Who is Lexis King? Meet NXT's newest debutant

On the special Halloween Havoc edition of NXT, Lexis King made his much-awaited debut after weeks of teases from WWE vignettes. Upon his debut, King faced Dante Chen and registered a victory. The 30-year-old's impressive outing has led to fans wanting to know more about him.

Lexis King is none other than Brian Pillman Jr., son of the legendary Brian Pillman. King signed with WWE in July 2023 after his stint with All Elite Wrestling came to an end. During his time at the Jacksonville-based promotion, the young superstar showed plenty of promise.

Apart from AEW, King has also wrestled for Major League Wrestling, where he held the promotion's Tag Team Championship with Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Teddy Hart. Aside from these well-known promotions, King has an extensive background in the independent scene.

The 30-year-old's vast experience in wrestling at so many different places will come in handy during his run in WWE. While Lexis King had an impressive debut and caught the eye of fans, it will be interesting to see how his career with the Stamford-based promotion progresses from here.

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Lexis King had a WWE superstar mentor him way before he made his debut

Lexis King is not the only man to have jumped from All Elite Wrestling to WWE. One man who did the same before King was Cody Rhodes. After spending more than three years with AEW, Rhodes made his WWE comeback at WrestleMania 38.

However, during his time with the Tony Khan-led promotion, The American Nightmare was a mentor to some of the younger talent, including Lexis King. During an appearance on The Universal Wrestling Podcast, King detailed his interactions with Rhodes in AEW. The 30-year-old said:

"I used to obviously be under Cody [Rhodes]. Learning under him was a great privilege. I wish I’d have asked him more things. I didn’t know that his time was going to be scarce, you know? I think I took for granted having Cody around and having his mind, to be able to pick his mind. But, the amount of times he did give me advice, I will never forget anything. I will never forget all of the things he’s told me so, obviously he’s like the blueprint for a successful second-generation wrestler…"

He further added:

"Some of Cody’s best advice has been to do just that, you know? To try to step outside the shadow of your father and try to become your own man and I think it’s nice every now and then to throw in those little tribute spots or those little homages to him but, at this point, you know, just, I gotta be myself. I gotta show people who I am and that I’m not just a second-generation wrestler. I’m not just Pillman’s kid anymore. I’m not trying to be the second Brian Pillman. I’m trying to the first Brian Pillman Jr." [H/T Post Wrestling]

Lexis King will finally be able to learn from Cody Rhodes since he is now with WWE. Given that the two were part of AEW once, it will be interesting to see how they cross paths onscreen in the Stamford-based promotion.