Ex-WWE Star Accuses Company of Forcing Him Into Stereotypical Gimmick

TLDR

Former WWE star Eddy Thorpe, who was released in 2025, has accused the company of forcing him into a stereotypical Native American character that limited his creative expression. In an interview with Dale Clifford, Thorpe claimed WWE reduced his character to outdated visual stereotypes involving "animal bones" and "chokers," and pushed storylines where he would be "out by a fire smudging his injury, passing sage over it." Thorpe stated that his character was written by "white men who don't know anything about my people" and that he was pressured to portray himself in ways that didn't align with his authentic identity.