Lexis King On Mixed Emotions Of Leaving Pillman Name Behind When Joining WWE NXT

In the latter part of 2023, Brian Pillman Jr. made his debut in WWE under the name Lexis King, and has since become a regular on "WWE NXT." The former AEW star recently appeared on "Busted Open Radio" and addressed the name change, stating that he had mixed feelings on leaving his late father's name behind.

"There's a certain level of respect and honor that comes with that," King said. "Luckily, I still get a lot of the benefits that come with that. But for me, as far as an identity standpoint, it was a crutch."

Many wrestling fans have strong opinions on Brian Pillman, who died of a heart attack in 1997 at the age of 35. Those strong opinions often create equally strong expectations from fans regarding Pillman's son. Following a lackluster AEW run, Pillman Jr. signed with WWE last year and agreed to the new name.

"It was the greatest decision I could've ever made," King continued. "It reinvigorated my career and my character and my attitude. I think those that know will still know, and those that understand the likeness and representation I have because of my father are going to understand it, but I think Lexis King is here to stay."

During the interview, King revealed that he wrestled his first-ever independent match under the name Alex King. His idea was to create a character unrelated to his legacy, but he eventually began using his birth name because of the recognition. Over time, King feels he began leaning too heavily on his father's name.

"I went [through] 30 years of my life with someone else's name, you know what I mean?" King stated. "I never even knew my father [so] why am I running around with his name? He built that name, he deserves to keep that name and keep it far away from me. Because the only way I'm gonna write my own story is to have my own name and create my own legacy."

King made his WWE television debut on October 24, 2023, defeating Dante Chen in a short match. After a little bit of a slow start, King has started building up momentum on the brand this year, making it to the final round of the WWE NXT Heritage Cup as well as picking up wins against Baron Corbin and Von Wagner.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.