Lexis King | |
---|---|
![]() Pillman in 2020 | |
Birth name | Brian Zachary Pillman |
Born | Erlanger, Kentucky, U.S. | September 9, 1993
Alma mater | Northern Kentucky University |
Parent(s) | Brian Pillman |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Alex King Brian Pillman II Brian Pillman Jr. Lexis King |
Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) [1] |
Billed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) [1] |
Billed from | Cincinnati, Ohio |
Trained by | Lance Storm Rip Rogers |
Debut | December 18, 2017 |
Brian Zachary Pillman (born September 9, 1993), [2] better known by the ring name Brian Pillman Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Lexis King. He is known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2019 to 2023 and Major League Wrestling (MLW) from 2018 to 2021. [3] A second-generation wrestler, he is the son of the late Brian Pillman. [4]
Brian Zachary Pillman is the son of professional wrestler Brian William Pillman (1962–1997) and model Melanie Diane Pillman ( née Lawrence; 1965–2022). He had four sisters: Danielle, Brittany, Alexis Reed, and Skylar King, as well as one brother, Jesse Morgan. [5] His sister Alexis became a professional wrestling valet under the ring name Lexi Pillman, but died in 2009 in a car accident. [6] Pillman attended Dixie Heights High School in Edgewood, Kentucky, where he played football. He graduated in 2011 and furthered his education by attending college. Pillman earned a degree at Northern Kentucky University in Information Systems. [7] [8]
In February 2017, Pillman announced he would be following his father's footsteps and become a professional wrestler. He was trained by Lance Storm at his school, the Storm Wrestling Academy, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. [9] [10]
Pillman's first match was on December 18, 2017, using the ring name "Alex King", a tribute to his sisters Alexis Reed and Skylar King. [11] Pillman made his professional debut for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) on January 28, 2018, at Dojo Wars 162 against Mike Del for the CZW Medal of Valor Championship. [12] Pillman was defeated in the match by submission. Pillman would have one more match in CZW, in a tag team match, teaming with Teddy Hart and facing Anthony Bennet and Jimmy Lloyd at Super Show V on January 26. [13] [14]
On January 18, 2020, Pillman was a surprise 16th entrant in a 16-man Battle Royal at International Wrestling Cartel's (IWC) Reloaded 6.0 event. He did not win the match, but he appeared in the main event, helping IWC Heavyweight Champion Jack Pollock win the match. After the match, Pillman revealed he had signed a contract with IWC, and that part of his contract was a shot at the IWC Championship at the promotion's February event. On February 15, Pillman defeated Sam Adonis, Aramis, Lance Archer, Black Taurus, Michael Elgin, Andrew Everett, and Alex Zayne in a War of Attrition match to win the vacant Warrior Wrestling Championship. The title was left vacant due to injury of former champion Brian Cage. [15] [16] On September 12, 2020, in Washington, Pennsylvania, he won the IWC Super Indy Championship. [17]
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2021) |
In late 2018, Pillman signed a contract with Major League Wrestling (MLW). When he first came in, he was mentored by his father's World Championship Wrestling rival Kevin Sullivan. [18] He then turned on Sullivan and joined forces with Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr., creating the New Era Hart Foundation. [19] [20] [21] [22] This took place in a backstage segment where Pillman attacked Sullivan with a cane, causing Sullivan to bleed. [23] On July 9, 2021, it was reported that Pillman was no longer working with MLW as his contract had expired. [24]
In May 2019, Pillman was a participant in the Casino Battle Royale at All Elite Wrestling's (AEW) inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing. In July 2020, with MLW shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pillman began to appear in AEW, wrestling on both their flagship show Dynamite , and their online show Dark . Pillman remained contracted to MLW, but was allowed to work for AEW as well. [3] He made his in ring return on the July 7 episode of Dark in a losing effort against Shawn Spears. After this, Pillman was used as mostly as an enhancement talent, losing to the likes of Brian Cage and Eddie Kingston.
In late July, Pillman began teaming with fellow AEW newcomer Griff Garrison, still competing mostly on Dark, adopting the team name The Varsity Blonds, a tribute to Pillman's father. [25] On May 11, 2021 Julia Hart started aligning herself with The Varsity Blonds and made appearances with them for several months. [26] On July 12, 2021, Pillman signed a full-time deal with AEW, making him an official member of the roster. [27] His contract expired on July 11, 2023, ending his time with AEW. [28]
On July 16, 2023, it was reported by PWInsider that Pillman had a tryout with WWE at the WWE Performance Center. [29] He was officially assigned to the developmental brand NXT in late August and videos promoting his debut began airing in September, changing his name to Lexis King, a second iteration of his "Alex King" name. His ties to his father were acknowledged, but he denounced him and his name in his vignettes due to his early death, establishing himself as a heel. [30] [31] [32] He competed in his first match on October 24 on Night 1 of NXT: Halloween Havoc, defeating Dante Chen. [33] King competed in his first WWE premium live event on December 9 at NXT Deadline, where he lost to Carmelo Hayes, thus marking his first loss in WWE. [34] King participated in the 2023 NXT Men's Breakout Tournament after attacking original competitor Trey Bearhill and subsequently taking his place. He defeated Dion Lennox in the first round, but lost to Riley Osborne in the semifinals after interference from Bearhill. [35] [36] He also wrestled for the NXT North American Championship twice, first against Dragon Lee [37] and later against Oba Femi, losing both times. [38] [39] Continuing his feud with Dante Chen, they wrestled in a Singapore Cane match, where King won. [40]
Pillman had a strained relationship with his mother Melanie due to her battles with drug addiction following his father's death when Pillman was four years old. Pillman, who was primarily raised by his aunt Linda Pillman (his dad's sister) growing up, [41] shared in a shoot interview that he felt his mother was feigning her grieving during her infamous interview with Vince McMahon on WWE Raw is War one day after his dad's death, as their marriage was already going through the divorce process at the time and simply wanted a pay day for drugs. Unlike most wrestling fans and the media, Pillman did not fault WWE for the somewhat tactless interview with his mother, as he credited the promotion for trying to help out him and his sisters as much as possible financially. [42]
Pillman's relationship with his mother started improving after his wrestling career started; this included her making regular appearances during Pillman's live Twitch streams and sharing stories about his father. Melanie was found dead from an apparent drug overdose on June 1, 2022, at the age of 56, as confirmed by Pillman. [43]
During his tenure in NXT, fans of Pillman began referring to themselves as "Registered Lex Offenders" (a reference to "registered sex offenders"). While Pillman appreciated the creativity, he said that it is not appropriate for television. [44]
Matthew Fredrick Riddle is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As of December 2023, he is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW). He also makes appearances for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where he is the current AAA Cruiserweight Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his tenures in the UFC and WWE.
Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza is a Mexican professional wrestler. As of January 2024, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Andrade and is the current and longest reigning WWE Speed Champion in his first reign. He is also known for his appearances in Mexico for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name La Sombra and for the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Andrade El Idolo.
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado is an American professional wrestler and actress. As a wrestler. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since January 2024, where she performs under the ring name Mercedes Moné and is the current AEW TBS Champion in her first reign. She also appears in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and its sister promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the current Strong Women's Champion in her first reign. Varnado was previously best known for her time in WWE from 2012 to 2022, where she performed under the ring name Sasha Banks.
Ezekwesiri "EJ" Nduka Jr. is an American professional wrestler, professional IFBB bodybuilder, former professional gridiron football and arena football defensive end outside linebacker. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and also competes for their sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). As a professional wrestler, he is best known for his time with Major League Wrestling, where he was a former MLW World Tag Team Champion.
Anthony Nese is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor, where he is a member of The Premier Athletes stable. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
Kira Renée Magnin-Forster is a Canadian professional wrestler, fitness competitor, and model better known by the ring name Taya Valkyrie, who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She also performs for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH).
William Morrissey is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name "The Redwood" Big Bill and is a member of The Learning Tree. He is also a former one-time AEW World Tag Team Champion. He is previously known for his tenures with WWE, and Impact Wrestling.
Eric Arndt is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Enzo Amore and came to prominence for his partnership with Big Cass, whom he teamed with from 2013 to 2017. Together, they won the NXT Year-End Award for Tag Team of the Year in 2015. He was later moved to the 205 Live brand, where he was a two-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Since leaving WWE for explicit reasons in January 2018, he has also embarked on a rap music career initially under the name Real1, but now goes under the same name he uses on the independent circuit.
Seth Lesser, better known by the ring name Simon Gotch, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is best known for his time in WWE, where he held the NXT Tag Team Championship as one-half of The Vaudevillains along with Aiden English and also worked for the main roster on its SmackDown brand. He also competed for Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Matthew Adams is an Australian professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Buddy Matthews as a member of the stable House of Black and is a former one-time AEW World Trios Champion. Adams also makes appearances on the independent circuit and is best known for his time with WWE where he performed under the ring name Buddy Murphy.
Stephon Strickland is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland and is the current AEW World Champion in his first reign.
Lance Anoa'i is an American professional wrestler formerly for Major League Wrestling (MLW) where he performed under his real name. He is a former MLW World Tag Team Champion and is a member of the Anoaʻi family.
Miroslav Petrov Barnyashev is a Bulgarian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Miro and is a one-time AEW TNT Champion. He is also known for his decade-long career in WWE under the ring name Rusev, where he became the first and so far, only Bulgarian wrestler to have worked for WWE.
Adrienne Palmer is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under her ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Women's World Champion in her first reign, which is the longest reign for the title. She is also known for her time in WWE, where she worked under the name Ember Moon, where she is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion and a former NXT Women's Champion.
Lionel Gerard Green, better known by the ring name Lio Rush, is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently performing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). He also makes sporadic appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Chaos. He has also performed for Major League Wrestling (MLW), and Impact Wrestling, where he was a former Impact X Division Champion. He has also appeared for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where he performed as Aracno.
Michael Cuellari, better known by the ring name Q. T. Marshall, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as Vice President of Show and Creative Coordination, where he previously worked as an in-ring talent from 2019 to 2023. He also makes appearances for AEW's partner promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, where he is a former one-time AAA Latin American Champion. He is a co-owner and trainer of The Nightmare Factory, a professional wrestling training facility, alongside Cody Rhodes and Glacier of Nightmare Family.
Julian Micevski, better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand and is the current NXT Champion in his first reign. He is also known for his time in Impact Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and Ring of Honor (ROH).
2019 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
The MLW National Openweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion Major League Wrestling (MLW). The title was unveiled on April 18, 2019. The title's openweight nature, a division more common in Japanese professional wrestling, means that both heavyweight and middleweight wrestlers are eligible to challenge for it.
Brock Alexander Lunde, better known by the ring name Brock Anderson, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW). He is best known for his tenure in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2021 to 2023. He is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson.