Tag: Ridge Holland

Former Ridge Holland believes Vince McMahon & Bruce Prichard messed with him following Big E incident | Exclusive

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Following Ridge Holland’s traumatic incident with Big E, the former WWE wrestler recently revealed how Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard possibly messed with him after that.

In an exclusive interview with F4Wonline, Holland opened up on the ‘extremely difficult’ aftermath he faced following the incident with Big E. “ It was extremely difficult. Obviously, I’ll always preface it by saying the main point is that making sure that Big E was okay, and he’s all good now, and he’s healthy. But at the time, from a personal standpoint, it was probably one of the hardest times of my life. Coming in as a relatively unknown entertainer onto the main roster and then you know, being involved in an accident which put one of the biggest stars in the company on the shelf,” he said.

“So, from like death threats to all the social media things, it kind of marred my…kind of like drove a certain perception of me with fans that I struggled to kind of shake. And I’m sure that kind of went up into the, you know, the higher up into the office and stuff. And I just think their confidence in me, and especially my confidence in my own performance, was definitely affected ’cause I didn’t really wanna get in the ring. I was very nervous about getting in the ring after that. It shook me. So, yeah, it affected everything, home life, everything.”

However, when asked how the incident affected his working relationship with WWE and the higher-ups, Holland revealed an incident that he believes Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard did to mess with him.

“So initially, I was offered to go to counseling and stuff like that. Like it would be like, you know, obviously, like speak to someone, which I declined at that minute. I just didn’t really wanna speak to anyone, to be honest. The initial backlash, obviously, it’s funny ’cause the week, the week after, which I thought was kind of rough, they wanted me to do an apology promo live before I went out for a match.

“And I remember there were Vince [McMahon] and Bruce [Prichard] standing there, and they were counting down like thirty seconds till we go live. And I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know what I’m gonna say. I’m just gonna speak from the heart.’ And then it got to like five, four, and then they cut it. They just didn’t do promos right then. And then I had to go out and wrestle a match. So I think that was in poor taste. I think they did that to mess with me, and it really put a bad taste in my mouth, and I never really looked at those people the same, to be honest. I thought it was in really poor taste,” Holland finished.

Despite not being close friends with Big E, Holland respects the former WWE Champion and recently exchanged pleasantries with him at WWE WrestleMania 42. “I’ve had a couple of, you know, conversations with Big E. I actually saw him at WrestleMania. You know, I met his fiancée, and we just swapped pleasantries. You know, we were never close friends, but you know, I respect him, and I hope that goes both ways. I sent him some things, you know, to say sorry and profusely apologized, and I was in contact with him via text, you know, for days and weeks after, after the accident, checking in.“

The incident led to a lack of confidence in Holland, which he believes kept hanging over him. “It was tough just trying to kinda find myself again as a performer because I really was, on the main roster, being kinda like a Sheamus’ lackey. I never really got to find that area of like character development and wrestle like how I wanted to wrestle or be given the time to develop. And then obviously, with that hanging over me came confidence issues and stuff. So it kind of affected me. And the fans kinda labeled me as being unsafe and not being able to wrestle, and that followed me through, and it probably will for quite a while. So just trying to prove to myself that I am good at this, which I know I am. And trying to prove the naysayers wrong.“

Despite all the setbacks, Holland found his flow and enjoyed a successful second run in WWE NXT, Evolve, and TNA, before suffering an injury and getting released.

Ridge Holland looks back at his TNA injury and WWE release

Following a brief two-year run on the main roster, Holland returned to NXT. Looking back at his second NXT run under Shawn Michaels, he shared, “You know, we came in, and it was my idea to kind of run with the dangerous kinda, always injuring people. So that was my thing. I always wanted to come back, and the arc was to try a redemption arc. So I was always trying to do good, but things kept going wrong. And then the heel turn came. It’s when I started to realize, ‘Well, maybe I’m good at it. This is what I should do. Maybe I should be hurting people.’”

However, the incident with Ilja Dragunov became another turning point in his career. “But then, when the Ilja [Dragunov] thing happened, it got a great reaction. You know, it was all over social media and everything, and then I got the word that the higher-ups said it was too close to the bone, so they had to call me off. That’s what it felt like for my whole NXT run. I would get, you know, get hot and then something would happen. I’d get hot, and something would happen. But I thought I was probably the best heel on the show leading up to the Chase U thing. Yeah. I thought I was getting great heat, great reactions. There was never a silent moment in the crowd, and it was weird.”

