Karl Fredericks will take on a role beyond competing when PRODUCE Wrestling presents its Season 2 premiere, SKODEN, on Monday, October 12 in Brooklyn, New York. The event, also billed as PRODUCE Volume 5, falls on Indigenous Peoples’ Day and will be co-produced by Fredericks. While the opportunity carries obvious personal significance, Fredericks has revealed that his first reaction to the proposal was not immediate certainty.
Fredericks said he initially felt hesitant and nervous while considering what it would mean to help shape a show with a cultural theme at a pivotal stage of his own career. After working in WWE NXT as Eddy Thorpe, he has been focused on moving forward while also being mindful of how his identity and prior presentation might factor into the next chapter of his career.
“I was originally a little bit hesitant and nervous in my head on the phone call when the idea was presented to me,” Fredericks said. “I have a very active brain, so even as I speak, there’s 300 thoughts going all at once.”
The former NJPW and NXT performer explained that he quickly began weighing the potential benefits of the show against his desire not to become narrowly defined by one aspect of his background. Fredericks made clear that his concern was never about distancing himself from his culture. Instead, he was thinking about the overall direction of his career and the type of projects he wanted to take on after his time as Eddy Thorpe.
For more background on this topic, read Chad Gable Says New WWE Entrance Theme Reflects Who He Is as Intercontinental Champion.
That uncertainty began to fade once Fredericks understood the wider PRODUCE concept. He learned that the company was approaching its cards as collaborations with multiple wrestling figures. Rocky Romero had already been involved with a co-produced show, while the War Dogs were also set to have one. That context helped Fredericks view SKODEN as a creative partnership and a chance to bring his own recommendations to an already ambitious event.
A Curated Card Built Around Opportunity
The currently announced lineup reflects that broad approach. Nyla Rose, Janai Kai, Jonathan Gresham, Lio Rush, Lee Moriarty, The Blade, Fred Rosser and EFFY are among the names attached to the event. Fredericks emphasized that the appeal was not solely the cultural framing of the show, but the opportunity to place developing talent in an environment alongside established and distinctive wrestlers.
Fredericks specifically discussed wanting to help provide a platform for Indigenous wrestlers and independent talent who may not otherwise receive the same visibility or share a card with this particular collection of names. Pat Sawyer was one of the wrestlers Fredericks had already been in contact with for several years. Their connection began through social media, with Sawyer offering encouragement during Fredericks’ NXT run as Eddy Thorpe.
When planning began, Fredericks also asked Sawyer to suggest several performers worth watching. That outreach was part of a larger goal: use the co-curator position to identify talent, make recommendations and create meaningful intersections between wrestlers from different scenes and levels of exposure.
Nyla Rose was a particularly natural inclusion in Fredericks’ eyes. He knew PRODUCE was trying to bring her onto the show, and once her involvement became official, he considered it an obvious and important addition to the card. Rose’s presence adds established star power to an event that is also designed to spotlight wrestlers seeking a larger stage.
Fredericks pointed to the announced tag bouts and the depth of the lineup as proof that SKODEN is intended to stand on the strength of its wrestling as much as its occasion. Gresham and Rush bring high-level technical and athletic credentials, while performers such as Rosser and EFFY offer different styles and perspectives to a card built around variety.
The show also gives Fredericks a chance to reconnect with names he has crossed paths with before. He recalled his time around the NJPW STRONG environment, including working alongside Rosser. Fredericks described Rosser’s arrival in that locker room as a memorable experience, particularly given the atmosphere of that period in NJPW STRONG.
Not a One-Night Label
The central creative consideration for Fredericks was ensuring that the event did not feel limited by its theme. Indigenous representation is an essential part of SKODEN, particularly with the event taking place on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but Fredericks did not want the card to come across as a separate or isolated version of professional wrestling.
“For me, I didn’t want it to be like one night only, indigenous championship wrestling type of feel,” Fredericks said.
That distinction speaks to the balance PRODUCE is attempting to strike. The event can celebrate Indigenous performers and experiences without reducing them to a novelty attraction or suggesting they only belong in a designated themed setting. Fredericks’ comments indicate that the goal is a strong professional wrestling card first and foremost, one where the cultural significance deepens the presentation rather than constraining it.
He credited the PRODUCE team with easing his concerns early in the process. Fredericks said the promotion handled much of the creative work and assembled the major matchups, while his role has involved curating talent and bringing names forward for consideration. He noted that Dante Chen and Javi were among the wrestlers he personally advocated for as part of the process.
That division of responsibilities has allowed Fredericks to contribute his own relationships and eye for talent while remaining part of a collective creative effort. It also means SKODEN is not simply a vehicle for one performer. Fredericks is an important face of the event, but the card is designed to bring together Indigenous talent, non-Indigenous talent and wrestlers from a range of backgrounds in one setting.
Fredericks Welcomes the Stakes
Rather than downplaying the pressure connected to co-producing a culturally meaningful card, Fredericks has embraced it. He acknowledged that he cannot speak for every Indigenous person and that the event will carry different meanings for the wrestlers involved. That includes the younger performers receiving a major opportunity and the non-Indigenous talent joining a card meant to foster a specific kind of community and visibility.
“For me, I’m not a monolith for all Indigenous people,” Fredericks said. “So for every person on that card and all the non Indigenous people, these things mean different things to different people.”
For talent such as Sawyer, the show represents both a celebration and an opportunity to make an impression. Fredericks understands that duality. A prominent card can be affirming, but it also brings expectations. Wrestlers want to stand out when the lights are brighter, the audience is broader and the circumstances make the event especially memorable.
Fredericks feels that same responsibility in a different way. Because PRODUCE approached him to co-curate the event, he sees a need to justify the faith placed in him. He wants to demonstrate why he was selected for the role and why an event like SKODEN matters. For him, however, those stakes are energizing rather than discouraging.
“I’ve gotta go out and show why and why it was me instead of someone else or why we’re doing it in the first place,” Fredericks said. “It’s exciting, those stakes are good.”
There is also a welcome simplicity underneath the larger responsibility. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Fredericks gets to wrestle—a pursuit he described as what he loves most—while contributing to a card intended to create opportunities for others. He also noted plans for an after-party, adding a communal element to a day built around competition, celebration and connection.
What to Expect on October 12
PRODUCE Wrestling’s SKODEN is scheduled for Monday, October 12 in Brooklyn, New York, and will stream on MyAEW PPV as the opening event of the promotion’s second season. The event is being presented as a co-produced showcase, with Fredericks’ involvement giving him a significant chance to shape the talent mix and help elevate performers he believes deserve attention.
With Rose, Kai, Gresham, Rush, Moriarty, The Blade, Rosser and EFFY on the announced card, the show has already assembled a diverse array of styles and reputations. The involvement of younger Indigenous performers and independent wrestlers adds another layer to a lineup that Fredericks believes should be evaluated on the quality of its matchups as well as the purpose behind it.
Fredericks entered the project with understandable caution. He did not want a major opportunity to become a limiting label, and he did not want Indigenous representation to be treated as a one-night concept. After learning how PRODUCE planned to approach the collaboration, he found a framework that matched his goals: celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, deliver a stacked wrestling show and open doors for talent that deserves a bigger platform.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.