Back on June 11 Lars Sullivan was scheduled to wrestle Matt Hardy on an episode of SmackDown Live. However “The Freak” never appeared on the show, and reports quickly started getting out that he was dealing with some type of knee injury. Both Fightftul and the Wrestling Observer originally reported that the injury was not considered severe, but then the latter came out with a follow-up report this week stating that the injury could be much worse than originally thought.
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According to this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Sullivan’s injury could have him out of action for six to nine months, meaning he wouldn’t return until around the time of WrestleMania.
This injury is the latest in a series of roadblocks for the 330-pound behemoth. Sullivan was initially teased to make his main roster debut in November and was reportedly set to feud with John Cena up to a match at WrestleMania 35. But Sullivan reportedly suffered an anxiety attack the night of his planned debut, and did not appear on WWE television until the night after WrestleMania.
But then in May a collection of offensive comments Sullivan had made on online forums prior to his time in WWE started to go viral. Wrestlers and sponsors began responding to the comments, leading to WWE and Sullivan both releasing statements.
“There is no excuse for the inappropriate remarks that I made years ago,” Sullivan wrote in a statement. “They do not reflect my personal beliefs nor who I am today, and I apologize to anyone I offended.”
“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,” WWE wrote in a statement to Fightful. “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.”
While he spent weeks attacking people on television, Sullivan did not have his first match on the roster until the Super ShowDown event, where he faced all three members of The Lucha House Party in a handicap match. The following week on Raw he squashed the trio in a handicap elimination match.