Looking back at his second NXT and Evolve run, Holland believes he was lied to by WWE management, who kept assuring him everything was okay despite removing him from televised programs.

“I just got dropped off TV after the, after I lost to Ricky Saints, actually. I just got dropped off TV, and then the next thing was like, ‘Oh, four months later you’re going to Evolve.’ And I kinda knew the writing was on the wall then. I asked if there was anything that I could’ve worked on. Is it my work, my promos? What is it? They said, ‘No, everything’s cool.’ Which is a lie, you know. Obviously, they took me off TV for a reason. So frustrating, but I took the jump to Evolve as another opportunity to kinda rebrand myself, trying to take the positive out of a negative.“

Last year, in September 2025, Holland, aka Luke Menzies, made his TNA debut against Mike Santana. While he believes he had a good match with Santana and it showed him a “shimmer of hope,” things again fell apart when he injured himself during his bout against Moose.

Walking through the exact moment of the injury, Holland shared, “I was, uh, gonna give Moose a pop-up powerbomb, and because he’s so athletic and you know, he jumped so high, I thought I was gonna lose him. So I stepped forward, and he came down. I took a step back, and the foot that stepped back just twisted in my boot. Yeah. And that’s what caused the injury there. And obviously, I couldn’t really put weight on my foot, and I thought for his safety and my safety, I’ve been in that situation before, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I couldn’t continue. And then, went to the back, got seen by some medical personnel. And then it was just basically fly home, WWE paid for imaging, found out the extent of the injury, and then, you know, obviously went through surgery.“

However, the 37-year-old believes WWE releasing him while injured was “bad company practice.” Reflecting on the situation, he said, “ I think it was just the fact that the situation was pretty murky. It could’ve been anyone who went through that situation. I think there’d have been a bit of an outcry, but, you know, as I said, I wasn’t able to wrestle and earn a living for seven months, and to be unemployed at that point. Couldn’t really walk, put weight on my foot, or anything. So it’s not as if I could go out and get a regular job. So yeah, it was a pretty poor situation. I thought it was bad business practice. I just don’t think that you do that to human beings. But unfortunately it’s, it’s corporate America, right? Things happen.”

Now gearing up for his indie comeback dates and a run in the UK’s National Wrestling League, Holland is looking forward to reinventing himself and not targeting any specific promotion, be it AEW or other companies.

“So at the minute, my biggest thing is to totally reinvent myself, just work anywhere and everywhere, and not have my heart set on working for a particular company. It’s more or less starting from the ground up, just starting from scratch and creating a little bit of a buzz and just showing people, you know, what I can do. So yeah, it’s just a matter of picking up as many bookings as I can, and obviously trying to give back as well, trying to help in any way.“

Holland believes he has now acquired knowledge that he believes will be valuable to elevate other wrestlers and himself. “I’ve learned some lessons, and I’ve learned some things. I’ve got a certain amount of knowledge that will be valuable to some other people. So if I can elevate myself, but elevate other people at the same time, that’s the goal.”

Former Ridge Holland compares working environments under Triple H and Vince McMahon | Exclusive

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

The former Ridge Holland has now broken down how different it was working under both Triple H and Vince McMahon.

Rising from a small town in West Yorkshire near Leeds, Ridge Holland, aka Luke Menzies, was a rugby player before becoming a professional wrestler. Training in the UK and the European indie circuit, Menzies built himself a strong portfolio before flying out to the USA for WWE NXT.

Speaking to F4Wonline in an exclusive interview, Holland opened up about his time in NXT and the WWE main roster. Holland joined NXT in 2020 while it was still under Triple H’s leadership and in the Black & Gold era.

“Yeah, I mean, it was always about opportunity, giving people opportunities. You know, you might have had to wait a little bit, but my personal experience was that everything was great. He had from what it seems and what I heard, he had big plans for me. Everything was going swimmingly, obviously, until I got, I got injured, which seems to be a kind of like a bit of a running theme in my career up until late. But yeah, you know, nothing but good experiences really. You know, obviously coming in and not experiencing that type of environment before and having someone who was firmly behind you was, you know, it was a massive boost in confidence,” Holland said.

However, shortly after, he was put on the main roster where he experienced a completely different environment under Vince McMahon. “So at that point, it was just Vince [McMahon] because Triple H had had his health scare.  All my dealings on the main roster were basically with Vince, Bruce [Prichard], and John Laurinaitis. So yeah, that was an experience [laughs].

