Ridge Holland releases statement on GoFundMe, will donate money to charity
Ridge Holland has released a new statement regarding the GoFundMe campaign launched to help him and his family following his departure from WWE.
Holland’s statement clarifies that he had no advanced knowledge that a GoFundMe would be launched, saying a family member did so without his permission. He also said that any money raised from the campaign will be donated to charity.
Holland wrote:
“Thank you all for the incredible support shown through the GoFundMe campaign.
However, I want to clarify that I was not aware the page was going live and had no prior discussion with the family member who created it.
I’ve since requested that no further donations be accepted, and this change should take effect within the next 24 hours.
One we figure out how to move forward and I recoup the amount donated, I will be donating said amount to charity.
I sincerely apologize if the page caused any upset or offense — that was never the intention. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.”
The GoFundMe was set up by Susan Chapman, who provided an update on the page on Sunday. She also stated that Holland and his family did not know about the GoFundMe before she launched it.
Chapman wrote:
“Hello everyone, I wanted to write this update to let you know that I’m the mum of the father that you all are supporting. I set this fundraiser up for the family without them knowing because I want to help. I also wanted to thank you all for your support, it is very much appreciated.”
WWE’s Chelsea Green had posted to social media in support of the GoFundMe in addition to donating $1000. However, her posts on the subject were scrubbed from her social media a short time later. Raj Singh, Omos, Kyle Fletcher, and Nick Jackson also donated.
Holland’s situation was addressed by Dave Meltzer in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, stating that WWE’s side of the story is that Holland was going to be cut last year but requested to move to NXT and take a pay cut instead. WWE feels Holland should have known the move to NXT was not a long term role.
Meltzer wrote:
“Basically the WWE side of the Ridge Holland story is that they were going to cut him one year ago, but he asked to stay and work NXT with a significant pay cut. They felt that he should have known this probably wasn’t going to be a long-term thing and the idea is that he made a lot of money while he was on the main roster and should have prepared finances with the idea he may not be there much longer.”
Holland’s statement is below:
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.