Ridge Holland got one of the better landing spots a WWE call-up can get when he was paired with Sheamus, but even he admits that came with a built-in problem.
During his conversation with Sports Jedi Network, Holland talked about getting linked up with Sheamus on the main roster. He made it clear that working with a future Hall of Famer was a huge opportunity, but he also said there was only so far he could go in that setup. Holland said being placed with Sheamus gave him experience, but it also meant Sheamus was always going to be the centerpiece.
“And then you get put with Sheamus, which is a fantastic opportunity, but there’s a ceiling there. He’s always going to be the, you know, the pivot that, you know, you know, the point man. He’s always going to be the, the main man.”
That left Holland in a rough spot as someone still trying to grow, get ring time, and prove what he could do as his own act. Holland did not trash the experience. He said he learned from it and knew it was valuable. Still, he admitted it could have gone a lot better.
“So as far as a performer who wants to grow and be given more time and, and show what they can do in the ring, he kind of stifled a little bit and I feel like that was the case.”
“Was it a great experience? Did I learn a lot? Yeah. Do I think it could have gone a lot better? Yeah, but I think if you ask 98 of wrestlers that, I think they’ll probably give you the same answer.”
That is the part that makes this hit harder. Holland is not saying Sheamus held him down. He is saying the role itself had limits. When a wrestler is placed next to a made man like Sheamus, there is exposure, but there is also a clear pecking order. Holland also talked about the Brawling Brutes setup with Sheamus and Pete Dunne, saying the group had potential but did not always have clear creative direction.
“I mean, it was hard because we didn’t really know what ideas they had for the group. We didn’t know kind of what direction we were going in. We didn’t really know what they wanted. I was just gonna try and do. Why always just be aggressive and try and make my stuff look, as, look as real as possible and see what happened.”
He also admitted that Sheamus was steering the ship creatively, while he and Pete Dunne were more in support roles.
“Obviously Seamus was kind of steering the ship when it came to the. The pictures and the creative idea, we were just basically his. His lackeys, really.”
Holland’s WWE run with Sheamus gave fans some hard-hitting moments, but his comments make it sound like he always knew there was a glass ceiling attached to that spot.
Do you think Ridge Holland could have broken out if WWE let him move past Sheamus sooner, or was the Brawling Brutes role the best spot for him? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
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