“Just as what you’ve probably heard from anyone else. Very intense. Obviously, he’s a crazy billionaire, you know. It’s intense. Being there and just watching him operate. I had a couple of interactions with him. And from what I can remember, that for the Brawling Brutes at least, he had some big plans, but, you know, and they kind of never really came to fruition, and I’m sure it’s just something that, you know, it happens. Yeah, nothing truly negative. But yeah, he was there, and it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, look, there’s Vince. There he is walking past’ and stuff, so. He’s got a bit of aura.'”

Many pro-wrestlers have communicated the same before and described how competitive and pressurised the situation was working under McMahon. When asked to compare the two working environments under McMahon and Triple H, Holland said that while one was like walking on eggshells, the other was much more relaxed.

“I  think the main thing was that around Vince and around that kind of the systems he had in place, there was a lot of kind of like people walking on eggshells. Just from how he liked everyone to be pretty high-strung in a really competitive environment. But when Triple H took over, it was more like just relax, and you could kind of more or less just take a deep breath and be yourself. And I think everyone felt a little bit more comfortable, if that’s the right term. Just a little bit more comfortable.”

Holland’s jump to the main roster saw him get paired with Sheamus and Butch (Pete Dunne) as part of The Brawling Brutes. While he enjoyed his time with the duo, Holland believes WWE never pulled the trigger on them.

“It was good fun.  I think we had a lot more legs than what we were to achieve. I think we had a lot more in us. But it was fun, you know, traveling down the road, and obviously, Sheamus is, you know, Hall of Fame career, you know, certified Hall of Famer. And just to get in there and obviously be reintroduced back with Pete [Dunne], it was great. We managed to get ourselves organically over as babyfaces, and with that, Sheamus had one of his most babyface runs. But yeah, it just felt like they never really pulled the trigger. I mean, we wrestled a couple of times for the tag team belts. You know, we were in the War Games, the inaugural War Games on the main roster. Yeah. And then we had a really good kind of like Donnybrook match with Imperium. But yeah, it was fun. Although I think there was a lot more that we could have done. But I was grateful for the opportunity,” Holland said.

Despite feeling he could’ve done more with The Brawling Brutes, Holland expressed his gratitude for whatever plans WWE placed him in. Recalling being a part of the first main-roster WarGames match, he shared, “Yeah, just again, a big opportunity. I never realized that we’d be involved in that. But it was a funny situation because we didn’t really have the match down until like 20 minutes before bell time. Nerve-wracking. But we all the beats and made sure that The Bloodline and all of their story. That was the main point, the story of The Bloodline. You know, it was the main point of getting that out, you know, getting that across, and we managed to do it. I would’ve liked to have a bit of a bigger part in it and done some more things, but you know, you’ve just gotta play your part. You know, and play the role that you can. But I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I can say at least I was involved in that match.“

Luke Menzies, fka Ridge Holland, recalls his memories working with Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus

Roman Reigns is regarded as one of the biggest names on the WWE roster. With an extremely successful portfolio, Reigns is often seen at the pinnacle of the company. When asked about his experience working with Reigns, Holland said, “We’ve been in a couple of six-man tags, and then obviously the War Games match. But he’s a huge star. He’s super cool behind the scenes. He just does his thing, you know? He is the marquee. His face is on the, you know, everything. So he carries himself like a star. He is a star. He performs like a star. He’s the man. Every encounter that I had with Roman Reigns, although fleeting, they were all positive. He was a cool guy.“

The West Yorkshire native also had positive words to say about his fellow Irish and British Isles wrestlers, Sheamus and McIntyre. When asked what advice they gave him, Holland said, “Just basically, just to be physical, be aggressive. Obviously, those two guys are, you know, that’s their forte. So a lot of people pull from their own experiences in trying to give advice from the things that they’ve encountered. So, just be aggressive, bring it in the ring, and bring that mindset, which is what those guys did. Yeah, good times. More memories of, like, being on the road and being in the car with Drew and Sheamus, ’cause they are like a married old couple. You know, they’ve been friends forever, so hear them bickering and stuff. We used to call Drew ‘Sleepy’ ’cause he was always in the car sleeping, and Sheamus would be more or less be the wheel man. So we had some good times.”

