Lexis King

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Lexis King
Brian Pillman Jr, 2020 (cropped).jpg
Pillman in 2020
Birth nameBrian Zachary Pillman
Born (1993-09-09) September 9, 1993 (age 31)
Erlanger, Kentucky, U.S.
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 height6 ft 1 in (185 cm) [1]
Billed weight225 lb (102 kg) [1]
Billed from Cincinnati, Ohio
Trained by Lance Storm
Rip Rogers
DebutDecember 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 signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Lexis King and is the current NXT Heritage Cup Champion in his first reign. 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]

Contents

Early life

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]

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2017–2021)

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]

Major League Wrestling (2018–2021)

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]

All Elite Wrestling (2019–2023)

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]

WWE (2023–present)

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] On the October 15 episode of NXT, King faced Oro Mensah in a Gentleman's Duel match, where he would emerge victorious. After the match, both King and Mensah shook hands, with the former subsequently raising Mensah's hand as a sign of respect, turning face in the process. [41]

Personal life

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, [42] 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. [43]

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. [44]

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. [45]

Championships and accomplishments

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  36. ↑ Tessier, Colin (December 27, 2023). "NXT Men's Breakout Tournament Finals Set For NXT New Year's Evil". Wrestlezone. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  37. ↑ Lutete, Israel (January 10, 2024). "Dragon Lee defeats former AEW star to retain NXT North American Championship; massive twist at the end". Sportskeeda.
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  39. ↑ "WWE's Oba Femi Gets Commanding NXT North American Title Win". WWE. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
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