The WWE wrestling league had huge plans for the 150-kilogram colossus Lars Sullivan. Instead, the story of the giant turned into a complex drama – and now he has completely disappeared from the scene.
WWE had big plans for him. Perhaps the biggest they ever had for a young talent.
Among other things, he was supposed to make his debut at the most important show of the year and compete against John Cena, the league’s long-time megastar, in front of over 80,000 spectators.
Instead, the story of Dylan Miley, alias Lars Sullivan, has developed into a complex drama involving bad luck with injuries, mental health issues, and indisputable misdeeds in the past.
In early 2021, the giant, who reportedly weighs 150 kilograms and is now 37 years old, was dismissed by WWE. He has since disappeared completely from the public eye.
Lars Sullivan reports ongoing anxiety disorder
In an interview with the Fightful portal after his departure, Sullivan explained that his career had been doomed to failure due to his ongoing problems with an anxiety disorder. These had worsened in the last year of his contract in 2020 due to the death of his father.
Sullivan reported that he had great difficulty doing his job and had suffered from eating and sleeping disorders on every day he was scheduled to appear on TV.
He does not blame WWE, but is instead happy about his dismissal – and hinted that his wrestling career is over. In fact, he has not competed in a match since, neither with rival AEW nor in a smaller league.
Sullivan was supposed to face John Cena at WrestleMania 35
Sullivan, born on July 6, 1988, in Westminster, Colorado, grew up as a wrestling fan (in 2005, he was in the audience as a fan at the legendary ECW One Night Stand show in New York) and followed in the footsteps of his idols when he signed with WWE in 2013.
His physique, his talent as a powerhouse in the ring, and his unique look – caused by a tumor-related growth disorder – seemed to predestine him for a great career.
WWE also fueled the hype early on: “This fist could change everything,” wrote talent executive Paul Levesque (Triple H) on Twitter in 2014 under a photo of Sullivan’s hand. A year and a half later, it was reported that superstar Brock Lesnar (whose WWE career has since derailed for scandalous reasons) had completed a private training session with Sullivan and was said to have been blown away.
In spring 2017, Sullivan made his debut in WWE’s NXT roster, with his main roster debut planned for early 2019, which was supposed to culminate in a match against Cena at WrestleMania 35 at MetLife Stadium in New York. There could hardly have been a more spectacular start to his career – but everything turned out differently.
Nasty comments online
Sullivan suffered panic attacks when he was supposed to perform in front of a large audience for the first time. He canceled several “dark matches” – rehearsals in front of an audience that are not broadcast on TV – and failed to show up at the arena without consulting league officials. Sullivan was self-critical afterwards, calling his behavior “selfish.”
Nevertheless, WWE officials responded to the situation with the necessary understanding at the time, the plan with Cena was scrapped, and Sullivan made his debut after WrestleMania with an attack on legend Kurt Angle. The plan to make Sullivan a big star seemed to be postponed, but not canceled – before the next twist followed.
Shortly after his main roster debut, Sullivan was caught up in a murky past when word got out that he had posted nasty comments on the internet in his younger years – his posts were racist, misogynistic, homophobic and much more. Ironically, he also made fun of people with mental health issues at the time.
WWE imposed a $100,000 fine
This wasn’t new at the time, and WWE is said to have sanctioned the matter internally back then. However, Sullivan’s debut on the bigger shows brought the issue to the forefront, prompting WWE to take further action.
The league imposed a $100,000 fine (a large sum relative to the usual annual earnings of non-top WWE wrestlers) and ordered sensitivity training. The basis for the punishment was a “morality clause” common in US sports and entertainment, which holds contractors liable for past conduct that damages their reputation.
Sullivan publicly apologized and assured everyone that his views had changed. Although Sullivan received support from colleagues – including African-American wrestler Titus O’Neal, who said he believed Sullivan’s repentance was sincere – the controversy only subsided to a limited extent. And it continued to haunt him even after a serious knee injury forced him out of the spotlight for 16 months.
Comeback quickly cut short
In October 2020, Sullivan returned as part of the roster for the Friday show SmackDown. He was once again accompanied by many critical and even malicious fan comments on social media, with details from Sullivan’s private life also playing a role – including allegations that he sent a female fan an inappropriate message on Instagram asking for revealing photos.
After a few weeks, Sullivan was removed from the shows without explanation. Sullivan had reportedly failed to show up for another TV taping, according to well-known wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer in his Wrestling Observer online forum.
Sullivan is portraying his dismissal as an amicable separation. He says WWE always treated him well and that he is to blame for failing in his “dream job.”
New career plan did not materialize
Immediately after his dismissal, there were reports that Sullivan was pursuing a new career as a real martial artist in bare-knuckle fighting. It never materialized.
In the meantime, Sullivan has almost completely disappeared from public view: He was active for a while on the Cameo platform, where fans can order personal videos from celebrities. Sullivan noted on his account that he had gone “from wrestler to philanthropist,” without elaborating further.
He posted his last video in November 2023.
