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Ridge Holland

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Ridge Holland
Born (1988-05-29) 29 May 1988 (age 36)
Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England
Ring name(s)Luke Menzies
Ridge Holland[1]
Billed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Billed weight253 lb (18 st 1 lb; 115 kg)[1]
Billed fromYorkshire, England
Trained byMarty Jones[1]
Debut30 September 2017[1]
Rugby league career
Personal information
Full nameLuke Menzies
Playing information
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Weight17 st 13 lb (114 kg)[2]
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2006–07 Batley Bulldogs 22 2 0 0 8
2008 Hull Kingston Rovers 2 0 0 0 0
2008–09 Oldham 27 3 0 0 12
2010–11 Dewsbury Rams 28 4 0 0 16
2012 Batley Bulldogs 5 0 0 0 0
2012–13 Hunslet Hawks 37 0 0 0 0
2014 Swinton Lions 25 4 0 0 16
2015 Salford Red Devils 1 0 0 0 0
2015(loan) → York City Knights 1 0 0 0 0
2015(loan) → Halifax 2 0 0 0 0
Total 150 13 0 0 52
Source: [3][4]

Luke Menzies (born 29 May 1988) is an English professional wrestler and former professional rugby league player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Ridge Holland, and is a part of The Brawling Brutes stable.

He spent the majority of his rugby league career with various clubs in the Championship, making one appearance in the Super League for Hull Kingston Rovers in 2008. He began pursuing a career in professional wrestling in 2016 and signed with WWE in 2018.

Rugby league career

Menzies signed for Hull Kingston Rovers in September 2007, making one appearance in the Super League in 2008.[5] He later appeared for a number of lower league clubs such as Batley Bulldogs, Oldham, Dewsbury Rams, Hunslet,[5] and Swinton Lions.[6][7] He joined Salford Red Devils in 2014, making one appearance for the club.[8] In 2015, he joined York City Knights on loan.[9] Later that year, he joined Halifax on loan. In 2017, he joined the Toronto Wolfpack for their inaugural season.[7]

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2016–2018)

Menzies was trained to be a professional wrestler by British wrestling legend Marty Jones,[10] before making a name for himself in the North East of England for promotions like 3 Count Wrestling, New Generation Wrestling and Tidal Championship Wrestling.[11][10] On 11 December 2017, Menzies made an appearance for Defiant Wrestling in a losing effort against Jurn Simmons.[11]

On 21 April 2018, Menzies defeated El Ligero, Joseph Conners and champion Rampage Brown in a 4-Way Elimination Match to win the 3CW Championship.[12] He ended up losing the title back to Rampage Brown a month later due to him signing a contract with WWE and relocating to Florida.[11]

Menzies' final match on the British independent circuit took place on 23 June for Southside Wrestling, where Menzies was defeated by Gabriel Kidd.[11]

WWE

Early appearances (2018–2020)

In November 2016, Menzies attended a WWE tryout in Scotland.[6][10] In May 2018, it was announced that he had signed with WWE.[10] He debuted at an NXT live event on 28 July, defeating Mars Wang.[13] On 29 August episode of NXT, he made his televised debut in a losing effort to Keith Lee.[14] On 21 November 2019, he made his television debut for the NXT UK brand under the ring name Ridge Holland, defeating Oliver Carter.[15]

On 7 August 2020 episode of NXT, Holland made his first appearance for the brand since 2018, taking part in a triple threat match against Oney Lorcan and Damian Priest in which the winner would go on to NXT TakeOver XXX to compete in a ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship, which Priest won.[16] Dexter Lumis was soon pulled out of the ladder match at NXT TakeOver XXX due to an ankle injury,[17] and since Holland was not pinned or submitted in his qualifying match as a result of Lorcan being pinned, he was given the chance to face Johnny Gargano on the 19 August episode of NXT with the winner being added to the ladder match; he lost due to interference from Gargano's wife Candice LeRae.[18]

The Kings of NXT (2020–2021)

