What happened to former WWE Superstar Lars Sullivan?
Former WWE Superstar Lars Sullivan celebrated his 34th birthday today, more than a year after he was granted his release from the company in January 2021.
The man, once known as The Freak, was pushed on SmackDown before being released after he had already made a name for himself in NXT.
Sullivan was part of many memorable feuds during his time on the black-and-gold brand, and he even chased the NXT Championship in a feud against Aleister Black.
But when he was promoted to the main roster, his career went downhill. The star reportedly suffered an anxiety attack ahead of his debut, which left him off-screen for five months.
After making his return, he was drafted to SmackDown, but he suffered a knee injury in a match against The Lucha House Party, which then sidelined him until October 2020. WWE subsequently introduced Sullivan as a new character, and he defeated Shorty G in what would be his final match.
Lars Sullivan has quietly stepped away from the wrestling business following his WWE release
Sullivan struggled with anxiety throughout his main roster career, and the star later noted in an interview with Fightful back in February 2021 that he was "likely done" with wrestling.
The 34-year-old has since started a career as a fitness and strength coach. He also offers wrestling training to aspiring superstars. It is reported that he retired from wrestling in April 202, but he is now looking to pursue a career in bare-knuckle boxing, according to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer.
'Dylan Miley, the former Lars Sullivan, is now doing boxing training with the idea of working for one of the Bare Knuckle promotions. He's 32, which is old to start boxing training. Also, you don't see a lot of 330 pound boxers or MMA fighters. The story is that he has no illusions about his age being a factor and just starting out, but is planning on competing in that sport," via Sportskeeda.
The former superstar has also remained active on social media and appears to still use the name that was handed to him by WWE as part of his online persona.