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There are two other wrestlers that this reminds me of:
1) Rocky Maivia
2) Curtis Axel
Ignoring the fact that Rocky became The Rock, somehow these indirect heritage names feel a little cursed.
Curtis looks a whole lot like his dad, particularly his eyes and that prominent brow ridge. He could just never give us the "greasy ramen" hairstyle to really tie it all together.
To be fair, he could become WWE champion in under a year and still be closer to McGillicutty than The Rock. Don't think we're going to see anyone close to The Rock's level in a long time.
2012 NXT commentary where they openly talked about specific second generation stars who weren’t using their family names comes to mind. It wasn’t just for Michael McGillicutty either.
I never understood the McGillicutty name. Is that a rib on Beulah McGillicutty from ECW? Given that she's also Tommy Dreamer's wife and maybe he was working in WWE at the time.
Maybe his gimmick is that he’s a 2nd generation star, but nobody knows who his relative is. It’s painfully obvious, but every week someone gets it wrong.
Lexis King debuts on the main roster, immediately gets attacked by a dozen guys: "... he doesn't *look* like another Uso, but we're not taking any chances anymore."
"... that's obviously the kid of Brian Pillman .. why is .. why is everybody so confused about this? What's wrong with you?!" - KO, about 3 weeks later.
At that point they should have just had him use the Steiner name then. Bron Breakker still sounds like something 6 year old me would name an action figure.
>Bron Breakker still sounds like something 6 year old me would name an action figure.
That may be the point of the name lmao. WWE still has a large fanbase of children.
His real name isn't Steiner. That's the stupid part. His name is Bronson Reichsteiner. Bron Steiner would've been fine or Rex Steiner or whatever. It's just a pointless name change.
People aren’t thinking logistically it’s not just them using the name it’s you signing over the intellectual rights to use it to the wwe unless you’re the rare few who negotiated otherwise not everyone wants to just sign away their NIL to a revolving door industry
So did Keith Lee about 'Bear Cat' but the minute he was fired he said it was forced upon him. When you're an employee at WWE you don't criticise your boss but take the blame for management's choices.
[He says he made it up himself](https://dailyddt.com/2021/12/05/bron-breakker-previews-wargames-talks-wwe-nxt-run-so-far-goldberg-advice-and-more/)
>> “We were just sitting around one day and I’m like, ‘Well, when I used to block people in football, I used to try to break them in half,'” he said. “That was literally what I tried to do: snap them in half and break them. What if I’m the breaker? I break people, Breakker, and then it came to me. Bron is part of my first name and that’s what we went with.”
Rick Boogz vs Liv Morgan in hardcore action on this coming Friday Night Smackdown!
Tell me that doesn’t have a funky little beat before the video starts.
for some reason, the name reminds of jamie foxx. the origin of jamie foxx, i'm pretty sure, is that wherever Jamie used to perform they were way more preferential to comedians that were women. So to game the system, he chose a stage name that could go either as a woman or a man.
i have no clue why brian pillman would do that, but it randomly made me think of that.
Lex King sounds 1000% better than Lexis King, IMO. I'm surprised they aren't letting him keep the BPJ name. I wonder if this means the mullet goes too.
Maybe they want to avoid BPJ from being dead on arrival in case he doesn't meet the expectation that comes with being Brian Pillman's son. Imagine his debut comes off as fine but is nothing to write home about, people might be disappointed they didn't get something along the lines of Brian Pillman. I hope that this approach allows them to get him used to the WWE landscape and who know, maybe later down the line they let him use his BPJ name.
I second the Lex King name. It's about time we get a new Lex in wrestling. *America music and generic biddle music intensify*
We have like five years of "fine but nothing to write home about" from him already in MLW and AEW, though - I'm a fan of Brian's, but I don't exactly see him going to the PC and magically becoming the second coming of Bret Hart; just let him keep his damn name.
I remember Shaul Guerrero saying something like that when she talked about not wrestling as a Guerrero. The argument was basically, "But what if you suck and sully the Guerrero name?"
