WWE REALLY Screwed Ridge Holland Over... (WWE News)

More details on Ridge Holland's WWE exit.

by Andrew Pollard
NXT Ridge Holland
WWE

With Ridge Holland the latest WWE name to announce that their time with the market leader is coming to an end, there are now some further details on Ridge's particular situation.

This past weekend saw WWE make its latest round of releases, as well as a couple of WWE ID prospects - such as Zayda Steel - decide against re-signing with the company. This itself came on the back of Jazmyn Nyx opting to walk away from WWE, and Idris Enofe being granted his release, not to mention the saga involving Santos Escobar. Word broke yesterday, from the man himself, that Ridge Holland would be leaving WWE when his contract expires on 14 November.

In the case of Ridge, he's currently injured, having broken his foot in a match against Moose for TNA on 27 September. The former rugby player noted how WWE informed him that they won't be renewing his current deal, but that they'll cover his medical costs as he continues to recover from that injury.

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Fightful Select now has an update on Ridge Holland, saying how he's set to be on the sidelines for the next six or seven months, and that, while some view WWE paying for his rehab to be a good gesture, the reality is that Ridge was injured while working a TNA date as part of his WWE deal, which means that he could have had a successful lawsuit on his hands if WWE hadn't paid for that rehab.

This Fightful report also backs up a recent Wrestling Observer claim that Holland - real name Luke Menzies - was on "NXT money", and he wasn't paid any extra for working that TNA taping. Additionally, the powerhouse's previous main roster deal was up in November 2024, with him then signing a new one-year contract that was $200,000 less than his prior deal.

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To clarify, Ridge won't be getting paid after 14 November, but it's a case of WWE covering rehab costs. WWE sources told Fightful they were disappointed that the company won't be paying the one-time Brawling Brutes man while he's injured, with one veteran telling the outlet how this would never have happened pre-pandemic, which is a concern for many on the roster.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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.