News broke late Tuesday afternoon that WWE had quietly released Lars Sullivan (Dylan Miley) last month. “The Freak” initially signed with WWE back in 2013 and had been portrayed as a dominant heel on NXT in 2018, but the combination of multiple scandals and a serious knee injury forced him off television for massive chunks of time. Since then, more information has been unveiled regarding the release, though WWE still hasn’t posted an official statement.
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Dave Meltzer reported via the Wrestling Observer on Tuesday night that Vince McMahon was still a strong supporter of pushing Sullivan when he popped up on television again last October. But that opinion began to change when Sullivan reportedly no-showed television tapings. His final WWE match wound up taking place on Oct. 23 when he squashed Chad Gabe in two minutes.
Sullivan spoke with Fightful Select on Tuesday afternoon, confirming the release and commending WWE on handling the situation with “compassion and honesty.” Sullivan admitted that he has been struggling with mental health issues, which were made worse by the death of his father last year.
He also took the blame for his actions that caused him to miss television and fall out of favor with the company, calling them “idiocy” and”his own selfish behavior.” Sullivan said he was grateful for his time spent in WWE, but stated he is likely done with professional wrestling.
The biggest scandal surrounding Sullivan came in May 2019, when a series of racist, sexist and homophobic posts he wrote on the Bodybuilding.com forum in the years prior to signing with WWE were discovered. He was fined $100,000 by the company as a result.
“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 at the time. “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.”