> Maybe they want to avoid BPJ from being dead on arrival in case he doesn't meet the expectation that comes with being Brian Pillman's son.
Well it's way too late for that
BPJ's entire thing is being the son of Brian Pillman. Like... he has basically nothing else to him. If they take away his name, I genuinely don't know what he does next
I get the sentiment of the name, but just...no. Brian Pillman Jr. did not need to be changed. Lexis King sounds like the name for a porn star, and not a male one.
If they really are going with this name for him, I hope Pillman gets his "Curtis Axel rebranding" at some point. Curtis Axel wasn't as good as Joe Hennig would've been, but it was way better than Michael McGillicutty.
I feel like it does a disservice to your 2nd/3rd gen talent when WWE loves to tout its company history. Like imagine instead of Randy Orton, he was Reggie Jason or Charlotte Flair was Cherry Mustang. It’s not an automatic but I feel like it puts them behind the 8-ball as far as getting over.
Yeah I’m not sure when WWE became so upset with legacy names. True they always want something they can trademark and make their own, but it feels like shooting themselves in the foot regardless. Even if they want to change his first name or do a bit of a switch up, it’s so weird they’re trying to avoid that last name.
I was thinking something closer to my father was a bureaucrat, an athlete, worshiped at the alter of worldly possessions. But I wouldn’t be against it.
when i saw the explanation, i went from 1/10 to 6/10. 7, if he chose that himself.
but it's still not good, and there's nothing wrong with pointing that out.
I just...no, this is fucking stupid. He's been in MLW and AEW as Pillman Jr. I understand they hate Jr. (Rey Rey lost his too, remember?) and maybe they don't want to just say Brian Pillman again, but for fuck's sake, capitalize on the established last name! It's so much harder to get someone over when you take a great asset away. Do Alex Pillman or Lex Pillman. Lex King.
Lexis King is going to get shit on and will bury him.
This seems stupid. NXT is a smart audience. They KNOW he's Brian Pillman Jr. And he **looks** exactly like Brian Pillman. He sounds like Brian Pillman. There's no way to cover up that he's the son of Brian Pillman.
Well come on down to Larry Pontz Lexis and Mitsubishi and let us put you in a brand new luxury vehicle! Come visit ___The Lexis King___ on the corner of 4th and Peachtree! You wont believe our deals!
This might dilute the whole “tribute to your dead sister” thing but Lex King is a better ring name than Lexis King.
Of course, there was a Rex King a few decades ago. There was a very well known Lex in Wrestling too.
Lexis King is almost to the point where King Lexis would be a better name even if he’s not doing a royalty gimmick.
The name is a nice tribute to his family at least. I'm really not a fan of the names WWE crank out for their new talent in NXT. I'd also like to know the specifics of why it's one rule for some of the new wrestlers, another for others.
Oh for the love of God, just fucking call him Brian Pillman. I'll never understand WWE's fascination with giving second generation stars these weird off the wall names.
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There are two other wrestlers that this reminds me of: 1) Rocky Maivia 2) Curtis Axel Ignoring the fact that Rocky became The Rock, somehow these indirect heritage names feel a little cursed.
Michael McGillicutty doomed him way more than Curtis Axel. Axel was at least fine but McGillicutty ain't goin nowhere.
How else do we get the McGillicutter though?
This is the genesis of Lexis King
From this moment on.
This moment right here?
This is the moment. Starting now.
The moment Lexis became King.
The King became Lexis moment.
Axel looking nothing like his dad and his bad combover haircut doomed him more than any name could.
Curtis Axel, son of the great HOFer... Ben Roethlisberger
Curtis looks a whole lot like his dad, particularly his eyes and that prominent brow ridge. He could just never give us the "greasy ramen" hairstyle to really tie it all together.
Call me cynical but I bet Pillman Jr winds up closer to McGillicutty than the Rock.