A former rugby player, Holland experienced a run in the European indie wrestling circuit, which he believes has given rise to several top wrestlers in the world right now.

“Yeah, I mean, when you look, you look at the, the kind of like the plethora of talent that we’ve had from the British independent scene, right? You don’t have to look as far as NXT UK. The inaugural version of that, where you had like your Pete Dunnes, your Tyler Bates, your Trent Sevens, you know, your Jordan Devlins, even your Rampage Browns. I’m probably missing a ton of names out here, you know,” Holland said.
“And then you go across obviously, like the European side, where you have Ilja [Dragunov], you know, Imperium, Walter. And then obviously I’ve never really had much dealings with Will Ospreay, but he’s obviously a fantastic talent and, yeah, I think that it showed that there was a pathway for young budding wrestlers, passionate young wrestlers, that there was an actual avenue to get to where they wanted to be, which was obviously WWE. And now we’ve got even more options there with the AEW, TNA, MLW now and stuff, and so yeah, it showed people that there was an actual pathway.”

In his career, filled with ups and downs, the road was not always easy for Holland. From training under Marty Jones to getting his US visa rejected and then wrestling in the indies, Holland has made a name for himself. Now cleared to wrestle after his injury, Holland is gearing up for his comeback in the UK’s National Wrestling League.

Former Ridge Holland explains how new NWL promotion is a ‘coming out party’ | Exclusive

Posted on by Josh Nason

As confirmed by Luke Menzies himself on Monday, the former Ridge Holland in WWE has his next destination set: the new National Wrestling League.

In exclusive comments released to our website, Menzies opened up about joining the new group, how he’s still figuring out the rules, and why he feels like it’s a “coming out party” of sorts as he begins this next stage of his career.

The 37-year-old announced in April that he has been fully cleared for an in-ring return after recovering from a Lisfranc injury in addition to neck surgery and that he is accepting indie bookings for the UK this summer.

Enter the NWL, a UK-based promotion inspired by European football/soccer leagues with six teams of wrestlers competing for points in a standings-based format. Dates for August (Newcastle) and October (Glasgow) have already been announced.

“The National Wrestling League will be kind of like a pretty much a coming out party, and I’m really looking forward to it. You know, getting there and getting my hands dirty and obviously helping it grow,” he said.

The West Yorkshire native will be part of Team Yorkshire, something he said “that’s close to my heart.”

“It’s just interesting, you know, obviously kind of like a group stage, tournament style. Obviously, we’ve got a few teams now. I’m sure there are some more names to be announced as well, but it’s just exciting. It’s something different, and I think obviously something that bringing football and wrestling together,” he said, also noting he is still figuring the rules out and that he’s likely to be the first to score “a yellow card or a red card for not following the rules.”

His next match will be his first since late-September 2024 when he took on Moose in a TNA dark match where he suffered the Lisfranc injury while still under contract with WWE. In November, WWE informed him that contract would not be renewed. Menzies then notably went public about his issues with how things went down, especially given his financial and family situation at the time.

With the NWL, he is hoping for a fresh start.

“I think (the NWL) is ready made for success in Britain and, hopefully, it will bleed over into international markets as well. I just think it’s something exciting to be a part of, and I’m looking to add some value to that as well, and then help it kick off in a big way.”

Former Ridge Holland says he’s cleared for in-ring return

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

The wrestler formerly known as Ridge Holland can now be called “formerly injured.”

Luke Menzies, who spent seven years wrestling in the WWE system as Ridge Holland, has shared a letter from his doctor on social media that immediately clears him for in-ring activity. 

The note is signed by Norman Waldrop III, M.D. “I am writing regarding my patient, a 37-year-old professional wrestler who underwent a C5-7 cervical disc replacement (CDR) performed by Dr. Qureshi at Hospital for Special Surgery on November 24, 2025,” the note begins. 

“He has progressed very well post-operatively, with an excellent clinical recovery. His follow-up imaging demonstrates appropriate positioning and function of the implants without complication. At this time, he has returned to his baseline level of function and physical capacity. 

“Given his recovery, he is medically cleared to return to professional wrestling activities as well as contact sports.”

The last sentence of the note was written in all caps: “PATIENT IS ABLE TO RETURN TO FULL CONTACT ACTIVITY WITH NO RESTRICTIONS IN REGARDS TO HIS LEFT FOOT.” Waldrop than signed the note and dated it April 6.

