Charlie, the wrestler WWE fans spent years knowing as Dakota Kai, is engaged. Her fiancé is Karl Fredericks, who wrestled in NXT under the name Eddy Thorpe. The two fell for each other while both were under WWE contract, and less than a year later, they were released by the company on the exact same day.
Charlie broke the news herself, the way she breaks most news these days: on her own podcast. The latest episode of ZELVX and Charlie Girl, which she co-hosts with Zelina Vega, is simply titled “CHARLIE GOT ENGAGED!” Mid-conversation about a man with good taste, she smiled, held up her hand, and let the ring do the talking.
Wrestling Twitter had approximately the reaction you’d expect.
A Proposal That Took a Detour
Fredericks popped the question on the couple’s two-year anniversary, in the streets of Sanford, Florida, the same city where they had their second-ever date. The original plan was reportedly a nearby garden, but it had already closed for the night by the time dinner wrapped. So Fredericks improvised, walked her back to where things started, and asked anyway.
Who Are Charlie and Karl Fredericks?
Charlie, born Cheree Crowley in New Zealand, signed with WWE in 2016 and broke out during the first Mae Young Classic before returning in 2022 as a founding member of Damage CTRL alongside Bayley and IYO SKY, a run that included two reigns as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion. Fredericks spent seven years in New Japan Pro-Wrestling‘s LA Dojo, winning the 2019 Young Lion Cup, before signing with WWE in 2023 and debuting on NXT as Eddy Thorpe, a name built around his Native American heritage as a nod to fellow athlete Jim Thorpe. He challenged Trick Williams for the NXT Championship during his run there.
Released the Same Day, Engaged a Year Later
The couple went public with their relationship in July 2024, while both were still active on the roster. Less than a year after that, WWE released both of them on the same day, May 2, 2025, in the same round of cuts that included Braun Strowman, Shayna Baszler, and Cora Jade. Fredericks later said he’d actually asked for his own release, wanting to build something more meaningful outside of WWE. Charlie has since rebuilt on the independent scene, including a match against Kris Statlander at EVE’s Wrestle Queendom, while Fredericks made his own return at West Coast Pro. Both are currently free agents.
Whatever comes next for either of them in the ring, they’ve clearly got the personal side figured out. Congratulations to Charlie and Karl.