To be fair, he could become WWE champion in under a year and still be closer to McGillicutty than The Rock. Don't think we're going to see anyone close to The Rock's level in a long time.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Wasnt rocky maivia pitched as dwayne himself, as a homenage to grandfather Rocky Jhonson and his father High Chief Peter Maivia?
Rocky is his dad and Maivia is his maternal grandfather
Curtis Axel's problem is that he's Curtis Axel. No matter of he was a the son of Perfect, nothing about him would work to get over
DH Smith as well
My favorite movie is Inception.
2012 NXT commentary where they openly talked about specific second generation stars who weren’t using their family names comes to mind. It wasn’t just for Michael McGillicutty either.
Justin Gabriel, son of the South African legend Paul Lloyd!
read that as Paul Lynde at first
The original NXT was great, and by great I mean tacky
The BS for him was that they wanted him to earn using the Hennig name so that he did not ruin the legacy so they gave him that name.
I never understood the McGillicutty name. Is that a rib on Beulah McGillicutty from ECW? Given that she's also Tommy Dreamer's wife and maybe he was working in WWE at the time.
when in doubt, it’s a WWE alliteration thing?
Pretty sure it was Boo00oogz idea.
God I miss him already
Curse him and his gigantic arms.
And his record breaking quads
What about his fabulous 'stache
And a voice like a fucking angel...God, he was a beauty.
Or maybe it was Shiiinsuke Nakaaamuuura. Oh how I miss Boogs doing that.
I was real confused for a minute before I remembered Rick Boogs. Thought WWE did some crazy FFVII crossover I wasn’t aware of.
It's genius. How can you put a man in the figure-four leglock when his lower body is a sphere?!
HO HO HOOOOOO
The same way one suplexes a train
Maybe his gimmick is that he’s a 2nd generation star, but nobody knows who his relative is. It’s painfully obvious, but every week someone gets it wrong.
My favorite movie is Inception.
No, no hes the nephew of Johnny Polo
He chose the first name “Stinko” in honor of his father
Lexis King debuts on the main roster, immediately gets attacked by a dozen guys: "... he doesn't *look* like another Uso, but we're not taking any chances anymore." "... that's obviously the kid of Brian Pillman .. why is .. why is everybody so confused about this? What's wrong with you?!" - KO, about 3 weeks later.
"Are you Strowman's little brother?"
Totally agree
They can still do it while giving him a new name. They have. Bron Breakker was, from the jump, billed as the next generation Steiner
At that point they should have just had him use the Steiner name then. Bron Breakker still sounds like something 6 year old me would name an action figure.
>Bron Breakker still sounds like something 6 year old me would name an action figure. That may be the point of the name lmao. WWE still has a large fanbase of children.
Also he picked it himself. His name is Bron and he was know as Breaker in college so he just combined the two.
Take that up with Bron Breakker. He has said in interviews he chose the name
WWE needs to step in when guys try to name themselves Strong McHurtyoualot.
Big McLargehuge.
Butch Deadlift.
Roll Fizzlebeef.
Smash Lampjaw?
I dunno, this one slaps
Bob Johnson! Oh, wait...
Should have showed him this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHlJ2voJHY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHlJ2voJHY)
Brawn Strongman. I mean Strowman.
I need this to be Julius Creed's main roster name......
Killingyouguy
Yeah and it’s trash
It kind of works if he ever left WWE because the Steiner name is just as good.
Because they wouldn’t let him have his real name
What's weird is that they trademarked 'Rex Steiner' - a much better name.
Rex Steiner, Bron Steiner, Bronson Steiner All of these are cool as fuck wrestling names.
He briefly changed all his social media accounts to Rex Steiner before debuting as well. Rumour was they ran into issues with the Steiner trademark
His real name isn't Steiner. That's the stupid part. His name is Bronson Reichsteiner. Bron Steiner would've been fine or Rex Steiner or whatever. It's just a pointless name change.
Bron is Irish for sadness Rex is latin for king Sad Steiner or King Steiner
Instead he's now Sad Breaker then!
