Lexis King, formerly known as Brian Pillman Jr., discusses signing with WWE and notes that he dealt with self-doubt during his time in AEW.
Pillman Jr. left AEW when his contract expired in July. He reportedly signed with WWE in August, and he debuted at NXT Halloween Havoc.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Lexis King was asked to describe what went into his decision to sign with WWE. He noted that it was less of a decision and more of a necessary transition.
“It wasn’t so much of a decision as it was a necessary transition,” Lexis King said. “I think my time came up at AEW, and it was a great run, a great deal financially. I did very well there. But like I said, just that sort of self-doubt of not knowing the future, not knowing if I’m gonna be used or if I’m gonna do anything. Well, it was pretty apparent when they didn’t re-sign me that I wasn’t going to be doing anything there anymore.
“So god bless agents and attorneys that picked up the phone the day my contract was up and got the conversation started. I think I got a paycheck from both companies in the same month. That’s how quickly the ball got rolling. Because you’re so worried, it’s like, oh my god, are they going to pick me up right away? Am I going to be able to go there? But the ball got rolling, and the King was crowned pretty quickly.”
Lexis King Reflects On His Run In AEW
During the interview, Lexis King was asked how his AEW run impacted his career. Van Vliet noted that he didn’t think King would be where he was without his time in AEW, and he agreed.
“Absolutely, absolutely. There’s no ill will, but it’s sort of just that mindset,” Lexis King said. “I put myself in that mindset. Nobody else put me in that. It’s just, I put myself in that mindset of, what’s going on here, like that self-doubt.
“Then I kept grinding, I moved back home. I still kept grinding, going to the local school, trying to find out what makes me tick as a performer. Just the experience living there, the experience I gained traveling with AEW made me the performer I am today.”
WrestleZone will have coverage of WWE NXT as it airs on January 16.
The video version of the interview can be seen here:
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