Natalya, who has recently been competing under the name Nattie, believes there could be one scenario that would convince WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles to step out of retirement, even proposing a scenario that would see him return for a comeback match alongside his son, Avery Styles.
Speaking on the latest edition of Busted Open Radio (full episode below), Nattie reflected on watching AJ’s son, Avery Styles, wrestle during SummerSlam week at a GCW event. Avery faced Marcus Mathers, one of Nattie’s Dungeon students, and the veteran came away highly impressed by both competitors. She admitted the performance even had her imagining a future father-son tag team.
“I watched AJ Styles’ son wrestle during SummerSlam week,” Nattie began. “I went before SummerSlam on Saturday to the GCW show because one of my Dungeon students, who was having the match with Avery Styles, AJ’s son, was Marcus Mathers. He’s also part of the ID program. When I was watching AJ’s son wrestle, Marcus and him were both amazing. For where their experience is at, they both did awesome. After watching Avery Styles wrestle, I was like, ‘Man, I kind of want to see Avery and AJ do a tag.’ Again, I guess that’s a lofty, crazy thing to say, but if there was ever a moment that AJ would or could come out of retirement, I could see it being to team with his son.”
Nattie also praised Avery’s natural presence in the ring, noting that while he shares some similarities with his father, he is already developing his own identity.
“When Avery was wrestling, I couldn’t take my eyes off him because he had this presence about him. He had this calm, cool, collected confidence where he wasn’t trying too hard, but you knew there was a dog in this kid. He had mannerisms like his dad, but he was still his own person.”
Although AJ Styles has previously said he doesn’t believe his son is ready for a WWE tryout just yet, Nattie revealed she spoke with him at the WWE Performance Center after seeing Avery compete. She said one of the things that stood out most was that Avery is earning his opportunities rather than relying on his famous last name.
“I saw AJ at the Performance Center on Tuesday when I was filming NXT, and I told AJ what I thought when I watched Avery wrestle. I said, ‘You know what I really loved, AJ, is that your son is paying his dues,” she said. “He’s not just being given special treatment because he’s AJ Styles’ son.’ I really liked seeing him lose. He lost the match against Marcus Mathers, and that was really important for me as a viewer, and as somebody on the outside and the inside, to watch Avery lose. No one was giving him special treatment, saying, ‘Okay, this is AJ’s son. We’ve got to book him strong.”
Nattie went on to praise Avery’s attitude backstage, saying his willingness to seek advice and remain humble is just as important as his in-ring ability. She stressed that professionalism and etiquette often matter more than raw talent.
“He lost gracefully,” she said. “He and Marcus had a really cool moment at the end, and it showed me that this kid is different. Backstage, he was so humble. He was asking for advice, picking my brain and trying to get feedback. Everything you look for in a young wrestler is that etiquette. I tell people all the time that I will take etiquette over talent any day of the week. If you’re extremely talented but you’re an asshole, I don’t want that. I don’t want to deal with it. I wouldn’t let you in the Dungeon. I don’t think any major promotion, whether it’s WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor, New Japan, All Japan or wherever it may be, wants to deal with difficult people, no matter how talented you are. Etiquette is key. It’s critical, crucial, and so important.”
Avery Styles (AJ Styles’ son) making his GCW debut! #GCWPlay pic.twitter.com/Vihj9VS3XS
— (@WrestlingCovers) August 1, 2026
Avery Styles won his GCW debut match with the Spiral Tap! #GCWPlay pic.twitter.com/7qvi6wBgfe
— (@WrestlingCovers) August 1, 2026
