Brian Pillman Jr. Wishes AEW Had Done More With Recent Angle

Brian Pillman Jr. clearly feels that the "pep rally" behind the Varsity Blonds is fading, as the AEW star initially hoped that the group could have accomplished more as a trio.

"I think some things happen for a reason, right?" Pillman Jr. told Nick Deteroing on "The Universal Wrestling Podcast." "I mean once we lost Julia [Hart],I knew that something had to happen, right, cause three's the magic number, you know what I mean? You got a trio, you got a group that's balanced. I wish we could have done more with that group. I wish we could have traveled more and got the group over more, but like I said, everything happens for a reason and I'm sort of blessed."

Pillman Jr. said these types of changes are actually beneficial to him, as he thrives better in adversity and believes that the changes were also great for Hart, who turned her back on her "Blond" companions when she was sprayed with Malakai Black's black mist, blinding her in one eye. The action slowly corrupted Hart and she eventually abandoned her cheerleader character for a more goth look, joining the villainous House of Black at AEW Double Or Nothing.

"I think it sort of started with Julia going her own way and becoming what she is now which is definitely like a really cool evolution of her character," Pillman said. "Nothing but happy for her, for evolving into what she is now.

"At some point, I'm turning 29 this year, at some point, I can just sit at home and collect a check, but I'm just not that type of person, you know? I'm a Pillman, and the Pillmans are very ambitious, very hungry people."

Pillman Jr. expressed that ambition as he recently tagged up with Brock Anderson to face FTR — the former team had Arn Anderson in their corner while the latter had Bret Hart in theirs. Pillman will also participate in another legacy match when he and Anderson face Ricky & Kerry Morton at "Ric Flair's Last Match" in Nashville. Anderson and Pillman Jr. share legacy ties to the Four Horsemen, as Arn was an original member of the group, and the late Brian Pillman became a member in the late 1990s.

Pillman Jr.'s legendary father passed away when he was four years old, and his mother Melanie just passed away unexpectedly on June 1. Pillman Jr. wrote a beautiful tribute to her on Instagram, but in the wrestling ring, he believes he can use his family's story to explore some darker ideas.

"I think that people are so used to this really upbeat, Varsity Blond, go-lucky character," Pillman Jr. said. "I think that that character lacks a lot of depth that I have to bring to the table. I think that if I go down sort of a darker path and really show you guys sort of a 'dark side of the ring,' if you will, show you a darker side to my story and kind of how wrestling has affected me, and maybe I can express that through my art."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Universal Wrestling Podcast" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.