Karyn Best, known to WWE fans as Summer Sorrell during her time in the company’s developmental system, has confirmed that she has been released from her contract. The announcement came via her Instagram account, where she reflected on her journey, expressed gratitude for the experience, and shared that an ongoing injury hindered her ability to perform at her best.

“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 went on to open up about the recurring injury that limited her in-ring growth. “The reality is that I struggled with the same ongoing injury during a majority of my time at the performance center,” she explained. “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 standout collegiate track and field athlete before entering professional wrestling, Best participated in a WWE tryout in the summer of 2024 and went on to appear on the WWE reality series LFG. She later joined the WWE Evolve brand under the ring name Summer Sorrell.

Her exit follows a series of recent releases from WWE’s developmental system, which has included several well-known names such as former NXT North American Champion Wes Lee and Lance Anoa’i of the famed Anoa’i wrestling family.

Closing on an optimistic note, Best hinted that her wrestling journey is far from over. “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 said.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Karyn Best (@summer__wwe)