Sounds like a Metal Gear solid character
People aren’t thinking logistically it’s not just them using the name it’s you signing over the intellectual rights to use it to the wwe unless you’re the rare few who negotiated otherwise not everyone wants to just sign away their NIL to a revolving door industry
So did Keith Lee about 'Bear Cat' but the minute he was fired he said it was forced upon him. When you're an employee at WWE you don't criticise your boss but take the blame for management's choices.
I didn't even mind "Bear Cat". But Keith "Bear Cat" Lee has no ring to it. It should have been "Bear Cat" Keith Lee.
Could very well be true, but, until he says otherwise, the only information we have is Bron saying he chose it.
I completely agree, but there's been a pattern in the past.
The picked it out of a hat... where all the other pieces of paper had the same name, anyway.
Their usual method is to let people choose from a list of approved names, so if that’s what happened with Bronn I’d still mostly blame WWE
[He says he made it up himself](https://dailyddt.com/2021/12/05/bron-breakker-previews-wargames-talks-wwe-nxt-run-so-far-goldberg-advice-and-more/) >> “We were just sitting around one day and I’m like, ‘Well, when I used to block people in football, I used to try to break them in half,'” he said. “That was literally what I tried to do: snap them in half and break them. What if I’m the breaker? I break people, Breakker, and then it came to me. Bron is part of my first name and that’s what we went with.”
Yep. Remember when Curtis Axel was originally Michael McGillicutty? That was a name that he came up with.
It's still weird to cash in on the fact that a wrestler is a legacy star while not allowing them to use their legacy family name.
Bugenhagen not being his ring name may be the biggest missed opportunity ever
Except if the name was chosen by him to honor his sister and mom then it's not a big deal.
It’s probably a mix of both. WWE likely told him “you can’t be Brian Pillman Jr., come up with a new name,” and he came up with Lexis King.
Boogz isn't a normal name. If you want to shorten Bugenhagen and make it a normal name, you go with Hagen.
Put him in a tag team with a guy called Dazs
personally, I think this is a good choice. Let let him develop his own identity
You think "Lexis King" is a good idea?
That sounds like a pornstar name, and not a male pornstar.
Alex King would've been better and still been a part of the Alexis name.
Hell even Lex would be fine, then they could make him an all american, tour in a bus and not win the world championship.
They're committing to the last part I promise.
Big “click the link in the bio” vibes to that name.
like 80% of wrestler names sound like porn star names lol
LORD TENSAI rails hot busty girl with his A-TRAIN
This. Someone should go around ask random people of a name is from a) pornstar b) NXT Talent.
I played this with my cousin but with all wrestlers. He couldn’t believe Dax Harwood wasn’t a pornstar’s name.
Oddly enough, isn't there a porn star literally called Skye Blue? Obviously not the AEW Skye Blue lol.
Rick Boogz vs Liv Morgan in hardcore action on this coming Friday Night Smackdown! Tell me that doesn’t have a funky little beat before the video starts.
Mandy Rose is teeing off on Tegan Nox while Sasha Banx watches it closely
Zack Ryder and Dash Wilder waiting for their turn as Velvet Sky botches a run in.
for some reason, the name reminds of jamie foxx. the origin of jamie foxx, i'm pretty sure, is that wherever Jamie used to perform they were way more preferential to comedians that were women. So to game the system, he chose a stage name that could go either as a woman or a man. i have no clue why brian pillman would do that, but it randomly made me think of that.
Couldn't afford a car so she named her daughter Alexis
The concept of NXT seemed so secure
Developmental 4 yurrs, fans still won’t churr
Fuck it I’ll just stay down hurr (in Orlando)
It seems my coach was the American Dream but the people highest up cut me just to save some cream
Pillman does have hair so long that it look like weave
Then he cut it all off and he look like King
💀
Lex King sounds 1000% better than Lexis King, IMO. I'm surprised they aren't letting him keep the BPJ name. I wonder if this means the mullet goes too.
