Brian Pillman Jr's WWE Name Change Confirmed

Brian Pillman Jr. is officially no more, with the second generation superstar confirming the change of his ring name in a fresh vignette on WWE NXT.

Vignettes hinting at the former AEW star’s arrival have been airing on NXT TV for several weeks, but on the October 10 edition of the show, Pillman Jr. was shown for the first time, rejecting the Pillman name in a new vignette.

The latest video showed Pillman watching clips of his father the legendary ‘Loose Cannon’ Brian Pillman across WCW, ECW, and WWF, with Pillman Jr. saying how people often tell him how much they loved his father’s work. Pillman Jr. then notes how his father died when he was four, and instead wants to honour the man who ‘really’ raised him, a man with the surname King:

“My father was one of the most infamous superstars in this business. Everywhere I go, people stop to tell me, 'Man, I loved your dad. Such a trailblazer he was.' It seems like everybody has such fond memories of my father. Well you know who doesn't? Me. His own damn son.

“I lost him when I was just four years old. I don't know him. And you'd think being a WWE superstar would be the last thing that I'd want to be. And you're right. And trust me, I've tried. I've tried everything. I've tried football, lacrosse. Hell, I even have a college degree. But this industry has been in my blood since birth and I could never escape it. I've got no choice but to embrace it. I have no choice but to inflict pain on the very business that has brought me so much grief.

“But when they see this face, I don't want them to think about my dead father. I want them to think about me. I'm nobody's junior. And from this day forward, I am going to take on the last name of the real man who raised me, the real father figure in my life. And his name was King. And now so is mine,” said Pillman Jr./King in the video.

Reports earlier this week suggested that Pillman Jr. would be going by ‘Lexis King’ in NXT - a homage to his sisters - and whilst the Lexis portion of the name wasn’t confirmed on TV, the King part was.

H/T: F4WOnline