Ridge Holland Calls Out WWE for Releasing Injured Talent: “You Don’t Care About the Human Beings”

Santos Escobar and Zoey Stark being released by WWE last week definitely surprised many, but now former WWE star Ridge Holland is speaking out, and he’s not holding back.

Both releases came under difficult circumstances. Escobar had been dealing with multiple injuries and surgeries, while Stark was working her way back from a serious knee injury that required extensive rehab. The timing of those exits quickly led to discussion about how WWE handles injured talent.

While speaking to the Wrestling Pedigree podcast, Ridge Holland made it clear he sees a major issue with how the company handles situations like this, especially when injuries are involved.

“Usually the case is that when someone’s hurt, you rehab that person and keep paying them until they’re healed, and then let them go. I think it’s bad business practice. I think it shows that you don’t care about your talent—it shows that you don’t care about the human beings. These people got hurt working for you, you know.”

Holland pointed out that Stark’s case might be slightly different, noting she’s already close to returning and expected to receive her 90-day pay. But even with that distinction, he made it clear the overall situation doesn’t sit right with him.

“Although I think Zoey was pretty—she’s pretty much going to get her 90 days, and she’s going to get paid for the following 90 days. She’s already rehabbed, she’s ready to come back, so it’s a little bit of a different situation to me.”

Then Ridge Holland went right back to the bigger picture, specifically referencing Escobar’s situation and the idea of releasing talent still dealing with injuries.

“But I still think that if anyone—I know there’s talk of Santos Escobar being released while still needing tricep surgery and stuff—I just think that’s… I don’t think you can treat humans like that, especially when we’re putting our bodies on the line for you guys. I think there need to be better standards and practices when it comes to looking after talent.”

Bottom line: this isn’t just about roster cuts anymore. Ridge Holland is turning the conversation toward how those cuts are handled, especially when injuries are involved. And based on his comments, he believes WWE needs to rethink that approach.

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