Karyn Best, who competed under the ring name Summer Sorrell in WWE’s developmental system, has announced that she has been released from the company.
Best shared the news in a heartfelt statement on her Instagram account, reflecting on her journey and the challenges she faced due to a recurring injury.
“It is hard to find the right words to express what wrestling means to me. I have developed a passion and love for this business that is unlike anything I have felt before,” Best wrote. “I have loved every second. From long, stressful days filming, to challenging days in the ring, to many hours of rehab. Not a moment went by where I didn’t feel like the luckiest girl in the world.”
Best revealed that a persistent injury significantly affected her time at the WWE Performance Center. “The reality is that I struggled with the same ongoing injury during a majority of my time at the performance center,” she stated. “This held me back from ever being able to show my true potential in the ring. Knowing that I only got the opportunity to show you a small fraction of what I am capable of is what is hurting me the most.”
A former collegiate track and field athlete, Best first gained attention during a WWE tryout in the summer of 2024 before appearing on the reality series LFG. She later performed on the WWE Evolve brand under the name Summer Sorrell.
Despite her release, Best remains optimistic about her future. “But if that was only a fraction, imagine what happens when I’m finally at a hundred percent… the story doesn’t end here — it finally gets interesting,” she wrote.
Best’s departure comes amid a wave of recent WWE developmental releases, which reportedly included former NXT North American Champion Wes Lee and Lance Anoa’i of the legendary Anoa’i family.
