Lexis King says the door is open for Avery Styles to potentially become part of BirthRight.
King was in action in the main event of the September 22 episode of WWE NXT on The CW, teaming with BirthRight stablemates Uriah Connors and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo for a victory over Sean Legacy, E.K. Prosper and Zilla Fatu.
Following the show, King appeared on Busted Open After Dark with Bully Ray (full episode below), with Connors and Stacks later joining the discussion. During the appearance, the possibility of A.J. Styles’ son Avery Styles joining BirthRight was brought up.
King was immediately receptive to the idea, praising Avery both as a performer and for how he conducted himself while recently backstage at NXT.
“Of course. I mean, have you seen the kid work? Of course,” King said when asked if Avery would be welcomed into BirthRight. “He’s phenomenal, no pun intended. He’s a very talented young man. He’s also very well-spoken, very respectful, was raised by someone who I admire, someone who I look up to, a very respectful man, a very incredible performer.”
King believes Avery has benefited from growing up around his father and the discipline it took A.J. Styles to reach the top of the wrestling business. He also pushed back against criticism of Avery’s conduct behind the scenes.
“So the amount of discipline and the amount that it took A.J. to get to that level, I guarantee that as much as he’s around his kid, his kid has absorbed every bit of that. That kid shaked every hand in NXT. I don’t know all these rumors about him not setting up the chairs. I think that’s all bullcrap.”
King then compared Avery’s situation to his own experience as a second-generation wrestler. King, the son of Brian Pillman, admitted that he did not always have the right attitude while working on the independent scene.
“Now, I will say, when I was on the indies, I wasn’t setting up rings and stuff but, I had that chip on my shoulder. I thought people owed me something. I was a piece of sh*t. I was a bad indie, second-gen guy.”
King said he believes Avery faces a different challenge because his father remains an active and recognizable wrestling star, leaving Avery with the task of establishing an identity separate from A.J. Styles.
King pointed to BirthRight as an example of second-generation wrestlers moving away from their family names and creating identities of their own.
“You kind of see that with our group now. We’ve all got different names; we’ve got our own identities. I know people wanna see us get our names back, this, that, and the other. But it’s the greatest thing for us. It allows us to completely step out and disregard the shadow of our parents.”
King believes BirthRight could provide Avery with a similar opportunity if he eventually makes his way to WWE NXT.
“I think if Avery came to BirthRight — he’s gonna come to NXT — he can carve his own identity, create his own name, develop his own finish, his own offense. He’s incredibly talented. I’ve only seen a couple of matches and I mean, the kid blows me away every time.”
Avery Styles is currently signed with TNA Wrestling. He has yet to make his in-ring debut for the promotion, but has appeared on television as part of an on-screen alliance with Frankie Kazarian.