At NXT TakeOver 31 on 4 October, after the main event of Kyle O'Reilly against Finn Bálor for the NXT Championship, he appeared at ringside carrying O'Reilly's unconscious Undisputed Era teammate Adam Cole over his shoulders, having apparently attacked Cole; he dropped Cole over the barricade in front of Bálor and O'Reilly before leaving, establishing himself as a heel.[19] On 7 October episode of NXT, Holland brawled with Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch after defeating Burch in a match; as he caught Lorcan leaping over the top rope to deliver a cross-body, Holland's legs gave out from under him, and he had to be stretchered out of the arena,[20] reportedly suffering an ankle dislocation and fracture in his left leg and a knee patellar dislocation and patellar tendon rupture in his right leg.[21][22]

After a nine-month absence due to injury, Holland returned on 27 July 2021 episode of NXT, assisting Oney Lorcan and Pete Dunne in defeating Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher and subsequently beat both men down post match, teasing an alliance between the three.[23] On 7 September episode of NXT, Holland and Dunne attacked Lorcan and Danny Burch, ending their alliance.[24] On 12 October episode of NXT 2.0, Holland wrestled his final match on NXT, where he and Dunne lost to Kyle O'Reilly and Von Wagner.[25]

The Brawling Brutes (2021–present)

Main article: The Brawling Brutes

As part of 2021 Draft, Holland was drafted to the SmackDown brand.[26][27] On 5 November episode of SmackDown, during a backstage interview, Holland referred to Sheamus as his idol.[28] On 19 November episode of SmackDown, Holland helped Sheamus defeat Cesaro, Ricochet, and Jinder Mahal in a four-way match, starting an alliance between the two.[29] Holland made his in-ring debut the following week on SmackDown, where he lost to Cesaro, as well as a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Universal Championship later that night.[30] A rematch between Holland and Cesaro was set for 17 December episode of SmackDown,[31] which Holland won.[32] On 1 January 2022 at Day 1, Holland and Sheamus defeated Cesaro and Ricochet.[33] During the match, Holland suffered a broken nose and was removed mid-match.[34] On 29 January at Royal Rumble, Holland participated in his first Royal Rumble match at #5, lasting 19 minutes before being eliminated by AJ Styles.[35] On 11 March episode of SmackDown, Holland and Sheamus introduced Dunne, who was subsequently renamed "Butch", as part of their stable.[36] On the second night of WrestleMania 38 on 3 April, he and Sheamus defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) in a quick match.[37]

