Ridge Holland says his recent remarks about his WWE release came from a point of frustration, but he’s thankful for the overall journey.
The former NXT star, whose real name is Luke Menzies, was injured while competing in a match for TNA this summer, which he later announced would require surgery. Following the injury, he was told by WWE that his contract would not be renewed. This led Menzies to post a tweet sharing his frustrations, noting he was worried he wouldn’t be able to pay his mortgage and felt like WWE hung him out to dry. In response, WWE terminated his deal, as they reportedly felt his comments were a breach of contract.
Menzies started a new YouTube channel and recapped his recent history, sharing how the initial injury happened. He also shared when he found out that WWE wouldn’t renew his deal, which happened just after his surgery.
“I think I recovered for about a week. I got a complimentary stay at one of the resorts in Orlando for my family, because my mom had flown over to help with the kids because I was incapacitated [after surgery], I couldn’t really do much,” Menzies explained. “Then we got there the first day, that’s when I got the call. They said they weren’t going to renew my contract. [I thought] ‘OK, well I’m injured and I don’t know how I’m going to make a living.’”
Menzies said he saw comments online about how he should have managed his finances better, but does not care to air his financial details on the internet. He noted the point of the video was to share that he was grateful for the journey he’s been on, both the good and the bad.
“What I do want to hold my hands up for is that last Tweet. It forced the situation to get a lot worse. That was purely out of frustration and I’m mad at myself for doing that, because it’s something that’s out of character for me. I don’t react that way. But I think knowing that my career with WWE was coming to an end, I never really got to show my true potential, whether that’s my fault or situational regarding injuries or things that happened, whatever [it was],” he noted, “I felt a bit wronged. I don’t know who by, just the whole situation, so I hold my hands up. If I [could do it over], I wouldn’t have posted that Tweet but I needed an outlet, I needed to vent.”
A GoFundMe campaign started by Susan Chapman of Saint Cloud, Florida, is active to help Menzies and his family offset living costs while he recovers from surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury. The campaign has a $60,000 goal and, as of November 7, 2025, has raised $8,650. WWE’s Chelsea Green and AEW’s Kyle Fletcher are among the wrestlers who have made contributions.
While WWE was paying for medical expenses related to the initial procedure, Menzies is also potentially looking at a neck fusion surgery in the future. Following his early termination, Menzies has announced he is now available for media and signing appearances.
