GCW has moved to clarify its position following the social media controversy involving Arik Cannon, AJ Styles and Styles’ son, Avery Styles.

The situation became a major talking point across wrestling social media over the weekend after Cannon publicly questioned claims that Avery had been looking to "pay his dues" while appearing at a recent GCW event.

The issue began when Cannon responded on X to comments from Nattie concerning Avery’s involvement on the independent wrestling scene. Cannon disputed the suggestion that Avery had been eager to help behind the scenes, alleging that he had not assisted with setting up chairs at the GCW event.

Those remarks eventually caught the attention of AJ Styles, resulting in a public back-and-forth between the WWE Hall of Famer and Cannon on Saturday. Their exchange quickly attracted plenty of attention, with wrestlers and fans weighing in on what exactly "paying your dues" should mean in modern professional wrestling.

With the debate continuing, GCW has now made it clear that Cannon’s comments were his own and should not be considered representative of the promotion.

Dave Meltzer shared a statement from GCW in Monday’s Daily Update:

“Regarding the AJ Styles and Avery Styles comments, GCW has contacted us to say that while they respect and like Arik Cannon, he does not speak for GCW, he speaks for himself.”

Cannon is not employed by GCW. He is the owner of Minnesota-based F1RST Wrestling, which worked alongside GCW to co-promote events during WWE SummerSlam week in Minneapolis.

Cannon was, however, present at the GCW event where Avery Styles faced Marcus Mathers. It was at that show where the alleged situation involving Avery not helping with the setup is said to have occurred.

The controversy did not end with Cannon’s exchange with AJ Styles.

WWE NXT star Lexis King subsequently became involved in the discussion, leading to another online exchange with Cannon. Cannon also posted photographs showing Cody Rhodes and WWE legend Jimmy Hart helping behind the scenes at independent wrestling events as he continued defending his position on wrestlers contributing to show preparation.

AJ Styles, meanwhile, has remained quiet on the matter since posting two responses to Cannon on Saturday.

GCW’s statement now establishes a clear distinction between Cannon’s personal views and the promotion itself, although the wider discussion surrounding Avery Styles and the traditional concept of "paying your dues" in professional wrestling continues.