WWE champion makes a big revelation about AEW departure: "It was out of the blue"

Many former AEW stars have signed with WWE over the past few years. NXT Heritage Cup Champion and former All Elite talent Lexis King (FKA Brian Pillman Jr.) recently spoke about his departure from Tony Khan's promotion.

In July 2023, the son of The Loose Cannon left AEW after his contract expired. He then inked a deal with WWE and debuted as Lexis King on the NXT brand. He is the current NXT Heritage Cup Champion.

During a recent interview on the No Contest Wrestling podcast, Lexis King spoke about breaking out in All Elite Wrestling. The star revealed that it was a sink-or-swim environment, and as he figured out his footing, his contract with the company expired.

“It might have been a little too late, you know. AEW was very much a sink-or-swim environment, so by the time I found myself, it might have been a little too late. I don’t think it was—my contract had come up. It wasn’t like I was released before it was done, but it was out of the blue.” [H/T: RingsideNews]

Lexis King on the effort he put into his work in AEW

In the same interview, Lexis King spoke about putting in extra work in All Elite Wrestling by competing on house shows and working when top talents weren’t willing to. Lexis said he always put the promotion first and was a huge fan during his time with the company.

“I had been doing a lot—we had started doing house show loops, and I had been performing well. I had a match with Jeff Jarrett and Claudio, and some really great, fun house show matches. So I was on the road with the team, and at the time, a lot of the bigger stars weren’t willing to do those shows. I thought I was showing a lot of willingness to work and to be there for the company. I really did put the company first. I was very much a huge fan of AEW while I was there.” [H/T: RingsideNews]

The fans will have to wait and see if Lexis King wins other titles in NXT after moving on from the Heritage Cup.