King feels joining WWE was a ‘necessary transition’.
Lexis King has now been a part of WWE NXT for six months. He participated in the men’s Breakout tournament and had his first match on a Premium Live Event at Deadline against Carmelo Hayes.
He guest appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet and spoke about his choice to join WWE. He called it a ‘necessary transition’, adding that when AEW did not re-sign him, his representation immediately jumped into talks with WWE.
I mean, it wasn’t so much of a decision as it was just a necessary transition (King said about signing with WWE). 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 sort of that self-doubt of not knowing the future, not knowing if I’m gonna be used or if I’m gonna 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. They picked up the phone the 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. Because you’re so worried. It’s like, ‘Oh my God, are they gonna pick me up right away? Am I gonna be able to go there?’ But, the ball got rolling and the King was crowned pretty quickly.
Looking back at his time in AEW, King said he spent many months doubting himself. He feels his career has done a complete 180 since. He further spoke on the topic and said he would not be where he is present day without AEW and there’s no ill will there.
I’m just sitting in it (on the throne for his NXT entrance) and I’m backstage and I’m thinking is this real?… This isn’t a knock on anybody but 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, you know? I 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 to now I’m sitting on a throne and I’m making my entrance in the biggest wrestling company in the world and they have this confidence in me and it kind of fuels me. I now have confidence in myself. Hell, they gave me the name ‘King’. It doesn’t get any better than that. So, just to feel that 180 and to go out there and perform with a certain level of grit and attitude. I’m gonna prove everyone wrong that didn’t believe in me. It’s a dream come true.
Absolutely, absolutely (I would not be where I am without AEW). Like I said, there’s no ill will but it’s sort of just that mindset. I put myself in that mindset. Nobody else put me in that. It’s just I put myself in that mindset of like, what’s going on here? Sort of that self-doubt, and then I kept grinding. Like I said, I moved back home, I kept grinding, going to the local school, trying to find out what makes me tick as a performer, and just the experience living there, the experience I gained traveling with AEW made me the performer I am today.
King secured his match against Carmelo Hayes at Deadline by inserting himself into Hayes and Trick Williams’ storyline that is still playing out on NXT TV. King feels being a part of that is one of the best things to happen to his career.
You know, people always ask that question of dream matches, and I look at it as a bigger picture than that. I look at the match, the match is the means to the end. But, I look at the end result and I look at the story that built up. One of the best things to happen in my career was being put into that storyline with Trick (Williams) and Carmelo Hayes. This the first time in my career where I had an opportunity to get some attention on me and to get some storytelling happening. You know, at the end of the day, the story is about those guys but to be able to put myself in a high-profile setting and have sort of a payoff, blowoff match at the pay-per-view, it just goes to show how much more important wrestling is when there’s a story. Throughout my career, I never really had that. I did have some moments and some stories that led up to some matches, but not to the degree where it was built up that well. So, you go out there and you’re having this match and the crowd is super into it and you’re like, man, like, what’s so different about this match than any other match I’ve had? It’s like, oh, wait, we did weeks and weeks of television and building up and building the character and then now this match has a story.
He was last featured on the 1/9 NXT on USA Network in a North American Championship match.
King was not able to best Dragon Lee to become champion but afterwards, Oba Femi used his NXT men’s Breakout tournament contract to get a title shot and ultimately become champion.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