Menzies was under contract with WWE when he sustained a Lisfranc injury while wrestling Moose at a TNA TV taping in Edmonton last September. In November, WWE informed him his contract would not be renewed. Menzies posted to social media that he felt “hung out to dry” by their decision. WWE responded by releasing Menzies a few weeks before his contract was set to expire. 

Menzies later decided to undergo neck surgery while he was sidelined with his foot issue. 

Big E: My heart goes out to Ridge Holland, I hope he’s doing okay

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Big E has never held any ill will toward Ridge Holland over the move that ended his in-ring career.

On WWE SmackDown in March 2022, Big E suffered a broken neck while taking an overhead belly-to-belly suplex from Holland. The accident has forced Big E to retire from the ring, but he has no limitations in his daily life and remains with WWE in a broadcasting role.

Big E reflected on the incident during a new interview with radio station 107.7 The Bone, saying wrestling is inherently dangerous and he knows Holland did not mean to hurt him. Big E also expressed that he hopes Holland is doing well amid what’s been a difficult time for him, which has included neck and foot injuries of his own as well as Holland not having his WWE contract renewed.

“I talked to Ridge right after it happened. He actually sent me like a 10-pound box of meat as well. You know, that’s how men say I’m sorry, ‘Here’s a box of meat.’ [laughs] Thankfully, we had a conversation. There was never any grudge held on my end,” Big E said.

“Things happen in our industry. Things happen, people get hurt, it wasn’t malicious. I told him immediately there was no hard feelings. I know, unfortunately, he’s gotten a lot of flack online. And I know he’s dealt with injuries of his own. He’s dealt also with losing his job. My heart in many ways goes out to him. And I hope he’s doing okay, and I hope he’s recovering. But, man, there was never a moment of ill will at all for me. It’s the nature of what we do. You signed up for something that is incredibly fun, incredibly rewarding, but also has very inherent dangers as well.”

Safety in wrestling became a big talking point when William Regal sent out a post in December urging wrestlers to stop doing “stupid” moves where they get dropped on their neck. 107.7 The Bone asked Big E what he thought about Regal’s message.

“When you’re young — I knew neck injuries happen in our industry, I never thought that would happen to me,” Big E said. “And it’s very easy to feel invincible when you’re young. And it’s very sobering when you get to talk to these legends and you realize they’ve been on the other side of things where now they’re dealing with pain. They’re now dealing with life in their 50s, 60s, and beyond and dealing with all the bumps and bruises from time in the industry. So I think his message was very poignant and just wanting to take care of these young athletes.”

Ridge Holland says he’s cleared for physical activity

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Luke Menzies, who wrestled as Ridge Holland for WWE, has shared some good news on social media: he has been cleared for physical activity.

“As of today I’m fully cleared to return to unrestricted physical exercise after my two-level cervical disc replacement I had eight weeks ago … UNREAL,” Menzies wrote. “I just need to get these screws out of my foot next. You can call me the Bionic Yorkshireman!”

The post included an x-ray of Menzies’ neck with two discs that have been replaced, along with photos of himself in a neckbrace and showing his surgical scar.

Menzies sustained a Lisfranc injury while wrestling Moose at a TNA TV taping in Edmonton on September 27, 2025. In November, WWE informed him his contract would not be renewed at that point, and Menzies posted to social media that he felt “hung out to dry” by their decision. WWE responded by releasing Menzies a few weeks before his contract was set to expire. 

JNPO: November 2025 wrestling year in review | AEW, WWE, Ridge & The Walkout

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

It’s a special weekend edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out as Josh’s pro wrestling year in review series is nearly complete.

Josh and returning guest Paul Fontaine of this website and Fight Game Media talk all about the month of November and over 600 topics like:

  • Samoa Joe winning the AEW World title at Full Gear and all the happenings from the PPV
  • John Cena’s final PPV/PLE match as part of WWE Survivor Series
  • A month where both WWE and AEW held double cage matches
  • The announcement of Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final ever opponent
  • Ridge Holland speaking out about his WWE release and financial situation
  • Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize walking out of AEW Collision and the fallout
  • The best of WWE, AEW, CMLL, TNA, AAA and more

Click here to listen for free or stream for free on either Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Ridge Holland feels he was blamed for Big E’s injury by ‘certain members’ in WWE hierarchy

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Ridge Holland has shared his thoughts on what WWE felt about him following Big E’s injury.

