Since Triple H was appointed as WWE’s Head of Talent Relations, the company have made an effort to sign a number of previously released talents, including the likes of Johnny Gargano, Hit Row, Dakota Kai, and many more. Recently, WWE’s recruitment strategy has seen them also show interest in external talent that have no prior connection to the company, with the biggest example of this being the recent signing of AAA’s Dragon Lee, whilst there is also believed to be interest in bringing in NJPW’s Tama Tonga and Hikuleo.
It now appears as though WWE have made yet another signing, as PWInsider are reporting that Karl Fredericks, formerly of NJPW Strong, has signed with the company and is expected to join the NXT brand.
“Karl Fredericks, 32, who exited New Japan Pro Wrestling in August 2022 when his contract expired, has officially signed with WWE for the NXT brand, PWInsider.com has confirmed. Fredericks started this week at the Performance Center in Orlando.”
-PWInsider
Having originally been trained by Reno Scum, Fredericks got his start in the business on 2015, and later joined NJPW’s LA Dojo in 2018, training under the legendary Katsuyori Shibata until his departure last year.
Fredericks featured regularly on NJPW Strong until the expiration of his contract, with the 32-year-old sharing the following message on twitter thanking the company for the opportunities they gave him over the years.
“I want to say thank you to the company for the opportunities and especially thank you to Shibata-San for believing in me and bringing me along his journey with the LA Dojo. Last but not least, thank you to my fans and thank you to the NJPW fans for Your support over these years. I hope You will continue to support me along my path wherever that may lead.”
-Karl Fredericks
As always, we’ll aim to provide any updates on Fredericks’ WWE signing and potential NXT debut as soon as we hear more.
