WWE is building interest with the intro of Lexis King in NXT

WWE has changed a big practice in how it is introducing new stars and so far things are working to build interest in Lexis King. 

One thing WWE consistently gets right is its ability to make superstars and moments feel like a big deal. The access to resources and a massive platform helps and keeps the promotion leagues ahead of their competitors in doing just that, promoting. Jade Cargill’s leap from AEW to WWE is a big example, as she hasn’t set foot in the ring yet and already feels like a powerful player on the roster. She’s not the only example, as WWE is slowly introducing the world to Lexis King, also known as Brian Pillman Jr. His introduction is coming at an excellent pace and has people interested in what is to come.

The conversation must start with the name change. Fans have long complained about WWE’s penchant for changing performers’ names. This is done to protect WWE’s IP and make sure they own the rights to the performer’s likeness while in their employ. That is a controversial practice seeing how the performers are independent contractors, but that’s another debate for another day.

What WWE has done with King’s name change is wrap it into Pillman’s story. The senior Pillman died in 1997 at the age of 35. He already had an impactful run in both WCW and in WWE, as he became a cult favorite of fans from that generation. But King was four years old when his father passed and he shares that information with a level of animosity in his voice during these promos airing on WWE NXT. In these vignettes, he talks about the relationship with his father, or the lack thereof, as his motivation to get away from professional wrestling, but failing to do so. Even his name change is tied to that lack of a relationship, as he’s changed it to honor two people who had a big hand in his upbringing.

So far, this is a success. Rather than just throwing King out to the crowd and ignoring his storied past in wrestling, his introduction has embraced it. Fans have long asked WWE to respect the history of the industry and what has occurred in other promotions. This is a big step in that direction. The same occurred with both Cody Rhodes’s return and Cargill’s introduction to date. It’s working and sends a sign to performers in other corporations that WWE may finally be taking a turn away from the “prison” many called it when they exited in recent years.

Lexis King will make his WWE debut at NXT Halloween Havoc and fans have their eyes on the moment. Expectations for Pillman’s signing started out low, but the introduction of Lexis King caught the attention of the wrestling community.