Tag: brian pillman jr.

Brian Pillman’s grandson, Lexis King’s nephew honored for thwarting school shooting

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jackson Swallen is a hero. 

The 15-year-old high school student, who also goes by the name Boom, is Brian Pillman’s grandson and Lexis King’s nephew. 

The Uvalde Foundation For Kids has announced Swallen will receive its National Student Hero award for helping stop a planned mass casualty event at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati recently. 

A 14-year-old student has been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated murder in relation to the case. The student is also said to have conspired with an out-of-state adult, believed to be around 22-24 years old. 

Authorities have referred to the case as a “credible plot to harm students and staff.”

The student is said to have had access to a weapon in their home and a “kill list” of eight students and one teacher.

Upon learning of the plan, Swallen notified his father, despite having been threatened by the student not to tell anyone. His father quickly notified police.

“The kid had the firearms and had a very elaborate plan and had every intention of carrying out that plan,” said Swallen’s father, Zach Swallen. “My son, he doesn’t lie. He’s very literal, I could tell by his tone. And it was told to my son that if he disclosed anything about the plan to anybody, he would be shot and killed. But my son literally told me he didn’t care if he got killed as long as he could protect his classmates.”

King took to social media on Monday to say how proud he is of his nephew. 

King would later add that his nephew has inherited some of his family’s athletic genes as well. 

Amy Carlier has a daughter who attends the school and spoke to WCPO about how grateful she is for Swallen’s actions. 

“My daughter texted me that two people that I know and love dearly were on that list,” Carlier said.

“I feel very grateful for the swift action of our school system, of the student who told his dad, the dad taking it seriously and the police to take action,” she continued. “That’s why our kids are alive and safe today.”

Daniel Chapin, founder of the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, praised Swallen and his father’s actions. 

“This student who helped extinguish a possible threat to fellow students, represents the reality of how the climate of violence plaguing our nations schools and threatening student lives can come to an end — not through gun control or more safety planning meetings; but rather through alert, caring students such as this young man who refuse to stand by when a potential threat stands against their friends,” he said.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYUvKxioy2c

Lexis King says signing with WWE was a ‘necessary transition’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Lexis King says he suffered from self-doubt during his AEW run. 

The former Brian PIllman Jr. took part in an interview with Chris Van Vliet recently and opened up about having a newfound sense of confidence since he’s been in WWE. 

King said:

I spent so many months of my career at the previous company just second-guessing myself, am I really any good? Am I worth it? A lot of self-doubt. And just to see how my career has done a total 180 since then, it went from just sitting in the back and filming a few dark matches in Orlando, here and there, six-minute tag matches, barely getting in the ring and feeling the canvas.

Now I’m sitting on a throne, and I’m making my entrance in the biggest wrestling company in the world. They have this confidence in me and it kind of fuels me, I now have confidence in myself.

When asked about signing with WWE last year, King responded that it was a “necessary transition” after it became apparent AEW was not going to use him further. 

King continued: 

It wasn’t so much of a decision as it was just a necessary transition. I think my time came up at AEW, and it was a great, great run, a great deal financially, I did very well there. But like I said, just that sort of that self-doubt of not knowing the future, not knowing if I’m going to be used, or if I’m going to do anything? Well, it was pretty apparent when they didn’t re-sign me that I wasn’t going to be doing anything there anymore.

So God bless agents and attorneys that picked up the phone that day, my contract was up and got the conversation started. I think I got a paycheck from both companies in the same month. That’s how quickly the ball got rolling. 

In the months leading up to his contract expiring last July, Pillman was only used sparingly in AEW. While he wrestled frequently on episodes of Dark and Dark: Elevation, he hadn’t wrestled a match on AEW television since losing to Swerve Strickland on the February 1, 2023, edition of Rampage. 

Lexis King/Brian Pillman Jr. makes WWE in-ring debut at NXT house show

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Brian Pillman Jr. competed in his first-ever WWE match on Friday night.

Now going by the name Lexis King, Pillman was in action at Friday’s NXT house show in Largo, Florida. He defeated Brooks Jensen at the event.

Pillman departed AEW this July when his contract with the promotion was not renewed. He signed with WWE shortly after, officially joining the Performance Center in August.

Vignettes building up Pillman’s debut have been airing on NXT the last few weeks. He cut his first WWE promo in a video that aired on NXT this past Tuesday. In the promo, Pillman explained why he isn’t using his father’s last name in NXT. Pillman said he lost his father when he was only four years old. It seems like everyone has fond memories of his father, but Pillman doesn’t. Pillman said he wants to inflict pain on the business that has brought him so much grief.

