This past Saturday night at WWE NXT Deadline, Lexis King came up short in his attempt to defeat Carmelo Hayes in one-on-one action. The loss comes on the heels of King bringing turmoil into the lives of Hayes and Williams, as he has sought to plant seeds of dissent between the two men. Weeks ago, Williams was attacked backstage by a mystery assailant who has still not been identified, but King has claimed was Hayes. Williams has ruled out his long-time friend as a potential attacker, but many fans still leave the possibility open.
King has quickly found a spot for himself in the WWE NXT landscape as a heel, but he was a beloved babyface in AEW before leaping the sports entertainment juggernaut. Therefore, the former Brian Pillman Jr. still has his fair share of supporters. Many fans on social media have begun to call themselves “registered Lex offenders,” and, during his latest Twitch stream, King addressed the moniker.
“Yeah, the registered Lex offenders is a little; as much as I think it’s funny, I think that one has to die,” he made clear. “Because, you know, we can’t say that on TV. And it’s just a little too, you know. I appreciate the creativity, you guys.”
The move to distance himself from the controversial label is a good one, as the pro wrestling industry recently saw several members ousted following the #SpeakingOut movement. The movement was rooted in various members of the business, primarily women, airing their stories of sexual harassment and abuse. Names like Joey Ryan, Marty Scurll, and Dave Lagana were all named and are no longer active in the industry.
King will likely return to WWE NXT TV this Tuesday night, where he may continue to be a thorn in the side of Hayes and Williams. The latter of which won the men’s Iron Survivor Match at Deadline and is next in line for a WWE NXT Championship shot against Ilja Dragunov.