AEW Legend On Brian Pillman Jr. Leaving – “It Wasn’t Working”

Brian Pillman Jr. is no longer All Elite, and one AEW veteran admits that the star wasn’t working out in the company.

Despite being signed to MLW at the time, Brian Pillman, Jr. began appearing in AEW from the company’s beginning, taking part in the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing in 2019. His contract with MLW allowed him to work on a per-appearance basis for the company until he officially became All Elite in 2021.

The second-generation star aligned with Griff Garrison in 2020, forming the Varsity Blonds. They were eventually joined by Julia Hart, who eventually left the group after being lured into the House of Black. While the faction made sporadic appearance on Dynamite and Rampage, they were mostly relegated to Dark and Dark: Elevation, and Pillman hasn’t wrestled on television since the February 1st episode of Rampage, where he lost to Swerve Strickland.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Pillman’s contract with AEW had expired, and he was gone from the company. Legendary announcer Jim Ross addressed the star’s AEW exit on the most recent episode of Grilling JR, saying that while he believes the star will find success in the world of wrestling, things weren’t working during his time in AEW.

“It wasn’t working,” Ross said. “He’s not losing any ring time. He’ll have plenty of opportunities. He’s just gotta structure his journey and be smart about the decisions that he makes and get all the in-ring time that he can. Wrestle as many matches as he can schedule. So, he’s gonna be fine, just gotta have his plan and work it.

His career took a minor tumble, but not one that you can’t get up from. So, I have a lot of confidence he’s gonna end up very successful in wrestling.”

h/t Inside the Ropes