WWE's Ridge Holland Steps Away from In-Ring Competition Indefinitely in Emotional NXT Promo

WWE's Ridge Holland gets emotional in an NXT promo, revealing he is stepping away from in-ring competition indefinitely

By Matthew Aguilar

It appears that a WWE Superstar is stepping away from the ring for the foreseeable future. During tonight's NXT, WWE Superstar Ridge Holland came out to the ring to address the crowd, and no one expected the news he was about to share. Holland has been feuding Gallus for the past month or so, which was part of a redemption quest storyline Holland had been working with since he showed up in NXT. Tonight though he would reveal that he is stepping away from in-ring completion indefinitely, bringing that story to an abrupt close. You can see his promo in the video below.

During the promo, Holland was clearly emotional, and this isn't a decision he came to easily. Holland would thank NXT for allowing him to come here and get "one last shot at redemption, and I'm sorry it's not worked out." Holland said this decision was gut-wrenching to make but is what's best for his mental health and the "welfare and the future" of his family.

"A decision that's best for me and my mental health, and what's best for the welfare and the future of my family. So with all that being said, I'm out here tonight to announce that I'm officially stepping away from in-ring competition indefinitely," Holland said. "And as difficult and as gut-wrenching as this decision has been, I consider myself extremely blessed and lucky to step foot in this company, let alone perform for the millions of people all over the world."

"I want to extend the biggest thank you to the whole of NXT, for allowing me to come back here. For allowing me to come back here and take one last shot at redemption, and I'm sorry it's not worked out. And I'll appreciate you all more than you'll ever know," Holland said. "Cheers, thank you."

Holland put the microphone down on the mat and the crowd started to clap and stand up as he headed out of the ring. It's not apparent whether this is actually Holland stepping away from the ring indefinitely or part of a storyline, but Holland was emotional throughout, and while it felt like an obvious set-up for the next part of this story at first, by the end, it certainly could have been completely reality. You can find the current card for Stand & Deliver below.

Stand & Deliver Updated Card:

  • NXT Championship Match: Ilja Dragunov (C) vs. Tony D'Angelo
  • NXT Women's Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria (C) vs. Roxanne Perez
  • NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin (C) vs TBD
  • Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes

WWE NXT Stand & Deliver will air on Saturday, April 6th on Peacock at 9 AM PT.

Are you excited for Stand & Deliver? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

0comments
Start the Conversation

of