"Heartless" - WWE criticized as injured star is forced to leave the company; analysts break it down

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WWE has been criticized after an injured star is forced to leave the company. The sports entertainment giant has come under scrutiny due to various reasons recently, and this latest news isn't doing them any favors.

Taking to Instagram, WWE star Ridge Holland announced that the company will not be renewing his contract, which is set to come to an end on November 14. Holland, who is currently injured, mentioned that WWE will cover the cost of his rehab, but he won't receive a guaranteed paycheck.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez analyzed the situation and criticized the Stamford-based promotion's actions. Alvarez mentioned that WWE often freezes contracts when wrestlers are hurt and adds time later, but that wasn't the case with Holland.

Meltzer then mentioned how this current regime operates differently compared to how Vince McMahon handled things.

"Look, a lot of times people go like, ‘Oh, if Vince was there, this wouldn’t happen.’ Usually, that’s total bullsh*t. 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,” Meltzer said.

Bryan Alvarez added that this wasn't about money for the TKO-led promotion, and if the company wanted, they could have kept Holland.

"It’s not even a financial thing. With the amount of money they bring in, they can afford it. It’s just heartless. 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,” Alvarez said. [H/T Ringside News]

Holland revealed due to his injury, he won't be able to work for at least another six months, and he has a family of five to support.

Ridge Holland unsure about wrestling future after WWE

As Ridge Holland continues to recover from injury, he shared the details of what could be the next step in his career.

Taking to X/Twitter, he said that his time in WWE was blighted by misfortune but was thankful for the opportunity and the experience. However, he added he wasn't sure whether his wrestling career would continue.

"I'm unsure what lies ahead of me in terms of wrestling but going forward I will be working hard to heal up and in that time I will be launching my own online coaching business.... so stay tuned," he wrote.

Holland had a tough run in the sports entertainment juggernaut. He injured his nose on SmackDown and then accidentally injured Big E with a suplex on the floor that ended The New Day member's career.

Holland returned to NXT, where he injured his foot in a match against TNA's Moose.

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About the author

Sherjeel Malik

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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