Ridge Holland feels he was blamed for Big E’s injury by ‘certain members’ in WWE hierarchy

Ridge Holland has shared his thoughts on what WWE felt about him following Big E’s injury.

Having recently undergone neck surgery, Holland is often remembered as Big E’s final in-ring opponent. After a ringside suplex led to an accidental landing, Big E’s in-ring career came to an abrupt halt. Although Holland was not at fault, he was frequently blamed for the incident. Recently, speaking at a virtual signing that K & S WrestleFest, Holland opened up about the aftermath of the injury and claimed that he felt “certain members” of WWE’s hierarchy held it against him, leading to significant backlash.

The former NXT Tag-Team Champion felt that he was blamed for Big E’s injury and made it difficult for him to progress in his WWE journey.

“I felt it a little bit,” Holland noted. “I felt it did affect my career from going forward. I never really got started. I think it probably was a black cloud that was hanging over me, from certain members in the hierarchy. Not mentioning any names but, I think it kind of put a black mark on me going forward and it made it very difficult for me to get past that in the eyes of some people in the company.”

Last month, Holland was informed that his contract would not be renewed once it expired on November 14th, 2025. The news came after Holland suffered a lisfranc injury in a match against Moose during a TNA Wrestling taping on September 27.

Since then, the English star has been extremely vocal about his run, how WWE treated him, and his financial difficulties. While he is no longer associated with the Stamford-based promotion, WWE recently covered the cost for his neck surgery.