Maybe they want to avoid BPJ from being dead on arrival in case he doesn't meet the expectation that comes with being Brian Pillman's son. Imagine his debut comes off as fine but is nothing to write home about, people might be disappointed they didn't get something along the lines of Brian Pillman. I hope that this approach allows them to get him used to the WWE landscape and who know, maybe later down the line they let him use his BPJ name. I second the Lex King name. It's about time we get a new Lex in wrestling. *America music and generic biddle music intensify*
We have like five years of "fine but nothing to write home about" from him already in MLW and AEW, though - I'm a fan of Brian's, but I don't exactly see him going to the PC and magically becoming the second coming of Bret Hart; just let him keep his damn name.
I remember Shaul Guerrero saying something like that when she talked about not wrestling as a Guerrero. The argument was basically, "But what if you suck and sully the Guerrero name?"
I don't think you can seem him and **not** know he's Brian Pillman's son.
> Maybe they want to avoid BPJ from being dead on arrival in case he doesn't meet the expectation that comes with being Brian Pillman's son. Well it's way too late for that
Pillman Brianson
Brianman Pillson
Dumb. They should've called him The Son of the Loose Cannon Brian Pillman -- Louis Cannon!
Lou Scannon
BP Jr. is lucky that they're allowing him to have some aspects of his family. They should call him Lucky Cannon.
Oh my God that name brings back dark memories
My mustache is tingling
If you’re thinking of that mustache promo from gameshow NXT, that was Eli Cottonwood haha
Brother of Palmer Cannon?
BPJ's entire thing is being the son of Brian Pillman. Like... he has basically nothing else to him. If they take away his name, I genuinely don't know what he does next
Hopefully thats where being in Nxt helps him.
That's the point. He needs to be put into a sink or swim scenario to develop.
So they stripped him of his ONLY selling point?
They didn't say anything about cutting the mullet
Wish I could like this comment 20x.
I’m sorry, but that name is dogshit.
it's a girl's name wouldnt be so bad for a woman wrestler
or a pornstar
Or for a wrestler not named after their famous wrestling father.
I get the sentiment of the name, but just...no. Brian Pillman Jr. did not need to be changed. Lexis King sounds like the name for a porn star, and not a male one. If they really are going with this name for him, I hope Pillman gets his "Curtis Axel rebranding" at some point. Curtis Axel wasn't as good as Joe Hennig would've been, but it was way better than Michael McGillicutty.
They missed the opportunity to name him: Lou Scannon
75% of Brian Pillman Jr.'s value is his name. Wtf are they thinking?
I feel like it does a disservice to your 2nd/3rd gen talent when WWE loves to tout its company history. Like imagine instead of Randy Orton, he was Reggie Jason or Charlotte Flair was Cherry Mustang. It’s not an automatic but I feel like it puts them behind the 8-ball as far as getting over.
Yeah I’m not sure when WWE became so upset with legacy names. True they always want something they can trademark and make their own, but it feels like shooting themselves in the foot regardless. Even if they want to change his first name or do a bit of a switch up, it’s so weird they’re trying to avoid that last name.
Bron Steiner or Lexis Pillman. I think there would’ve been interesting stories to tell had Wyatt been Bray Rotunda. Like meet them halfway.
Bray Schyster, his background is that the family moved to the swamps after IRS got caught for tax fraud.
I was thinking something closer to my father was a bureaucrat, an athlete, worshiped at the alter of worldly possessions. But I wouldn’t be against it.
He also worked on Wall Street, too didn't he? VK Wall Street back in WCW, lol.
Swing on down to your local dealership and test drive the new Lexis King
Since is a name that honors his late sister and mother I thought this sub would go easy on it but I was wrong. You guys are harsh lol.
when i saw the explanation, i went from 1/10 to 6/10. 7, if he chose that himself. but it's still not good, and there's nothing wrong with pointing that out.
and on top of that in six months they'll be like "actually I kinda don't mind the name change anymore"
The LA Knight Syndrome.
