough one for Martin, who had talked confidently in the lead-up. The Program member posted on Instagram that he would be the man to defeat AJ Styles’ son in his debut. Instead, he reportedly absorbed the Styles Clash from the next generation on the way to a loss.
The debut carries weight beyond a typical indie first match. AJ Styles retired from in-ring competition at the 2026 Royal Rumble, losing to Gunther by submission in what was billed as his final bout. He has since remained with WWE as a talent scout and NXT mentor.
But Styles has never fully closed the door on a return, and he has been specific about what would reopen it. Speaking after the Rumble, he pointed to one scenario. “I mean, what if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once. You never know,” Styles said.
Friday’s spot, with father setting up the finish and son delivering it, is about as on-the-nose a preview of that idea as fans could ask for. If Avery develops, the prospect of a father-and-son tag team match stops being hypothetical, and the debut offered an early look at how naturally the pairing fits.