WWE has made a change to the roster, releasing Lars Sullivan. The wrestler, whose real name is Dylan Miley, was quietly released by the promotion last month. WWE officials confirmed the move this week, ending a stint with the company that began in 2013.
Sullivan made his official NXT appearance in 2018, performing under the name of “The Freak.” He became a powerhouse heel character and took part in an NXT Championship against Aleister Black at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II in June 2018. He lost the match but later made a jump to the main roster, first appearing in April 2019. Although his time in the spotlight quickly became less of a story than controversial posts.
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In May 2019, a string of posts on the Bodybuilding.com forums were discovered. These comments, which came before Sullivan’s time with WWE, contained racist, sexist and homophobic remarks. WWE hit the wrestler with a $100,000 fine and then took him off of television a month later due to a knee injury.
“WWE supports a culture of inclusion regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, and we are committed to embracing all individuals as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide,” the promotion said in a 2019 statement. “Dylan Miley (aka Lars Sullivan) will be fined $100,000 and required to complete sensitivity training for offensive commentary uncovered from his past. WWE will also facilitate meetings for Dylan with community organizations to foster further discussion around the power of social media and the impact of your words.”
Sullivan made his return to television in October 2020 and made a surprise appearance on SmackDown. He also took part in a match against Chad Gable on the Oct. 23 episode of SmackDown, his final WWE appearance. At this time, Sullivan became embroiled in another controversy.
Screenshots surfaced online showing an Instagram direct message conversation between Sullivan and Annika Naidoo-Fuge, a fitness instructor who runs the account [Yoga For The Athlete]. In this conversation, Sullivan asked for explicit photos. Naidoo-Fuge declined the request. She then took part in an interview with BodySlam.net and discussed the situation.
“Essentially Lars had been friendly for the best part of a year and the inappropriate comments only started recently,” Naidoo-Fuge explained. “As a professional who is good at what she does, I just think it’s a little sad that men feel they can send messages like that. It’s insulting.” She posted a series of screenshots online and said that Sullivan had crossed a line.