Having recently undergone neck surgery, Holland is often remembered as Big E’s final in-ring opponent. After a ringside suplex led to an accidental landing, Big E’s in-ring career came to an abrupt halt. Recently, speaking at a virtual signing that K & S WrestleFest, Holland opened up about the aftermath of the injury and claimed that he felt “certain members” of WWE’s hierarchy held it against him, leading to significant backlash.

The former NXT Tag-Team Champion felt that he was blamed for Big E’s injury and made it difficult for him to progress in his WWE journey.

“I felt it a little bit,” Holland noted. “I felt it did affect my career from going forward. I never really got started. I think it probably was a black cloud that was hanging over me, from certain members in the hierarchy. Not mentioning any names but, I think it kind of put a black mark on me going forward and it made it very difficult for me to get past that in the eyes of some people in the company.”

Last month, Holland was informed that his contract would not be renewed once it expired on November 14th, 2025. The news came after Holland suffered a lisfranc injury in a match against Moose during a TNA Wrestling taping on September 27.

Since then, the English star has been extremely vocal about his run, how WWE treated him, and his financial difficulties. While he is no longer associated with the Stamford-based promotion, WWE recently covered the cost for his neck surgery.

Ridge Holland undergoes neck surgery

Posted on by Ian Carey

Luke Menzies, the former Ridge Holland in WWE, provided an injury update on Instagram on Tuesday.

Holland revealed that he’s undergone disc replacement surgery as a result of two herniated discs in his neck. He says the surgery was deemed to be “very successful.”

The caption of Holland’s Instagram post reads:

“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility due to pain in my neck, I consulted with doctors and had tests taken that determined that I had two collapsed discs in my neck resulting in nerve impingment. Yesterday I underwent disc replacement surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan with Dr Sheeraz Qureshi.  The surgery was deemed to be very successful. 🙏🏻🙌🏻💪🏻 And I got a room with a view!”

Holland included a video of him showing off the view from his hospital room.

WWE released Holland from his contract just weeks before it was set to expire this month after Holland posted to social media that he felt “hung out to dry” by the company due to them not renewing his contract while he was injured. Holland sustained a Lisfranc injury while wrestling Moose at a TNA TV taping in Edmonton on September 27.

Holland’s full post on Instagram is available below:

Exclusive: Details & insights on WWE NXT pay scale

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Image: WWE

Former WWE NXT wrestlers such as the former Ridge Holland and the former Gigi Dolin have spoken out lately about how poorly the talent in NXT is paid.

Our Bryan Alvarez, however, says those claims aren’t entirely accurate.

He is reporting that “confirmed NXT deals start at $75,000” but that “big-name talent brought in from the outside obviously make more than that.”

“Nobody is making $30,000,” he wrote.

If there is one group falling below that level, they are performers operating under a WWE ID contract but there’s some key differences.

“ID talent make much less than $30,000, but they aren’t under an official TKO contractual salaried deal,” Alvarez explained. “They’re paid a small amount to help upgrade their look, etc.”

The former Holland, released from his NXT deal earlier this month, has been quite outspoken about his ensuing financial struggles while the former Dolin (Priscilla Kelly), who was released in May, has claimed that some in NXT were paid as little as $30,000 a year.

Ridge Holland says home foreclosure notice led to airing of WWE grievances

Posted on by Ian Carey

Ridge Holland says frustration over his home being foreclosed on led to him airing his frustrations with WWE on social media.

Holland spoke with Cultaholic’s Tom Campbell recently and said that he’d run into financial problems beginning in November 2024, when he took a significant pay cut to go from WWE’s main roster to NXT. He said WWE first offered him a three-year deal at NXT pay, but he asked for a one-year deal instead.

Holland said:

“After my contract was due for renewal previously when I went to NXT, they offered me a three-year deal at a 50 per cent pay cut. With everything financially, I’m like, I can’t tie myself in for three years for that. It’s impossible. So can I do a one-year extension and I’ll try and make it work? We’ll cut back where we can and try, and even then that’s what started the financial issues.”

Holland also mentioned that non-US citizens pay a higher premium for things such as mortgages and insurance. He also mentioned having additional costs related to obtaining a green card.

Holland says that he received a foreclosure notification on his home shortly before posting a message on social media saying he felt “hung out to dry” by WWE on November 4. The company opted to end his contract early as a result of the comments.