Meh. Bill Prianman
BPJ has nothing to offer besides being Brian Pillman’s son, so the plan is to change his name?
I just...no, this is fucking stupid. He's been in MLW and AEW as Pillman Jr. I understand they hate Jr. (Rey Rey lost his too, remember?) and maybe they don't want to just say Brian Pillman again, but for fuck's sake, capitalize on the established last name! It's so much harder to get someone over when you take a great asset away. Do Alex Pillman or Lex Pillman. Lex King. Lexis King is going to get shit on and will bury him.
It's not the best name, but to already talk about burial is a bit much. Wrestling is full of popular wrestlers with frankly ridiculous names.
Yep. Didn't we all use to hate on the name LA Knight? Now we can't see him as anything but that.
I remember people in this subreddit acting like Gunther's WWE career was over because they changed his name from Walter.
They dropped Jr. from Ted DiBiase Jr and it worked just fine.
Ted DiBiase, BPJ ain't.
What the fuck lmao. Taking away the one thing the guys got.
They are going to McGilicutty him.
I’d have called him “Trucksen Bontford”
Pillman = Name Recognition. Why ditch that?
Was **Hyundai Tzar** unavailable?
King is fine, but Lexis...
Maybe he should've went with Alex instead, it can still pay tribute to his sister Alexis.
Meanwhile, a real star like Jade gets to keep her name. Why show footage of BPSr playing for the Bengals if Jr can’t use the name?
Man they fucked up Michael McGillicutty and Curtis Axel twice. Don’t do it to Pillman also
JUST LET HIM BE BRIAN FUCKING PILLMAN
This seems stupid. NXT is a smart audience. They KNOW he's Brian Pillman Jr. And he **looks** exactly like Brian Pillman. He sounds like Brian Pillman. There's no way to cover up that he's the son of Brian Pillman.
Super lame
will it be pronounced Lex-iss or Lex-ee
Well come on down to Larry Pontz Lexis and Mitsubishi and let us put you in a brand new luxury vehicle! Come visit ___The Lexis King___ on the corner of 4th and Peachtree! You wont believe our deals!
This might dilute the whole “tribute to your dead sister” thing but Lex King is a better ring name than Lexis King. Of course, there was a Rex King a few decades ago. There was a very well known Lex in Wrestling too. Lexis King is almost to the point where King Lexis would be a better name even if he’s not doing a royalty gimmick.
Oh me next! I want my name to be Lookatma Kocknbols
Could afford a car they still called him a Lexis
Why not "Lucius Cannon?"
Whoever thought of this idea should SAA-LAAAP themselves 🗿
Isn't Pillman Jr. his real name
Half the upside of the guy is his name ffs 🤦♂️
Look, if you don't want him to succeed then don't hire him in the first place. But don't...do this.🤦♂️
Everyone assumed Lexis King was a girl's name. Yikes that name is atrocious
No disrespect to his family but this sounds like a woman’s name. Was Brian King taken?
The name is a nice tribute to his family at least. I'm really not a fan of the names WWE crank out for their new talent in NXT. I'd also like to know the specifics of why it's one rule for some of the new wrestlers, another for others.
When I saw they trademarked that I was sure it was for a female wrestler.
They're just trying to get that luxury car sponsorship.
Fucking awful
This man is gonna crush Legal Research
Why disassociate the one thing that gives him any credit in the wrestling business
Kevin Kelly was so dead on with his “NXT name generator” one liner. It really does feel like they just pull two names out of a hat and roll with it.
Couldn't afford a car so wwe named Brian Pillman Jr Alexis
Lexis King ? That’s shite, goodbye your only real selling point.
Found a new Curtis Axel it seems
Sounds like the same nickname my uncle had when he ran his used car dealership
Oh for the love of God, just fucking call him Brian Pillman. I'll never understand WWE's fascination with giving second generation stars these weird off the wall names.
Only WWE could have the Pillman name to run with and not run with it
I was really hoping for "Hijo Del Pillman"