Ridge Holland’s WWE Exit Sparks Harsh Criticism of Company’s New Direction

Ridge Holland’s WWE run has come to an abrupt end, and the timing couldn’t be worse. After suffering a broken foot in a match against Moose at a recent TNA taping, Holland had surgery and is expected to be sidelined for seven months. But instead of waiting for his recovery, WWE informed him that his contract—set to expire in November—would not be renewed.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer laid out the situation in detail and didn’t hold back on their criticism of how WWE handled the decision under new ownership. Alvarez reminded listeners that Holland’s match against Moose ended abruptly when the injury occurred.

“About a month ago… it was a TV taping. Ridge Holland vs. Moose. Ridge goes down, Moose has to help him out of the ring. He broke his foot. Had surgery. He’s gonna be out for seven months. Today, he revealed that WWE told him they’re not renewing his deal when it comes up in November. I guess they’re going to pay for the rehab, but basically, he’s unemployed for six months and can’t wrestle.”

Meltzer was blunt about the reality of Holland’s situation.

“Yeah, he can’t wrestle at all.”

Alvarez pointed out the irony, saying WWE often freezes contracts when wrestlers are hurt, yet chose to cut Holland while he was sidelined.

“In a company that every time someone gets hurt, they do everything in their power to freeze that contract and tack time on to the end… In one week, they fired someone who was pregnant. And they…”

Meltzer interjected with his own harsh assessment.

“Look, a lot of times people go like, ‘Oh, if Vince was there, this wouldn’t happen.’ Usually, that’s total bullshit. But I will say this: if Vince was still there, they probably wouldn’t have fired him until he was healthy. They wouldn’t want a lawsuit. The new ownership — they’re cold. They’re out for profits. No loyalty. Same thing happened with UFC when Endeavor took over. People who helped build the company for years… dumped.”

Both Alvarez and Meltzer stressed that this wasn’t about money—WWE can afford to support an injured talent.

“It’s not even a financial thing. With the amount of money they bring in, they can afford it. It’s just heartless.”

Alvarez went further, pointing to John Cena’s merchandise sales as proof of WWE’s financial strength.

“Do you know how many wrestlers they could employ for years on what Cena’s merch made this weekend? People are saying 90% of the crowd was wearing his shirt.”

Meltzer added specifics after reviewing the footage.

“I paused the footage. It was about 35%, but still. $70 per shirt. Let’s say they sold 4,000 — that’s $280,000.”

Alvarez concluded that amount was far more than Holland would have made in half a year, calling WWE’s choice to cut him during his recovery a “classless move.”

As for Holland’s future, Meltzer noted that AEW isn’t a likely landing spot and Japan isn’t realistic either.

“The obvious place for him is TNA. There were people there that liked him.”

For Ridge Holland, a once-promising star with a rugby background and time alongside Sheamus in The Brawling Brutes, this is a crushing setback. And for WWE, it’s another sign of how the company’s new direction under TKO is being perceived by insiders—cold, profit-driven, and with little loyalty to talent in need.

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