Lexis King has jumped into the fight over Avery Styles, and the son of Brian Pillman says Arik Cannon is blaming the wrong person for how AJ Styles’ son was treated on the independent wrestling scene.
King responded after Cannon and AJ Styles got into a heated exchange over Avery allegedly avoiding setup work at a GCW show in Minneapolis. Cannon claimed Avery was asked twice by a veteran and promoter to help with chairs but instead stayed in the locker room until the work was finished. AJ fired back that his son was booked to wrestle and argued that any veteran with an issue should have spoken to him privately instead of blasting him online.
King has now weighed in because he believes he understands Avery’s situation better than most. As Brian Pillman’s son, King recalled entering independent wrestling with a famous last name and said promoters immediately treated him differently from other inexperienced wrestlers.
“As someone who has walked in this kid’s very shoes, being the son of a legendary high flyer and taking to the indies for the first time, all I can say is that it is a different path than most. I was 5 matches in and promoters would fly me in, tell me to hang out at the hotel until call time and when I’d get there the ring would already be set up.”
King argued that Avery shouldn’t necessarily be blamed if promoters have been giving him preferential treatment because of who his father is. He also pointed to the pressure that comes with trying to establish your own career while constantly being compared to a famous parent.
“To put it plainly, people treat you differently when you are one of us and it’s not his fault. There’s a different type of baggage this boy carries, an expectation to live up to his father’s greatness that most will never understand.”
King then admitted that he didn’t set up or tear down a ring himself until joining WWE NXT. He credited NXT with humbling him and teaching him about work that he hadn’t been expected to do while coming through the independents.
“I hadn’t set up or tore down a single ring until I got to NXT but yet I’m so glad I started because it taught me a lot about the work that goes into making the magic that is pro wrestling. I was treated like royalty by everyone in the business until I walked into NXT and the leadership here humbled me and treated me like everyone else.”
That experience is why King believes the responsibility falls on veteran wrestlers and promoters to teach Avery what is expected instead of publicly embarrassing him. He took direct aim at Cannon for bringing the situation to social media rather than handling it face-to-face.
“It’s up to the leadership on the indies to show him the way. He’s putting his body on the line and drawing extra eyes for your show at a young age and you wanna blast him on the internet instead of talking to him in person.”
King saved his biggest shot for the end, arguing that Cannon’s criticism isn’t going to help sell tickets while having AJ Styles’ son on an independent wrestling card actually could.
“Well guess what Arik? Your tweet didn’t sell any more tickets for the next show but I bet Avery Styles being on the card will… Because it’s his BIRTHRIGHT.”
King’s response adds another perspective to an argument that started over whether Avery should have helped with setup work. Cannon believes young wrestlers need to earn the respect of their peers regardless of their family name, while AJ and now King believe veteran wrestlers should address those expectations directly instead of calling out a young talent on social media.
King also isn’t pretending famous wrestling families are treated exactly like everyone else. He openly admitted that being Brian Pillman’s son gave him privileges on the independents that other newcomers didn’t receive, and he believes Avery is now walking a very similar path as AJ Styles’ son.
What do you think about Lexis King defending Avery Styles and firing back at Arik Cannon? Do you agree that veterans should teach second-generation wrestlers what is expected instead of putting them on blast online? Leave your feedback in the comments.
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