Ex-WWE Star Did Not React Well When Offered A Pay Cut

A veteran WWE superstar didn’t like it when the company told him to take a pay cut.

The saga of Ridge Holland’s WWE departure has become a public affair far more than most releases.

Ridge Holland went public when he announced that WWE informed him that his contract wouldn’t be renewed when it expires in mid-November. The married father of thee, whose real name is Luke Menzies, is obviously not happy about it.

After Holland complained about the situation, because he’s suffering from a foot injury that is preventing him from wrestling, it was reported that Holland’s complaining online caused WWE to terminate his contract early.

That led to a GoFundMe fundraiser being created, which Holland himself didn’t make, and then he had to go online to say he was closing the GoFundMe that was created for him.

Ridge Holland Wondered Why WWE Told Him To Take A Pay Cut

During his WWE career that began in 2018, Holland had runs on NXT and SmackDown. When he was on SmackDown, he was part of the Brawling Brutes group with Sheamus and Butch (aka Pete Dunne). After the group dissolved, Holland returned to NXT as part of Chase U in a babyface role, until he turned on them and had a solid run as a singles heel.

While speaking to Busted Open Radio about his WWE departure, Holland said it was strange when he was told he would have to take a significant pay cut to remain with the company.

“I went from the main roster down to NXT, and then I remember being in a conversation with a head coach. They threw the number out there. I was like, ‘Well, why? Where does this number come from?’ And they said to me straight point blank, ‘They’ — whoever ‘they’ is, I asked the question, they couldn’t tell me — They said, ‘They don’t see the value.’

So I kept asking, ‘Who’s they?’ I would like to talk to these people in person. I would like to get their side of the story… And it was a contradiction. If they didn’t see value, they would cut me right there and then. ‘They’ didn’t see the value, so why offer me a three year deal for a 50% pay cut? Which obviously 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.’

So I really don’t understand where the 50% came from other than the fact that they said they didn’t see the value. And that lit a fire under my ass. I said, ‘Well, I’ll prove you wrong.’ And obviously, things went the way they went, really.” (H/T Wrestlepurists)

In the same interview, the former Ridge Holland claimed that WWE would pay for his upcoming neck surgery, which will sideline Ridge until May of next year.

Make TJR Wrestling your choice for news by clicking here.