Holland continued:

“We’ve got a foreclosure notification on the house, so I just took to Twitter and I just needed to vent. I’m not gonna vent to my wife, she doesn’t need it. She knows. She doesn’t need me p*ssing and moaning, so I just typed it out. It was kind of like a way of coping. I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have let my emotions get to me. Then, obviously, what’s the old saying? Blow your feathers, you get your ass tickled.”

He says that it was maybe two hours after he posted the comments that WWE called to tell him he was being released, just 10 days before his contract was set to expire.

“Maybe two hours…It was just, ‘We’re going to exercise our right to terminate the agreement effective immediately. Bye.’ I just asked about the medical stuff, asking if that’s covered. And it was, ‘Yeah. Contact the medical team.’ And that was it. Obviously, I’m the one who put the tweet out, right, so I’ve got to take responsibility for that. It is what it is.”

Holland’s full conversation with Cultaholic is available below:

Ridge Holland details taking huge pay cut in last WWE deal

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During a Monday appearance on Busted Open Radio, Luke Menzies (the former Ridge Holland) detailed taking a sizable pay cut in his last WWE deal.

Menzies signed a new one-year contract with WWE in 2024 that was a 58 percent reduction from his previous pay on the main roster. He was betting on himself by trying to show what he could do in NXT, but things didn’t work out the way Menzies intended. Shortly after suffering a foot injury, Menzies was informed last month that his contract was not being renewed.

When Menzies asked WWE in 2024 how they came to the valuation of a 58 percent pay cut, he was told that “they” didn’t see the value. Menzies viewed that as a contradiction because WWE originally wanted him to sign a three-year deal at that reduced number. He countered with one year as a way of proving himself.

“It was a contradiction. If they didn’t see value, they would cut me right there and then, right? If they didn’t see the value,” Menzies said. “So why offer me a three-year deal for a 58 percent pay cut? Which I obviously said — I said, ‘Look I can’t be tied in at three years for that amount of money. I can’t do that. I’ll bet on myself for a year. I’ll do a year and bet on myself and then let the chips fall where they may.’

“So I really don’t understand where the 58 percent came from, other than the fact that they said they didn’t see the value. And that lit a fire under my ass to say, ‘Well, I’ll prove you wrong.’ And obviously things went the way they went, really. You know, I got taken off TV and, like I said, to Evolve. Used it as an opportunity, tried to rebrand myself. Went to TNA, had a great time, wrestled Mike [Santana]. And then the foot injury happened and then I got, you know, not renewed and then subsequently fired because of my own actions.”

Menzies said he would pitch ideas and ask what he was doing wrong over the past year, but he was always told that everything was fine — though there was one point where a coach “put the jigsaw pieces together” and asked Menzies if he had put any feelers out elsewhere because his name had not come up lately in creative.

“When I got taken off [NXT] TV, I was asking, I was pitching ideas. One of the pitches was for me and [Yoshiki] Inamura to do a best-out-of-five series,” Menzies said. “I pitched a few things. And I kept asking, ‘Is it my promos? Is it my work? What do I need to do? What have I done wrong?’ And everyone says, ‘No, everything’s fine.’ And I’m like, I ain’t stupid. Don’t p*ss in my pocket and tell me it’s raining.”

The pay cut had a negative impact on Menzies’ finances, with him using his savings to make up for the shortfall that losing so much of his income created. Being told that his WWE deal would not be renewed while recovering from foot surgery was a tough blow. And, after getting bad news about foreclosure proceedings regarding his house, he voiced his frustration in a social media post last week. The post led to WWE terminating Menzies’ contract a week early due to disparagement.

“Obviously I had saved money, but because of the pay cut, those savings went into, kind of, helping with the shortfall for taking the pay cut,” Menzies said. “So they were no longer there, right?”

This week, Menzies has an appointment with a surgeon regarding a likely neck fusion surgery. That surgery would keep him out of action until approximately May 2026. Menzies noted that he believes WWE will be paying for the neck surgery and rehab because it is already an open case.

Ridge Holland releases statement on GoFundMe

Posted on by Ian Carey

Ridge Holland has released a new statement regarding the GoFundMe campaign launched to help him and his family following his departure from WWE.

Holland’s statement clarifies that he had no advanced knowledge that a GoFundMe would be launched, saying a family member did so without his permission.

Holland wrote:

“Thank you all for the incredible support shown through the GoFundMe campaign.

