AJ Styles stepped back into the ring to save his son, Avery Styles, at an Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment show. The WWE Hall of Famer ran in during a post-match attack on the 19-year-old, cleared out the attackers, and set up a Styles Clash before his target slipped free. The run-in came eight months after AJ’s retirement match.
AJ’s final bout was a Career Threatening match against Gunther at Royal Rumble on Jan. 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Gunther, the Ring General, won by technical submission, holding a sleeper until his opponent lost consciousness. The loss came ten years after AJ, the Phenomenal One, debuted in WWE as a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble match. WWE named AJ to its 2026 Hall of Fame class the following month.
AJ held the WWE Championship twice, including a 371-day reign that began in Manchester, England, in November 2017. The Phenomenal One also won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times, and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship twice. AJ spent more than a decade in TNA before his runs in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and WWE.
On The AJ Styles Show, AJ said he likely would not return for an independent show, even to wrestle alongside his sons. The Hall of Famer also said he would not mind appearing as a special guest or a manager. “If I do come back, hopefully I’m not 60 and it’s on a big show,” AJ said. “What father wouldn’t want to come back and tag with his sons?”
Avery made his pro wrestling debut in June at Squared Circle Action’s Freedom Fling in Royston, Georgia, beating Ashton Martin. AJ counted the pinfall for the win. Natalya and TJ Wilson also helped train the newcomer.
At Top Play on July 31 in Omaha, Nebraska, Avery won his Game Changer Wrestling debut against Alexander Lev. On Aug. 23, he appeared at Lockdown and announced his signing with TNA Wrestling. AJ later said on his podcast that TNA would give his son the television reps he needs.
After the GCW appearance, a dispute arose over whether Avery should have helped set up the ring. AJ defended his son, saying he was paid to wrestle and not to set up the ring. GCW owner Brett Lauderdale also backed Avery.
Frankie Kazarian announced on the Sept. 24 episode of TNA iMPACT that Avery will compete in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet at Bound for Glory. The event takes place Oct. 11 at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida. The gauntlet doubles as Avery’s TNA in-ring debut.
The gauntlet winner receives a trophy and the right to challenge for any TNA championship. Bear Bronson and Kazarian are also entered in the gauntlet. A win would put Avery in title contention in his first TNA match.
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AJ and Avery need to team up on a big stage while the timing still works. The Phenomenal One already laid out the conditions on his own podcast: a big show, a tag match, and his sons. The Atlanta run-in proved the Hall of Famer can still move. Avery already has a TNA contract, a GCW win, and a Bound for Glory spot. A father-son tag team is the payoff.
AJ is 49, not 60. The Career Threatening loss to Gunther ended a singles career, not a family story. Avery debuts in TNA at Bound for Glory, and every match after that builds toward the tag team match his father already described. Waiting too long only shrinks the window AJ talked about. The reps in TNA will have Avery ready sooner than anyone expects.
Nobody needs another drawn-out retirement tour. One night, father and son, on a stage that matters. The Atlanta save was the preview, and the tag match is the main event. The Phenomenal One set the bar at a big show, and the big show should come calling. The Styles family has earned it.
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