Lexis King, the former AEW Star previously known as Brian Pillman Jr., recently made his NXT debut. He also stated that he is going to no longer use his last name and rather would be taking up a new moniker. That is his new ring name Lexis King.
While speaking to Booker T on the Hall of Fame podcast, the former AEW wrestler shared why he is no longer going to use the Pillman family name.
“In a way, he had much more influence on my life than my own father did. I was four years old and I lived under this man’s roof until I was 13. I packed up my bags and moved out on my own when I was 13. This man berated me, neglected me, and abused me for about eight or nine years. I am a King. I called him Dad. There was part of my life where I looked up to this stepfather as my father. He never officially adopted me and gave me his name, but I have every right to use that name because what I went through made me who I am today. I’m more a King than I am a Pillman if we’re quite honest.
“As much negativity and stuff that name carries in my life, it’s who I am. If that means when I step into the ring with you that I’m going to be a vile piece of shit and beat the crap out of you, that’s what it’s going to be. All of that has been built up. I’ve taken a beating, I’ve taking a whooping. I’ve been thrown down a flight of stairs by a grown man. Nothing can stop me on this journey to take what I want from NXT. This is who I am. I’m Lexis King. people want to talk crap about the name, but they’re going to chant it before long,” Lexis King said. [H/T Fightful.com]
Lexis King claims that there is a lot of emotion behind his original last name
While speaking in the same episode, King mentioned that his stepfather was abusive and thus he had a tough childhood. This is also something he opened up about on the Dark Side of the Ring episode about his father, Brian Pillman.
“There is a lot of emotion behind that last name. That was my stepfather’s last name. He came into the picture pretty much as soon as my father passed. My mom needed to be with somebody that helped keep the lights on. She was already one foot out the door, I’m pretty sure, before [my dad] passed. She was looking for some stability, and she met a guy with the last name King. He came from a great family, but he wasn’t great to me.”
“He was an abusive piece of work and he put me through some shit. It made me stronger, and in a way, it’s like, this man robbed my childhood, I’m going to rob his name. I’m going to take his name because it’s a cool name. I’m going to make it mean something positive. As much as he was a piece of garbage to me, I’m not doing this to bring him any glory or fame, I’m doing this for me. I’m going to take that name and make it something.”
Have you enjoyed Lexis King’s run in WWE NXT so far?