However, I want to clarify that I was not aware the page was going live and had no prior discussion with the family member who created it.

I’ve since requested that no further donations be accepted, and this change should take effect within the next 24 hours.

One we figure out how to move forward and I recoup the amount donated, I will be donating said amount to charity.

I sincerely apologize if the page caused any upset or offense — that was never the intention. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.”

He later clarified that he won’t be donating the GoFundMe money to charity, but once he has some money coming in he will donate the same amount to charity.

He wrote, “I AM NOT DONATING THE GO FUND ME MONEY! Once I am earning money and in a position to donate I will donate to charity. This will be the money i earn not the go fund me money. I am not a scammer.”

The GoFundMe was set up by Susan Chapman, who provided an update on the page on Sunday. She also stated that Holland and his family did not know about the GoFundMe before she launched it.

Chapman wrote:

“Hello everyone, I wanted to write this update to let you know that I’m the mum of the father that you all are supporting. I set this fundraiser up for the family without them knowing because I want to help. I also wanted to thank you all for your support, it is very much appreciated.”

WWE’s Chelsea Green had posted to social media in support of the GoFundMe in addition to donating $1000. However, her posts on the subject were scrubbed from her social media a short time later. Raj Singh, Omos, Kyle Fletcher, and Nick Jackson also donated.

Holland’s situation was addressed by Dave Meltzer in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, stating that WWE’s side of the story is that Holland was going to be cut last year but requested to move to NXT and take a pay cut instead. WWE feels Holland should have known the move to NXT was not a long term role.

Meltzer wrote:

“Basically the WWE side of the Ridge Holland story is that they were going to cut him one year ago, but he asked to stay and work NXT with a significant pay cut. They felt that he should have known this probably wasn’t going to be a long-term thing and the idea is that he made a lot of money while he was on the main roster and should have prepared finances with the idea he may not be there much longer.”

Holland’s statement is below:

https://twitter.com/RidgeWWE/status/1987523368598245670

Jinder Mahal responds to critics of Ridge Holland’s GoFundMe campaign

Posted on by Ian Carey

Raj Singh (formerly known as Jinder Mahal) responded to someone on social media recently who was critical of a GoFundMe campaign being launched to support former WWE wrestler Ridge Holland.

The GoFundMe to support Holland has raised over $10,000. Mahal is one of the largest donors to the campaign, having donated $1000.

Mahal recently responded to a user on X who commented on a story related to Holland’s situation and saying sports leagues and wrestling promotions should invest in financial training for its athletes. The former WWE Champion wrote:

“WWE does have financial education programs. Just curious — how much do you think NXT talent make when you subtract travel, wrestling gear, maintaining a professional athlete physique, gym, and supplements… now subtract taxes. Now, with what’s left, try raising a family, paying for groceries, rent/mortgage, car payments, and personal health insurance for you and your family. Now factor in not being able to earn income due to injury. Finally, add the fact that you no longer have WWE-provided health insurance for wrestling-related injuries — and you’re staring at a possible neck surgery.”

WWE wrestlers Omos and Chelsea Green have each contributed $1000 as a recurring monthly donation to the GoFundMe. AEW wrestlers Kyle Fletcher and Nick Jackson have each donated $1000 as well.

Dave Meltzer addressed the situation with Holland in Friday’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, stating that WWE’s side of this story is that Holland was going to be cut a year ago but he asked to move to NXT with a significant pay cut instead. WWE feels he should have known his contract likely wouldn’t be renewed when it expired this year.

Meltzer wrote:

“They felt that he should have known this probably wasn’t going to be a long-term thing and the idea is that he made a lot of money while he was on the main roster and should have prepared finances with the idea he may not be there much longer.”

Meltzer also addressed what Holland was likely making during his tenure with WWE.

“If you figure $350,000 to $500,000 is what he was making one year ago, and a cut of 55 percent would be $157,750 to $225,000 until he stopped being paid this week.”

Holland, who is not expecting to be medically cleared to return to wrestling for half a year, was informed in October that his WWE contract would not be renewed when it expired on November 14. He was then released from the company outright after expressing frustration with his situation on social media.

WOR: TKO/WWE business, Ridge Holland, WON Awards talk

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with the Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Here were some of the things we discussed:

  • TKO business
  • Ridge Holland
  • Ben Askren’s comeback
  • Megan Bayne’s busy schedule
  • Victor Conte and steroids in baseball
  • WON Awards

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube