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Why Released WWE Star Really Asked To Leave The Company

By Lyle Kilbane • Published Jun 23, 2025 07:10 EDT
WWE Eddy Thorpe Dijak logo blur

A released WWE star has revealed that they weren’t a victim of roster cuts but rather, they asked to leave.

Dakota Kai was amongst a host of names let go by WWE on May 2nd, with the likes of Braun Strowman and Shayna Baszler also shown the exit door. Several NXT names were also released at the same time, with the likes of Cora Jade, Dani Palmer, Eddy Thorpe, Gallus, and Jakara Jackson now looking to continue their careers elsewhere.

Thorpe and Kai are in a relationship, and both will surely be looking to continue their wrestling careers elsewhere. Thorpe is perhaps better known for his spell in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he was known as Karl Fredericks. In NJPW, Fredericks graduated as a Young Lion before he became a regular part of the roster. During the COVID shutdown, he joined NJPW STRONG based in the US before joining WWE.

Many people might have assumed that he was the victim of roster cuts, but it seems his exit from WWE was what he wanted.

Karl Fredericks Wanted Out Of WWE

Taking to social media, Karl Fredericks responded to a fan who was complimenting the star for taking a political stand and revealed he asked to leave WWE for a very good reason:

I asked for my release from WWE so I could do something f*cking meaningful with my life.

Fredericks also agreed that his final six months in NXT had been the best run of his life in wrestling, so asking for his release won’t have come from a place of frustration over his role.