Luke Menzies (FKA Ridge Holland) Clears Up GoFundMe Controversy (WWE News)

Ridge Holland comments on recent GoFundMe campaign.

by Andrew Pollard
NXT Ridge Holland
WWE

With a GoFundMe campaign recently launched on behalf of former WWE star Ridge Holland, the British powerhouse has moved to clarify this situation after requesting the campaign to be pulled.

Ridge announced in October that his WWE deal was not being renewed when it was up in mid-November, though that deal was ultimately terminated a little earlier than scheduled due to public comments WWE deemed to be a breach of contract. Those comments saw Holland state how WWE had done the "bare minimum after what we sacrifice for the company", that he feels like he's been "hung out to dry" in this "brutal" situation, and how "I never thought I'd not be able to pay my mortgage".

For those unaware, prior to being notified that his contract wasn't being renewed, Ridge Holland suffered a broken foot in a TNA match against Moose back in September. The road to recovery for Ridge was expected to be seven months, and he's also discussed how there's a chance that he may need neck fusion surgery down the line.

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As such, a GoFundMe campaign was recently launched to help Ridge out financially. However, the real-life Luke Menzies has taken to X to explain that he had no knowledge that this campaign was going live, and that the campaign was set up by a family member that's since been revealed to be Menzies' mother.

Once he's back on his feet and able to work and earn money, the one-time Brawling Brute has promised to donate to charity "the amount donated" already. To avoid any confusion, he's not donating the GoFundMe money to charity, but will be donating the same amount to charity once he's in a position to do so.

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Susan Chapman, Luke's mother and the creator of this GoFundMe, has also commented with the following:

"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."
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.