“But when they see this face, I don’t want them to think about my dead father,” Pillman said. “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.”

WWE filed a trademark for the name “Lexis King” on October 2.

Brian Pillman Jr. gets new last name in WWE NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Brian Pillman Jr. will have a new name when he makes his WWE NXT debut.

During Tuesday night’s NXT episode, a video aired where Pillman spoke about his upcoming arrival. Pillman revealed that he won’t be using his father’s last name in NXT. He’ll instead be going by the last name King.

Pillman said it seems like everyone has fond memories of his father, but he doesn’t. He was only four years old when his father died. Pillman tried other careers besides wrestling, but he’s never been able to escape the industry. Pillman said he wants to inflict pain on the business that has brought him so much grief.

Pillman said the real father figure in his life, the man who raised him, had the last name King. Now Pillman is going to use that last name too.

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.

WWE filed a trademark for the name “Lexis King” earlier this month.

Pillman vignettes have been airing on NXT for the past two weeks, but this is his first time speaking in them. Pillman joined the WWE Performance Center this August. He departed AEW in July when his contract with the promotion was not renewed.

Brian Pillman Jr. vignette airs on WWE NXT

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Brian Pillman Jr. is heading to NXT.

A vignette aired on Tuesday’s show showing someone in the dark sitting down to watch TV. The television showed brief clips of Cincinnati Bengals footage and an open to WCW Saturday Night before quickly ending. Pillman’s father played for the Bengals before eventually transitioning to pro wrestling, spending much of his career in WCW in the early-to-mid 90’s.

It was reported back in August that Pillman had signed with the company and was starting at the WWE Performance Center after being seen at the PC the previous month. However, WWE had not confirmed that he had signed with the company.

Pillman Jr. started wrestling in 2017 and started to make appearances for AEW starting in 2019. He often teamed up with Griff Garrison and together they were known as The Varsity Blonds, a tribute to his father’s team The Hollywood Blonds with Steve Austin. His contract with the company expired in July, with his last match being back in May where he and Brock Anderson lost to The Gunns at a house show.

Report: Brian Pillman Jr. starts with WWE NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former AEW wrestler Brian Pillman Jr. has officially started his WWE career.

PWInsider reports that Pillman Jr. started with WWE NXT at the Performance Center this week. Pillman Jr. signed with WWE after being spotted at the Performance Center for a tryout this July.

The report states that there’s “no rush” to get Pillman Jr. on NXT television because the initial plan is to get him into the Performance Center and allow him to get his feet under him.

The 29-year-old Pillman Jr. became a free agent in July when his AEW contract expired and was not renewed. Pillman Jr. made his AEW debut in 2019 and signed a full-time deal with the company in 2021.

Pillman Jr.’s last match for AEW took place in May. He was competing at indie events until earlier this month.

During a virtual signing after his AEW departure, Pillman Jr. confirmed that he had a “huge opportunity” coming up in his career:

It’s a tough business. It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock ‘n’ roll, but being here today and getting to reminisce on some of my past moments of my career has really cheered me up and put me in a position to where I’m excited for the future.

There is a lot to come. I can’t speak on it right now. It’s kind of in the works right now, but I’ve got a huge moment, a huge opportunity coming up in my career to continue making memories, to continue coming up with new gear ideas, and sharing my version of pro wrestling with you all. Thank you for supporting me and today was a lot of fun. 

Pillman Jr. wrestled for MLW prior to joining AEW on a full-time basis in 2021.

Brian Pillman Jr. has ‘huge opportunity coming up’ following AEW departure

Posted on by Ian Carey

Brian Pillman Jr. says he has a “huge opportunity” coming up. 

The 29-year-old’s AEW contract expired earlier this month, making him a free agent. Our own Dave Meltzer has since reported that Pillman was spotted training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando on July 13. Although it’s not clear if he has signed with the company, Pillman teased that he’s excited for the future during a recent virtual signing with Captain’s Corner. 

Pillman said:

It’s a tough business. It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll but being here today and getting to reminisce on some of my past moments of my career has really cheered me up and put me in a position to where I’m excited for the future.

There is a lot to come. I can’t speak on it right now. It’s kind of in the works right now but I’ve got a huge moment, a huge opportunity coming up in my career to continue making memories, to continue coming up with new gear ideas, and sharing my version of pro wrestling with you all. Thank you for supporting me and today was a lot of fun. 

Pillman made his pro-debut in late 2017 and joined MLW less than a year later as part of the Hart Foundation along with Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. Pillman made his AEW debut at Double or Nothing 2019 in the Casino Battle Royal. He returned to the promotion in the summer of 2020 during the pandemic era, teaming with Griff Garrison as the Varsity Blondes. He’s a former OVW Heavyweight Champion, Warrior Wrestling Champion, and once held the MLW Tag titles along with Hart and Smith. 

Brian Pillman Jr. was at WWE Performance Center this week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Following his departure from AEW, Brian Pillman Jr. was present at the WWE Performance Center.

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Pillman Jr. was training at the WWE Performance Center on July 13. The report didn’t state anything further about Pillman Jr.’s status.

Pillman Jr. was removed from the roster page on AEW’s website earlier this week. His AEW contract expired and was not renewed.

Pillman Jr.’s final matches for AEW took place on a house show tour this May. He lost a singles match to Claudio Castagnoli and teamed with Brock Anderson in a loss to The Gunns.

The last televised match Pillman Jr. had for AEW was on an episode of Rampage this February.

Pillman Jr. made his first appearance for AEW at the promotion’s inaugural event in 2019. He signed a full-time deal with AEW in 2021. During his time with the company, Pillman Jr. was best known for his Varsity Blonds tag team with Griff Garrison.

On Tuesday, Pillman Jr. posted a picture on Instagram with the caption, “Stay tuned for the next chapter…”

Brian Pillman Jr. AEW’s contract reportedly expires

Posted on by Josh Nason

This report has been updated.

Brian Pillman Jr.’s AEW contract expired and was not renewed by the company, making him a free agent.

PWInsider reported the news Tuesday following questions arising his removal from the roster page of the AEW website.

As of this writing, the second generation wrestler has not posted anything on social media about his AEW run or acknowledging his departure.

Pillman Jr. has remained active on the indies throughout his AEW tenure that began in 2019, but only has nine matches with the company this year. The last two of them were on house shows while the two before that were on AEW Dark. Only one of the nine was televised: a February 2023 Rampage loss to Swerve Strickland in Dayton, Ohio.

He made his AEW debut at 2019’s Double or Nothing in a Casino Battle Royale. He was eventually paired with Griff Garrison and later named The Varsity Blonds in the latter part of 2020. The two did have several winning streaks, one of which brought them to an AEW Tag Team title shot against then-champions The Young Bucks. 

The two eventually lost the “Varsity” part of their name in a match to Tony Nese & Josh Woods and their team dissolved in late-2022 when Garrison got injured.

Pillman Jr. teamed with Brock Anderson sparingly since December as his appearances on AEW programming became less and less.

Ricky & Kerry Morton vs. Brian Pillman Jr. & Brock Anderson added to Ric Flair’s Last Match card

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Ricky & Kerry Morton will be a part of the Ric Flair’s Last Match card.

Starrcast announced tonight that the father and son team, with Robert Gibson in their corner representing the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, will face Brian Pillman and Brock Anderson, with Arn Anderson in their corner. The latter team will be representing The Four Horsemen, with Brian Pillman Sr. & Arn Anderson being former members.

The show, which will take place at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, has representation from a number of promotions, including Impact (which will have a Impact World Championship match), MLW, AAA, and NJPW.

Jim Crockett Promotions Presents: Ric Flair’s Last Match (Sunday, July 31) —

  • Ric Flair’s last match (match to be announced)
  • Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against Jacob Fatu
  • Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Deonna Purrazzo and Rachael Ellering in a three-way match
  • Ricky & Kerry Morton (with Robert Gibson) vs. Brian Pillman Jr. & Brock Anderson (with Arn Anderson).
  • Rey Fenix vs. Laredo Kid vs. Taurus vs. Bandido
  • The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
  • Killer Kross (w/Scarlett Bordeaux) vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
  • Clark Connors vs. Ren Narita

Bret Hart to be in FTR’s corner for Big Time Wrestling match

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Bret Hart will be in FTR’s corner for an upcoming Big Time Wrestling event in June.

The promotion announced a match between FTR and the team of Brock Anderson & Brian Pillman Jr.. Hart will be in FTR’s corner, while Arn Anderson will be in the corner of his son and Pillman. The event will take place in Webster, Massachusetts on June 10. Ticket information can be found here.

“Everyone’s demanding it! Everyone thinks they know where it’s going to happen… well, it’s going to happen only one place and that place is Big Time Wrestling Friday, June 10th at the iconic Webster Town Hall in Webster, MA,” Big Time Wrestling wrote on their Facebook page. “ It’s Old School 2022 when The Hitman Bret Hart leads FTR to battle with Brian Pillman Jr. and Brock Anderson accompanied by The Enforcer Arn Anderson! Plus an all star card!”

FTR, Anderson, and Pillman are all regulars for AEW. Pillman usually teams with Griff Garrison as The Varsity Blonds. Anderson has been teaming with Lee Johnson, most recently defeating Aaron Solo and QT Marshall of The Factory on an episode of AEW Dark: Elevation that aired on March 30.

Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black announced for AEW Grand Slam

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two matches have been announced for the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite that will take place on September 22.

Cody Rhodes will face Malakai Black, marking Rhodes’ return after taping Go Big Show’s second season. After Black attacked Cody to take him out last month, Black has defeated and attacked other members of the Nightmare Family, including Arn and Brock Anderson, Lee Johnson, and Dustin Rhodes, who Black defeated tonight on Dynamite.

Another match was established between MJF and Brian Pillman Jr.. While protesting his loss against Chris Jericho at All Out, MJF set his sights on Pillman’s aunt Linda, as well as his sister. Pillman came out and confronted MJF, which led to a brawl. Wardlow broke up the attack, but Griff Garrison came out to even the odds until Wardlow laid him out. Garrison was then held as MJF struck him with his diamond ring.

Later backstage, Garrison was being checked on by medical staff. Pillman said he went to Tony Khan and got the match for Grand Slam.

AEW Dynamite Grand Slam will take place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

The Varsity Blonds officially sign with AEW

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison of the Varsity Blondes have officially signed with All Elite Wrestling.

AEW confirmed both Pillman and Garrison had signed this afternoon on social media. Both team regularly together as the Varsity Blonds, with Julia Hart (no relation to the Hart wrestling family) serving as their manager. Fightful had reported earlier in the day that both were to be signed to full term deals, and that Pillman was finishing up with MLW “very soon”.

Both Garrison and Pillman had wrestled regularly for AEW during the pandemic. Garrison started to appear for AEW in June of last year, with Pillman making appearances the following month. Both were put together starting in September and have since adopted the name Varsity Blondes.

Pillman has been wrestling since 2017, signing with MLW the following year. Garrison, who started wrestling in 2016, previously made appearances for Ring of Honor as one half of The Master and The Machine, with Marcus Kross as his tag team partner.

TNT title match announced for June 30 edition of AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Three matches were announced for the June 30 edition of AEW Dynamite.

The show, which will be the final show at the Dalys Place before going back on tour, will include Miro defending the TNT title against Brian Pillman Jr., a tag team match with Britt Baker & Rebel facing Nyla Rose & Vickie Guerrero, and MJF vs. Sammy Guevara.

All three matches were set up on this week’s Dynamite. Miro attacked Pillman’s tag team partner Griff Garrison, causing him to retaliate. The two eventually had to be split apart by referees. Vickie Guerrero challenged Baker and Rebel, saying Tony Khan made the match as a favor to her after she brought in Andrade el Idolo to AEW. Guevara attacked MJF after MJF attacked Dean Malenko while he tried to stop The Pinnacle from attacking Chris Jericho and Jake Hager.

After June 30, AEW will return to live touring with a show in Miami on July 7 called Road Rager. A South Beach strap match between Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall has been announced for that card.

Middleweight title match added to return of MLW Fusion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A second title match is set for the return of MLW Fusion.

MLW has announced that Middleweight Champion Myron Reed will defend his title against Brian Pillman Jr. on the Wednesday, November 18 episode of MLW Fusion. An MLW World Heavyweight Championship match with Jacob Fatu defending against Davey Boy Smith Jr. is also airing on the episode.

Fusion will premiere on the fubo Sports Network and YouTube at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesdays. The show will also air on beIN Sports at 10 p.m. Eastern on Saturdays and will be available on demand via DAZN.

For the first time since going on hiatus from holding events in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MLW held a set of closed set television tapings in Florida last month.

Prior to the announcement of Reed vs. Pillman Jr., MLW’s Court Bauer had said in an interview with DAZN that MLW would be adding another title match or two to the card for the November 18 Fusion episode: “I’m going to stack that fight card. We’re going to add another title bout, maybe two. We’ve upgraded our production and one of the things I really like about The Restart is we’re bringing wrestling back to that smoke-filled arena vibe. There’s a raw, primal feeling when you have that hazy look and two guys are going to war in the ring. It’s cinematic. It draws you into the action more. Visually it adds a layer of authenticity that a sterile, over-produced, over-lit arena that looks like a Times Square can’t touch.”

Reed has been MLW Middleweight Champion since winning the title from Teddy Hart in November 2019.