| Lexis King | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Pillman in 2020 | |
| Birth name | Brian Zachary Pillman |
| Born | (1993-09-09)September 9, 1993 (age 31) Erlanger, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Northern Kentucky University |
| Parent(s) | Brian Pillman Melanie Morgan 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 | 225 lb (102 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 thering nameBrian Pillman Jr., is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is signed toWWE, where he performs on theNXTbrand under the ring nameLexis King and is the currentNXT Heritage Cup Champion in his first reign.
Pillman is known for his time inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2019 to 2023 andMajor League Wrestling (MLW) from 2018 to 2021.[3] A second-generation wrestler, he is the son ofBrian Pillman.[4]
Brian Zachary Pillman is the son ofprofessional wrestlerBrian 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 attendedDixie Heights High School inEdgewood, Kentucky, where he playedfootball. He graduated in 2011 and furthered his education by attending college. Pillman earned a degree atNorthern Kentucky University inInformation Systems.[7][8]
In February 2017, Pillman announced he would be following his father's footsteps and become a professional wrestler. He was trained byLance Storm at his school, the Storm Wrestling Academy, inCalgary,Alberta,Canada.[9][10]
Pillman's first match was on December 18, 2017, using thering name "Alex King", a tribute to his sisters Alexis Reed and Skylar King.[11] Pillman made his professional debut forCombat Zone Wrestling (CZW) on January 28, 2018, at Dojo Wars 162 against Mike Del for theCZW 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 withTeddy 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-manBattle Royal atInternational Wrestling Cartel's (IWC) Reloaded 6.0 event. He did not win the match, but he appeared in the main event, helpingIWC 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 defeatedSam Adonis, Aramis,Lance Archer,Black Taurus,Michael Elgin,Andrew Everett, andAlex Zayne in a War of Attrition match to win the vacantWarrior Wrestling Championship. The title was left vacant due to injury of former championBrian Cage.[15][16] On September 12, 2020, inWashington, Pennsylvania, he won theIWC Super Indy Championship.[17]
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In late 2018, Pillman signed a contract withMajor League Wrestling (MLW). When he first came in, he was mentored by his father'sWorld Championship Wrestling rivalKevin Sullivan.[18] He then turned on Sullivan and joined forces with Teddy Hart andDavey Boy Smith Jr., creating theNew 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 theCasino Battle Royale atAll Elite Wrestling's (AEW) inaugural pay-per-view event,Double or Nothing. In July 2020, with MLW shut down due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Pillman began to appear in AEW, wrestling on both their flagship showDynamite, and their online showDark. 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 ofDark in a losing effort againstShawn Spears. After this, Pillman was used as mostly as an enhancement talent, losing to the likes of Brian Cage andEddie Kingston.
In late July, Pillman began teaming with fellow AEW newcomerGriff Garrison, still competing mostly onDark, adopting the team name The Varsity Blonds, a tribute to Pillman's father.[25] On May 11, 2021Julia 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 byPWInsider that Pillman had a tryout withWWE at theWWE Performance Center.[29] He was officially assigned to thedevelopmental brandNXT in late August and videos promoting his debut began airing in September, changing his name toLexis 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 aheel.[30][31][32] He competed in his first match on October 24 on Night 1 ofNXT: Halloween Havoc, defeatingDante Chen.[33] King competed in his first WWEpremium live event on December 9 atNXT Deadline, where he lost toCarmelo Hayes, thus marking his first loss in WWE.[34] King participated in the2023 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 theNXT North American Championship twice, first againstDragon Lee[37] and later againstOba Femi, losing both times.[38][39] Continuing his feud with Dante Chen, they wrestled in aSingapore Cane match, where King won.[40] On the October 15 episode ofNXT, King facedOro 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]
On the October 29 episode ofNXT, King facedCharlie Dempsey for theNXT Heritage Cup inBritish Round Rules, but was defeated.[42] On the December 24 episode ofNXT (taped December 17), King defeated Dempsey for the cup, his first championship win in WWE.[43] However, due to a grey area in British Round Rules regarding the disqualification of the reigning champion, NXT general managerAva ordered King to return the Cup back to Dempsey and announced that they will compete for the Cup in a sudden death one-fall match atNXT: New Year's Evil[44] on January 7, 2025, where King defeated Dempsey to solidify his win of the Cup. WWE recognizes this as an uninterrupted singular reign.[45] During his title reign, he would revert back to being a heel by using dirty tactics to retain the Cup, including in a rematch with Dempsey. He also announced that his NXT Heritage Cup matches will be defended in one-fall matches instead of British Round Rules.[46] On the February 25 episode ofNXT, King failed to defeatTNA X Division ChampionMoose for the title.[47]
Pillman had a strained relationship with his mother Melanie due to her battles withdrug 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,[48] shared in ashoot interview that he felt his mother was feigning her grieving during her infamous interview withVince McMahon onWWE 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.[49]
Pillman's relationship with his mother started improving after his wrestling career started; this included her making regular appearances during Pillman's liveTwitch streams and sharing stories about his father. Melanie was found dead from an apparentdrug overdose on June 1, 2022, at the age of 56, as confirmed by Pillman.[50]
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.[51]
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