They’ve brought the BOOM! to the Costco food court, 30 Rock, and now the wrestling ring. In late October, Father-son duo A.J. and Big Justice, alongside their pal and fellow TikToker the Rizzler, made their late-night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, subjecting him to say “Double Chunk Chocolate Cookie” to his seemingly confused audience. But now, after conjuring late night, A.J. has returned to the wrestling ring, competing in his first match on the AEW Full Gear Zero Hour pre-show on November 23. But how did a Costco-loving family end up in the ring anyhow? Fear not! Here’s everything you need to know about A.J., Big Justice, and the Rizzler — from their appearance on Fallon to their return to wrestling — so you can start rating their career moves as a BOOM! or a DOOM! — or at the very least, understand what the hell your younger cousins are talking about this holiday season.
Who are A.J. and Big Justice?
Andrew “A.J.” Befumo has been in the social-media game for a while now. He started out making family vlogs titled “All Befumo’d Up!” when Big Justice (his son, Eric) was a Little BOOM!, alongside his wife, now known as Mama Justice, and their daughter, Ashley. However, their YouTube channel never got the sort of attention that their TikTok has recently garnered. Before social media, A.J. was an amateur wrestler, entering the ring as “the American Powerchild Eric Justice.” The father-son duo gained traction on TikTok this year with their Costco reviews, giving items in the food court or in the store a “BOOM!” (approval) or a “DOOM!” (disapproval).
Other times, they’re just showing what “Costco Guys” do while shopping in the warehouse. “We’re Costco Guys! Of course we go shopping while eating a chicken bake,” Big Justice begins as he takes a bite of the chicken bake in one of their most-viewed TikToks. They were probably breaking the news to loyal members that the Costco churro would be replaced by the “Double Chunk Chocolate Cookie” that got a BOOM! of approval. But their Costco content comes at a cost greater than an annual membership. After a behind-the-scenes clip went viral, some people criticized A.J.’s directing style; after the auteur himself explained what was going on, it’s clearly all a part of their content plan.
Since their newfound stardom, they’ve taken many brand deals and endorsements, declaring the sponsored products a BOOM!, and also do giveaways, like when they gave away free video games with the kids at the Florida Vipers basketball club. Their growing popularity has even brought them to Madison Square Garden to play in a celebrity basketball game with the Rizzler. Wait, did you think they were at another recent event at MSG?
Is the Rizzler related to A.J. and Big Justice?
No, they’re just friends on the same social-media-fame boat. The Rizzler, a third-grader named Christian Joseph, gained popularity on TikTok from a video of him wearing a Black Panther costume — he gets his nickname from the slang term “rizz,” short for charisma. He’s best known for doing the “rizz” face, a Zoolander/Dr. Evil–esque expression where he squints his face while stroking his chin. Similar to A.J. and Big Justice, the Rizzler’s popularity has exploded in the past year — before Fallon, he was most recently seen rizzing up Mrs. Met at the MLB playoffs game.
So, what were the Costco Guys doing on Jimmy Fallon?
Bringing the BOOM!, of course. The trio explained how their separate channels got popular, and obviously, the Rizzler had to teach Jimmy Fallon how to do his signature move — Fallon got the Roots to play along, too. “Questlove, you look like you’re doing an impression of Robert De Niro,” Fallon joked. A.J. announced he’s returning to wrestling with his first fight back on November 23 with Big Justice by his side. But the real tension was in the BOOM! meter as Fallon had the kids rate popular Halloween candy. The two were at odds; Big Justice wasn’t a fan of raisins, while Rizzler quipped back that he liked chocolate raisins. However, everyone could agree that the Costco Double Chunk Chocolate Cookie was a BOOM!, even if Fallon looked slightly over hearing about the BOOMs!
How did Big Boom A.J. do in the AEW match?
On November 23, A.J. transformed into Big Boom A.J. at the AEW Full Gear Zero Hour pre-show, making his return to wrestling since 2005. He fought against QT Marshall wearing pants inspired by his catchphrases (the BOOM! logo and a double chunk chocolate cookie— obviously, BOOM! is written across his butt); Marshall wore a few DOOM!s himself, a possible foreshadowing to his fate in the ring. The event was a family affair; Mama Justice and Ashley were trash-talking from the crowd, and the not-actually-related-to-them Rizzler was the time keeper. “Is this young man qualified to operate a stop watch?” asked one of the announcers at the top of the match. Big Boom A.J. did his “We Bring the BOOM!” dance while Big Justice was coaching his dad from the sidelines.
As the fight neared the end, the audience chanted BOOM! with every hit that Marshall took. Big Justice came to the rescue with the spear at the end of the match, helping declare a victory for his dad. Was this the YouTuber fight we should’ve actually been hyped about?
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Here’s everything you need to know about the TikTok father-son duo who made their AEW debut last weekend.
