Former WWE star Luke Menzies has spoken candidly about the circumstances that led to his WWE departure in early 2026.
Menzies, who competed on WWE television under the name Ridge Holland, revealed that personal frustrations and struggles with his mental state contributed to comments he made publicly about the company — comments that ultimately resulted in the termination of his contract.
During an appearance on The Mike Rand Show, Menzies admitted he turned to social media during a difficult period, something he now regrets.
“Yeah, just pure frustration for myself, going through a little bit of issues, some mental issues I want in a good place. And I’d advise any young wrestler to stay off Twitter, stay off social media. Don’t vent on social media. And I just, I didn’t really have anyone to vent to. So it was more or less a coping mechanism, the wrong one, and the company did what the company should have done. You know, I went on online and disparaged the company, right or wrong. In the company’s eyes, it was wrong, and they took the decision upon themselves to terminate my contract fairly, you know, my responsibility, and I’ll take full ownership.”
At the time of his release, Menzies had been working in WWE NXT following a stint on WWE’s main roster. According to Menzies, he felt his momentum had slowed in NXT despite efforts to reinvent himself, including leaning back into his rugby-inspired character presentation.
He also noted that injuries may have played a role in the company’s decision-making. Menzies had recently competed in a match against Mike Santana in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as part of the WWE–TNA working relationship. However, he believes an injury sustained during a match against Moose could have influenced the company’s evaluation of his future, particularly given his past injury history.
Menzies also addressed the controversy surrounding a GoFundMe campaign that appeared online shortly after his WWE release. He explained that the fundraiser was created by a family member without his knowledge while they were attempting to help during a difficult period.
“I mean, the GoFundMe was set up against, like, under my own, not under my nose, like behind my back, as it were, from a family member that was concerned. Obviously, we’re having a little bit of trouble here and there. So it all stemmed from somebody trying from overseas a family, but trying to do the best and trying to do the right thing and trying to help, and that’s how it came about. And it’s like anything, anything that gets posted online, sometimes it misses context, and people misconstrue it, and they like to stick knives in. And when they do not fall, spray off the door, they have, they have their own ideas and their own opinions, and then it just gains traction and negativity on social media breeze like wildfire. So it was something I didn’t want to happen. I didn’t want it to happen. It did. The funds that came from it really helped, like, got us to a real sticky patch. So I’m grateful. But at the same time, it wasn’t something that I was truly behind.”
Despite the controversy, Menzies expressed gratitude for the support he received during the difficult period and accepted responsibility for the actions that contributed to the end of his WWE run.
