Lexis King Reflects on AEW Exit and Growth in WWE – Lexis King, formerly known as Brian Pillman Jr., recently shared insights into his departure from AEW and his transition to WWE. King, who signed with WWE after leaving AEW in July 2023, debuted in NXT on October 24, 2023, and has since become a key figure on the brand, even capturing the NXT Heritage Cup.
Speaking on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, King discussed the moment he realized his AEW tenure was coming to an end.
“I think things started to look a little grim when they sort of removed Julia [Hart] from [the Varsity Blonds]. I thought she was a very imperative part of it, but at the same time, I was confident in mine and Griff’s abilities, so I thought, why don’t we change course a little bit and get away from the generic babyface and transition into a little bit more of a rock ‘n’ roll, sort of fuckboy kind of group, where we’re sexy guys, so then we were going to do The Blonds or whatever. There was a tag team that we wrestled, and they trademarked the name ‘Varsity’ and stole it from us, so we were no longer the Varsity Blonds, we were just The Blonds. Then it just kind of seemed like they were running out of ideas for us, and then it started to…the writing was on the wall.”
King also noted that Griff Garrison’s injury forced him into more singles competition, where he began to rediscover himself. However, he admitted that AEW’s “sink-or-swim” nature made it difficult to find his footing in time.
“My contract had come up. It wasn’t like I was released prior to it being done with. But it was a little out of the blue, just because I was doing a lot of the, we had started doing house show loops, and I had been performing well. I was in the road with the team, and the time, a lot of the bigger stars weren’t willing to do those shows, so I thought that I was showing a lot of willingness to work and to be for the company, and I did put the company first.”
Despite his departure, King expressed gratitude for AEW, acknowledging the opportunities it provided.
“I was very much a huge fan of AEW while I was there, and I still am a huge fan, and I wish them all the best. We have to remember, if it wasn’t for AEW giving myself that stage, giving Ricky [Saints] and Ethan [Page] that stage, we might be where we are now. So it was a great amount of exposure.”
Now in WWE, King credits the structured environment for his growth.
“I am a product of my environment, I am a product of all these amazing producers and agents and the writers here at WWE. They’ve really reined me in and really molded me into a much better performer.”
King acknowledged that mentors in both AEW and WWE have played a crucial role in his development, emphasizing that his journey has been shaped by the experiences and people around him.
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Lexis King Reflects on AEW Exit and Growth in WWE
