AJ Styles thinks his son out-debuted him.
Speaking on his own P1 Podcast, the retired WWE Hall of Famer broke down the pro wrestling debut of his second-oldest son, Avery, who beat Ashton Martin on Friday, June 26 at Squared Circle Action’s Freedom Fling in Royston, Georgia. AJ was in his corner for the match, his first time at ringside since losing his retirement match to Gunther at the 2026 Royal Rumble.
Styles said the bout was strong enough to be bumped up the card. “It was a big day. Avery, my second oldest, had his first match, his debut match. And it got to be so big that it went from being semi-main event to the main event of the show,” he said. “And I don’t think they disappointed anyone whatsoever. Ashton Martin, Avery Styles, it was a main event.”
He had high praise for both young wrestlers, noting that Martin is roughly a year into his career while Friday was Avery’s first match. “Listen, I’ve never been so impressed with two young guys,” Styles said. “There’s a lot of things that we do with all this energy when we have that young energy that we use it in the wrong way. They used it really, really well. They didn’t rush through anything. They took their time on things they should have.”
Styles then drew the comparison to his own first match, and it was not flattering to himself. “If you would have seen my first match, terrible. Terrible. But these guys did really, really well,” he said. “He’s better than me as far as his debut. For him to pull off a springboard off the guardrail, little things like that, the timing, beautiful.”
The praise lines up with the footage that circulated from the show, which saw Avery slide under the guardrail and launch into a Phenomenal Forearm, a nod to his father’s signature spot. AJ also helped set up a Styles Clash for the finish before counting the pin himself.
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, and his debut already has fans speculating about whether it inches the family closer to a one-time father-and-son tag team match, a door Styles has kept open in his comments about whether he will ever wrestle again. You can read more on how AJ Styles helped his son win his pro wrestling debut here.