WWE has fired Lars Sullivan, PWInsider’s Mike Johnson exclusively reports. Although the sports entertainment company has not announced it publicly, WWE has confirmed to Johnson that the wrestler is no longer under contract with the company, having been quietly released last January. At the moment, WWE has not issued any statement in this regard and his profile on WWE.com is still active.
Sullivan’s career in WWE ends like this after almost 8 years with the company. The wrestler began pro-wrestling training under Bobby Lashley in 2013. With Lashley’s recommendation, Sullivan was hired and joined the Performance Center in 2014. In May 2017 he made his NXT debut as Lars Sullivan, gaining prominence on the show and eventually defeating Kassius Ohno at that same year’s NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
In late 2018, WWE began announcing their rise to the top brands alongside other NXT talents. His debut, originally planned for January 2019, had to be delayed after various media reported that he had suffered a panic attack. After weeks of promotion, he finally debuted on RAW on April 9, 2019, attacking Kurt Angle after his last match at WrestleMania 35.
Weeks later, WWE removed him from television after offensive messages with racist, xenophobic and homophobic content that he had made in the past on an internet forum for bodybuilders came to light. The company fined the fighter $ 100,000, forced him to attend an awareness course, and make a public apology. Sullivan replied on his social media: “There are no excuses for the inappropriate comments I made years ago. I have not taken into account who they are today, and I apologize to whoever may have offended.”
After returning to action, Sullivan suffered a serious injury in June 2019, after holding a match against Lucha House Party on RAW. The medical evaluation confirmed that Lars should be of low between 6 and 9 months, it being out of action for almost a year. Before his return, the fighter continued to accumulate controversy after discovering his past in adult cinema and accusations of sexual harassment.
Finally, Sullivan returned to action on October 9, 2020, on SmackDown, attacking several fighters and notching a pair of victories in the following weeks against Jeff Hardy and Chad Gable. After starring in a couple of segments, he left television programming again at the end of the year without being mentioned again.
