Luke Menzies, the wrestler formerly known as Ridge Holland, has opened up about the details of his final year with WWE, revealing he took a massive 58 percent pay cut on his last contract. During a Monday appearance on \"Busted Open Radio,\" Menzies detailed the \"contradiction\" in his negotiations, his financial struggles following the pay cut, and the \"kick in the balls\" injury situation that led to his eventual firing.
Menzies explained that when his main roster contract was up in 2024, WWE offered him a new three-year deal, but at a 58 percent reduction from his previous salary. When he asked why the offer was so low, he was told that \"they didn\'t see the value\" in him. Menzies found this to be 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.’”
The massive pay cut had an immediate negative impact on his finances, forcing him to drain his savings just to \"helping with the shortfall\". Creatively, he was taken off NXT television and moved to Evolve. Despite pitching ideas and asking what he was doing wrong, Menzies was repeatedly told \"everything\'s fine\".
“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”.
Menzies\'s attempt to prove himself ended when he suffered a severe foot injury at a TNA taping in September. While recovering, he was told his contract would not be renewed. This, combined with receiving bad news about foreclosure proceedings on his house, led him to voice his frustrations in a social media post last week. Menzies confirmed that post led to WWE terminating his contract a week early due to disparagement.
He also revealed he is dealing with a separate neck injury and has an appointment with a specialist to see if he needs fusion surgery, which could keep him out until May 2026. He stated that he believes WWE will be paying for the neck surgery and rehab as it is an \"open case\".
