Ex-AEW Signing Given STRANGE WWE Ring Name
Former AEW star given new ring name in WWE, surprisingly.
Brian Pillman Jr. will not be known as such in WWE NXT.
Per PWInsider, WWE intends on using its newly-registered 'Lexis King' trademark to rechristen Pillman Jr., who has been the subject of debut teases on NXT lately.
WWE filed an application for 'Lexis King' with the United States Patent and Trademark office on 2 October, doing so for the following purposes:
IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment
The new ring name likely references Pillman Jr.'s family. Known as Lexi, Brian's sister, Alexis, passed away in 2009, while his mother Melanie Pillman-King passed last June. Pillman Jr. also went by the name 'Alex King' earlier in his career.
Pillman Jr.'s father, Brian Pillman, is a legendary cult figure in professional wrestling, most famous for his time in WCW, but with a notable WWE run under his belt between 1996 and 1997. He passed away in October 1997.
July 2023 saw Pillman Jr. undergo his first WWE tryout at the Performance Center, doing so within days of his AEW contract expiring. WWE's recent NXT teases have leaned heavily on his father's legacy.