Lexis King Admits AEW Exit Caught Him Off Guard

Lexis King’s contract with AEW expired back in 2023 and he immediately made his way to the WWE Performance Center, eventually becoming an NXT Superstar. With that said, King has now admitted that he was caught off guard by his AEW departure.

While speaking on the No Contest Wrestling podcast, Lexis King talked about his departure from AEW. King noted that by the time he was finally finding his stride in AEW, he felt it was too late, adding that AEW was a sink-or-swim environment.

Lexis King further added that his contract had simply expired and it wasn’t like AEW decided to release him before it was supposed to end. However, King admitted that he was caught off guard by his exit since it was out of the blue.

“It might have been a little too late, you know. AEW was very much a sink-or-swim environment, so by the time I found myself, it might have been a little too late. I don’t think it was—my contract had come up. It wasn’t like I was released before it was done, but it was out of the blue.”

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King pointed out that towards the end of his run, he took part in house shows and believed he was doing well. He wrestled against Jeff Jarrett and Claudio and had several fun matches. Since many top stars didn’t want to do house shows, he thought he was proving his dedication by being there. He always put the company first and remained a big fan of AEW while he was there.

“I had been doing a lot—we had started doing house show loops, and I had been performing well. I had a match with Jeff Jarrett and Claudio, and some really great, fun house show matches. So I was on the road with the team, and at the time, a lot of the bigger stars weren’t willing to do those shows. I thought I was showing a lot of willingness to work and to be there for the company. I really did put the company first. I was very much a huge fan of AEW while I was there.”

Lexis King’s AEW departure was ultimately the best thing for him since he is now the NXT Heritage Cup champion and is one of the brand’s top names. King will always be grateful for his time in AEW, but he has moved on to the next chapter of his career and he wouldn’t have it any other way now.

Was AEW right to let Lexis King go, or did they miss out on his potential? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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