| Karl Fredericks | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 15, 1990 Reno, Nevada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Eddy Thorpe Karl Fredericks |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 222 lb (101 kg)[1] |
| Trained by | |
| Debut | May 17, 2015[2] |
Karl Fredericks (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on NXT under the ring name Eddy Thorpe. He is also known for his stint in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the winner of the 2019 Young Lion Cup.
In 2018, Fredericks entered New Japan Pro-Wrestling LA Dojo, along with Clark Connors and Alex Coughlin. He visited Japan for the first time as a representative of the LA Dojo at the Young Lion Cup held in September 2019 and won the tournament with 12 points.[3][4] Fredericks teamed with Hirooki Goto for the World Tag League in the same year, finishing with 3 wins and 12 losses.[5]
In August 2020, Fredericks competed in the inaugural New Japan Cup USA tournament, with the winner receiving a match for the IWGP United States Championship. He lost to Kenta in the first round.[6] From this time on, he changed the colors of his shorts from black to red. At the main event of "Ignition" on June 25, 2021, Fredericks challenged Tom Lawlor for the Strong Openweight Championship and lost.[7] On August 1, 2022, Fredericks' contract with New Japan expired and he announced he would not renew it.[8]
In January 2023, it was reported he signed a contract with WWE.[9] In February, he was assigned the ring name Eddy Thorpe.[10]
Fredericks is a Native American and his WWE ring name is a reference to athlete Jim Thorpe.[11][12]