WWE NXT Star Lexis King Explains Why He Has 'No Ill Will' Toward AEW

Lexis King, formerly known as Brian Pillman Jr., debuted on the "WWE NXT" brand last summer. Before joining the ranks of WWE, King was signed to Tony Khan's AEW. Appearing on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," King spoke about how his career has done "a total 180" after he began to second-guess himself while working for AEW.

"There's no ill will," King said. "But it's sort of just that mindset. You know, I've put myself in that mindset. Nobody else put me in that; I put myself in that mindset of, 'What's going on here?' Sort of that self-doubt. And then I kept grinding ... I moved back home. I kept grinding, going to the local school, trying to find out what makes me tick as a performer. And just the experience [of] living there. The experience traveling with AEW made me the performer I am today."

King, son of the late Brian Pillman, began his wrestling career in 2017. King made his first appearance for AEW prior to the inaugural Double or Nothing in 2019, entering the Casino Battle Royale for a shot at the AEW World Championship on the "Buy In." He would return the following year on the now-canceled "AEW Dark," losing to Shawn Spears. At the time, King was signed to MLW, but was permitted to work dates for Khan's company. King signed a full-time deal with AEW in July 2021 after forming an alliance with Griff Garrison and Julia Hart. He left AEW two years later.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.