WWE Releases Ridge Holland After Social Media Post

Former WWE wrestler Ridge Holland, whose real name is Luke Menzies, revealed in recent interviews that his abrupt release from the company stemmed from a social media post venting frustrations over financial hardships and an injury sustained outside WWE programming. The post, made on November 4, 2024, led to his contract termination just two hours later, 10 days before its scheduled expiration in mid-November.

Holland, an English performer who had been with WWE since 2019, described how his professional setbacks began earlier in the year. After being moved from the main roster to NXT, he faced a contract renewal offering a three-year deal at a roughly 50 percent pay cut. Unable to commit long-term under those terms, he negotiated a one-year extension instead, hoping to prove his value and return to television. "With everything financially, I'm like, I can't tie myself in for three years for that. It's impossible," Holland said in an interview with Cultaholic. "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."

As a non-U.S. citizen, Holland noted additional burdens,...