Did WWE terminate the contract of another promising superstar? Today, Luke Menzies, popularly known as Ridge Holland, took to his social media (via X), announcing how the wrestling promotion brand has come to the decision of not renewing his contract, expiring November 24th, 2025. This concludes his time in the wrestling promotion brand. He wrote,
I’ve been informed that WWE will not be renewing my contract when it ends on November 14th. WWE are still going to cover my rehab from injury but my guaranteed pay will end, quite frustrating to say the least as I cannot work for another 6 months due to the aforementioned injury, with a family of 5 to support.
He confirmed that WWE was going to pay for his rehab, but his “guaranteed pay” will come to a halt, expressing his frustration at how he can’t perform because of the Lisfranc injury that required surgery. This injury, which he picked up against Moose at a TNA taping, had kept him on the shelf for quite some time. Read Holland’s statement below:
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Despite his time with the company coming to an unfortunate ending, he was immensely grateful to them for the “opportunity and experience.” He assured his fans that he will “heal” and is even launching an online coaching business.
WWE Cleans House, Releasing 7 Superstars From Their Contracts
Each year, numerous WWE Superstars bid adieu to the company and depart for various reasons. This year has also seen some major names like Braun Strowman, Carlito, Cora Jade, Valhalla, and more; the most shocking of all, Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux, parting ways with the brand, left every wrestling fan agape.
However, that was just the beginning of some surprising exits because in the last couple of weeks, seven promising talents were shown the door. Check out the list below:
In the wake of all the exits, Ibou, of Self Made (@BackupHangman), tweeted on X about how Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the CCO of WWE, has the last say on the roster’s booking and future and how he will make the final call. He wrote,
Triple H is the final say on any roster personnel decisions. Most non-injured wrestlers that are benched from the TV that he books are candidates to get cut whenever he’s told it’s time to shed roster salary. The priority is that their books, and profit margins look good to shareholders after every quarter, which is why to juice up numbers, they shed contracts. Figuring out the WHEN on these matters is Ari and Nick. Figuring out WHO goes is Paul Levesque.
Triple H is the final say on any roster personnel decisions. Most non-injured wrestlers that are benched from the TV that he books are candidates to get cut whenever he’s told it’s time to shed roster salary.
The priority is that their books, and profit margins look good to…
The user emphasized that the reason behind these unforeseen releases is that, following the WWE-TKO merger, the priority is to make their books and profit margins appealing to the shareholders every quarter. Consequently, the company is pulling dirty moves with the royalty checks, prompting Kevin Nash to call them out.
Additionally, the brand is competing for mainstream popularity and is hosting live events in Saudi Arabia, helping them tremendously to make the massive profits.
Two Alarming Reasons Could Explain WWE’s Mass Contract Terminations
WWE has been making headlines, not for its compelling storyline, but for how it has undertaken massive decisions to terminate some major talents that had the potential to be the future of the company and become the biggest attractions of the industry. However, these sudden layoffs have left the WWE Universe at a loss for words, making them wonder why Hunter is thinning the roster depth of the company.
Though there are no concrete reports behind these actions, based on the bookings and the company’s newfound ideologies, two potential reasons could be behind it:
Cost-Cutting and TV Timing
Despite The Game trying to improve the standard of living of the superstars, it comes at a cost, which must be paid in the form of slashing the locker room. This would allow WWE to retain its best talents and get rid of the names who have little to no traction with the fans. Additionally, the merger has made TKO take some serious steps to ensure that the wrestling brand is more profitable, and the prices of their recent shows have made it evident how they are not fooling around.
Furthermore, under Triple H’s reign, he prefers the belief of quality over quantity, which means that he would have fewer matches in the PLEs and weekly live shows to ensure the fans are entertained from start to finish. It also creates efficiency, and leaning in to fewer but effective creative services helps them to deliver consistently.
Lack of Creative Directions
Another major reason behind WWE terminating the contracts of the wrestlers could be the shallow range of creativity revolving around them. This rigidity prevents the creative heads from featuring them in more intriguing roles and storylines that would allow fans to be more emotionally invested in the wrestler. If these talents are not able to be presented in intriguing sagas, they become a liability, leading to WWE deciding to let them go.
With WWE laying off so many wrestlers, do you think it is justified that, for some profit, the superstars pay the price by getting released from the company? Let us know in the comments below!
