Tag: the costco guys

MJF, Big Boom AJ meet face-to-face at Boca Raton Championship Wrestling event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A big staredown took place over the weekend.

At a Boca Raton Championship Wrestling event on Sunday, MJF wrestled QT Marshall. Big Boom AJ got on the apron and argued with Marshall, causing AJ to lay him out. As MJF recovered, he met face-to-face with AJ in the ring. The two exchanged words before AJ ultimately made his exit. MJF won the match with a brainbuster.

The popular social media influencer and former independent wrestler made his return to pro wrestling at last month’s AEW Full Gear, defeating Marshall in a match that aired on the Full Gear Zero Hour pre-show. In a recent interview, AJ hoped to be back in the ring next month after breaking his foot prior to the match. He and his family attended the All In Texas Countdown on-sale event that took place last week.

MJF will be at AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash this week as he’s set to face Adam Cole for the Dynamite Diamond Ring at Worlds End on December 28.

We’re Live, Pal: WWE Survivor Series preview

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

It’s another episode of We’re Live, Pal as Andrew Zarian and I talk about what’s going on in wrestling today. This episode is also available for free on YouTube (below), Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

We kicked off the show talking about the Thanksgiving holiday before hitting on some key topics such as:

  • Ricky Starks’ comments about not wrestling in AEW
  • CM Punk joining Roman Reigns’ Survivor Series WarGames team
  • A look through a marketing lens at how AEW used the Costco Guys
  • The ending to AEW Full Gear
  • AEW’s need for a babyface hero

You can also follow the show account on X.

For website subscribers, you can click here to listen (sub needed).

Big Boom AJ says he’s All Elite, promises to be back in the ring ‘before you know it’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Big Boom AJ says he’s All Elite.

The social media star took to X on Monday to thank everyone for their support following his AEW debut on Saturday, where he defeated QT Marshall in the main event of Full Gear Zero Hour. At the end of the video, he said he would be returning for AEW.

“Big Boom AJ has about a 6-8 week recovery here but then I will be back in the ring again. I will be doing a few things with AEW during that time so stay tuned, got some real fun stuff coming your way.”

“I am forever grateful and as always, AJ and Big Justice, we are All Elite, and I will be back in the ring before you know it,” he concluded.

In the video, AJ confirmed that he broke his foot during the match, saying it was somewhere during a flying clothesline spot.

“I guess that adrenaline kicked in and I was able to finish the match,” he said.

AJ and his son, Big Justice along with his friend The Rizzler all made appearances during Saturday’s pre-show, with Justice hitting a spear on QT, allowing his father to score the win. The father & son duo have gained popularity on social media through their food reviews, documenting their trips to Costco.

Tony Khan: I’ve learned ‘so much’ about marketing from the Costco Guys

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Working with Costco Guys AJ and Big Justice has taught Tony Khan “so much” about marketing.

This weekend, 48-year-old AJ Befumo — a former indie wrestler — will return to the ring for a match against QT Marshall on the AEW Full Gear pre-show. It’s been an unlikely road back to pro wrestling for Befumo, who stopped regularly competing in the 2000s but has now become a TikTok celebrity alongside his young son Big Justice (Eric Befumo).

Big Justice will accompany his father at Full Gear this Saturday night. Ahead of the PPV, Khan, Befumo, and Big Justice stopped by Fox Business for an appearance on The Claman Countdown. Host Liz Claman asked Khan what he’s learned about the importance of social media marketing through working with the Costco Guys.

“So much,” the AEW boss responded. “I think that what I’ve seen with AJ and Big Justice together — first of all, this is real. Like, behind the scenes, what you see is what you get. Authenticity is important. And also, they’ve shown me the power of TikTok. Of marketing to, frankly, people that have never watched AEW or wrestling before. And we’re bringing in new fans. And AJ is a former pro wrestler making a comeback. So it’s great.”

Khan posted the following tweet after the Fox Business appearance:

AJ and Big Justice have become celebrities on TikTok through documenting their trips to Costco and expressing their love for the chicken bake and double chunk chocolate cookie at the Costco food court. This summer, their song “We Bring the Boom” helped the father-son duo explode in popularity.

Befumo originally wrestled on the Northeast indies for 11 years from the 1990s-2000s. He’s going by the name “Big Boom AJ” for this match at Full Gear, which is being held in New Jersey.

Fellow TikTok star The Rizzler (Christian Joseph), who is friends with Big Justice and frequently collaborates with the Costco Guys, will also be in Befumo’s corner at Full Gear. All three of AJ, Big Justice, and The Rizzler were guests on The Tonight Show together last month.

Though he has a busy schedule with his social media work, Befumo has said that he would be honored to have more matches with AEW after Saturday’s event.

Costco Guy AJ: ‘It would be an honor to do more matches with AEW’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

TikTok celebrity AJ Befumo is open to doing more with AEW after his match at Full Gear.

A former indie wrestler who has become a TikTok celebrity, the 48-year-old Befumo will step back into the ring against QT Marshall on the pre-show for Full Gear later this month. Befumo has signed a one-match deal for the pay-per-view, but he loves how AEW has handled things so far and would be honored to have more matches.

“I think there’s going to be more [wrestling for him],” he told the Battleground Podcast. “Listen, things have to line up. Hey, listen, the audience has to want more. Let’s start with that, let’s start with the audience has to want more. But what I do promise you is that I’m bringing the boom so that the audience is going to want more. That’s on me. So I will be bringing the boom. I will have this audience wanting more, and then we’ll start from there. You know what, if the audience wants more — I absolutely love the way AEW has handled everything to this point. It would be an honor to do more matches with AEW. We are very busy with the other stuff we’re doing with social media, so everything has to line up. But the door is definitely open.”

Befumo will be going by the name “Big Boom AJ” at Full Gear. He wrestled for 11 years on the indies from the 1990s to 2000s, frequently competing in the New Jersey area. Full Gear is being held at the Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, November 23.

At the PPV, Befumo will have his son Big Justice (Eric Befumo) in his corner. Befumo and Big Justice have become known as the “Costco Guys” on TikTok, documenting their trips to the wholesale store on their father-son channel. They released the song “We Bring the Boom” this summer, which helped grow their popularity.

Befumo told the Battleground Podcast that, even though he was gone from the ring for a while, he always knew in his heart that he would return at some point. He loves pro wrestling and the connection it allows you to have with the crowd. He’s been in the ring training for this match, noting that the hardest part was getting his footwork back. Befumo said his footing is good now and he has grown more confident every day of training.