Ridge Holland Contemplated Quitting WWE After Big E Injury

Big E’s in-ring career essentially came to an end in 2022 after he was dumped on his head by Ridge Holland via a belly-to-belly suplex. More than 3 years after the incident, Holland has now admitted just how badly it affected him as well.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Ridge Holland opened up about the 2022 incident, saying it has stayed with him every day since. He explained that he and Big E had very little time to plan the match because a meeting with Vince McMahon kept getting delayed until right before showtime.

“Obviously, the thing that affected me more than anything was the Big E situation. I just want to say that if I had a time machine right here, right now, the first thing I would do is go back and not do that spot. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about it, and there probably never will be.

What happened that day was we were supposed to have a meeting with Vince, and it kept getting pushed back because other people took priority. Guys higher on the card wanted to speak to him, so our meeting kept getting delayed. When we finally got in there, we had a really good chat, but by the time we got out, we had about 12 minutes before bell time. I think we were on first or second, and we had roughly 20 minutes to put the match together.”

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With only minutes to put things together, they went with a spot where Big E would dive through the ropes, Holland would step aside, and then follow up with the suplex. Looking back, he regrets not keeping it simpler.

“The spot was: Big E goes for the suicide spear, I move at the last second, he hits the floor, and then I hit him with a belly-to-belly to put an exclamation point on it. In retrospect, what should’ve happened was: he hits the suicide dive, that’s it, move on.”

Holland said the mistake wasn’t intentional; sometimes things go wrong in wrestling and he will always be grateful that Big E forgave him. However, the situation deeply affected him. It shook his confidence so badly that he thought about quitting.

Performing on a global stage becomes much harder when your confidence cracks, and he felt that pressure heavily.

Whether I didn’t give him enough, whether he didn’t give me enough — things go wrong. It’s not ballet. Unfortunately, it happened, and I’ll always regret that spot. I’m grateful that Big E, being the class of human that he is, forgave me. And for anyone out there who thinks there was any malice — there wasn’t. If I could change it, I would in a heartbeat.

But what happened really shook my confidence. I honestly contemplated quitting. When you’re out there on the main roster, under a worldwide spotlight, the last thing you want is to lose your confidence. Because once that goes, it shows in everything you do.”

Big E never held any animosity towards Ridge Holland for the incident, but unfortunately, Holland continued to receive death threats long after he accidentally injured Big E.

Ridge Holland’s honest words show how much he has struggled with what happened, and Big E’s forgiveness shows what kind of person he is. Fans may care a lot about the wrestlers they watch, but it’s important to remember that they are real people, taking real risks, every time they step in the ring.

What are your thoughts on Ridge Holland’s reflection and the emotional weight he shared? Do you feel the wrestling community handled the situation fairly? Sound off in the comments.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.