At Clash at the Castle on 3 September, Holland managed Sheamus against Gunther in a critically acclaimed Intercontinental Championship match; though Sheamus was unsuccessful, he received a standing ovation from the Cardiff crowd, effectively turning Holland and the Brawling Brutes face in the process.[38] On 16 September episode of SmackDown, Holland and Butch won a fatal four-way tag team match to become the #1 contenders for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.[39] The following week, they faced the champions The Usos for the titles in a losing effort after interference from Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci).[40] Holland and Butch also appeared on 4 October episode of NXT to challenge Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) for the NXT Tag Team Championship, but lost due to Imperium's interference.[41] Four days later at Extreme Rules, the Brawling Brutes defeated Imperium in a six-man tag team Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match.[42] On 5 November at Crown Jewel, Holland and Butch failed to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship from the Usos.[43] Three weeks later at Survivor Series WarGames on 26 November, The Brawling Brutes along with Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens lost to The Bloodline in a WarGames match.[44]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Cagematch profile".
  2. ^ a b "Luke Menzies Salford Red Devils". www.superleague.co.uk. Rugby Football League. 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  3. ^ RLP
  4. ^ "Player Summary: Luke Menzies". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b Gordon, James (24 August 2012). "Luke Menzies commits to Hunslet". LoveRugbyLeague. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b "WWE: Rugby league star Luke Menzies handed try-out in Scotland". Sky Sports. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b McKenna, Ben (6 October 2021). "Luke Menzies: How former Hull KR Super League player became WWE Friday Night Smackdown star Ridge Holland". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Salford Red Devils: Matt Groat and Luke Menzies join for 2015". BBC Sport. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Menzies in as Austin exits York City Knights (From York Press)". Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d Currier, Joseph (17 July 2018). "WWE officially introduces new group of NXT signees". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "Ridge Holland profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "3CW Euphoria results". Cagematch. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  13. ^ Williams, J. J. (29 July 2018). "NXT Ft. Pierce & Las Vegas live results: Luke Menzies debuts". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  14. ^ Powell, Jason (29 August 2018). "Moore's NXT TV Live Review: Undisputed Era vs. Ricochet and Pete Dunne, EC3 vs. Raul Mendoza, Dakota Kai vs. Aliyah, Keith Lee in action, William Regal's investigation update". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  15. ^ Powell, Jason (22 November 2019). "11/21 NXT UK TV results: Gleed's review of Alexander Wolfe vs. Ilja Dragunov, Kona Reeves vs. Trent Seven, A-Kid vs. Jack Starz, Ridge Holland vs. Oliver Carter". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  16. ^ Powell, Jason (5 August 2020). "8/5 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Damian Priest vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Ridge Holland in a ladder match qualifier, Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai in a No. 1 contenders match, Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel vs. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish for the NXT Tag Titles, Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes in a non-title match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Update on the severity of Dexter Lumis' ankle injury". WWE. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  18. ^ Powell, Jason (19 August 2020). "8/19 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Adam Cole and Pat McAfee meet on the Takeover XXX go-home show, Finn Balor vs. Velveteen Dream and Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland for spots in the NXT North American Championship ladder match, Rhea Ripley and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Mercedes Martinez and Aliyah". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  19. ^ Powell, Jason (4 October 2020). "NXT Takeover 31 results - Moore's live review of Finn Balor vs. Kyle O'Reilly for the NXT Title, Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae for the NXT Women's Title, Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Title, Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah Scott for the NXT Cruiserweight Title, Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  20. ^ Moore, John (7 October 2020). "10/7 NXT TV results: Moore's review of the NXT Takeover 31 fallout edition, Ember Moon show opening segment, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Kushida". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  21. ^ Rose, Bryan (7 October 2020). "Ridge Holland suffers injury on WWE NXT". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  22. ^ Currier, Joseph (8 October 2020). "Ridge Holland undergoes surgery for injury suffered on WWE NXT". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  23. ^ Moore, John (27 July 2021). "7/27 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Adam Cole vs. Bronson Reed, Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher vs. Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan, Carmelo Hayes vs. Josh Briggs in an NXT Breakout Tournament match, Franky Monet and Jessi Kamea vs. Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  24. ^ Powell, Jason (7 September 2021). "9/7 NXT TV results: Moore's review of MSK vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch for the NXT Tag Titles, Io Shirai and Zoey Stark vs. Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter for the NXT Women's Tag Titles, Carmelo Hayes vs. Santos Escobar, Ember Moon vs. Kay Lee Ray, Mei Ying's in-ring debut". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  25. ^ Powell, Jason (12 October 2021). "10/12 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Isaiah Scott vs. Santos Escobar for the North American Championship, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Joe Gacy, Kyle O'Reilly and Von Wagner vs. Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland, Ivy Nile's in-ring debut". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  26. ^ "See all the results from the 2021 Draft".
  27. ^ Powell, Jason (4 October 2021). "10/4 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the WWE Draft night two, Goldberg returns, the build to WWE Crown Jewel continues". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  28. ^ Barnett, Jake (5 November 2021). "11/05 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of the return of WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Shayna Baszler vs. Naomi". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  29. ^ Powell, Jason (19 November 2021). "11/19 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Sasha Banks vs. Shotzi, Sheamus vs. Ricochet vs. Cesaro vs. Jinder Mahal in a four-way for the final spot on Team Smackdown, Roman Reigns takes his seat on the throne, the final push for Survivor Series". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  30. ^ Powell, Jason (27 November 2021). "11/26 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the Black Friday Battle Royal for a future shot at the WWE Universal Championship, Drew McIntyre and Jeff Hardy vs. Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss, Ridge Holland vs. Cesaro". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  31. ^ Currier, Joseph (17 December 2021). "Cesaro vs. Ridge Holland rematch set for WWE SmackDown". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  32. ^ Powell, Jason (18 December 2021). "12/17 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the return of Roman Reigns, Ridge Holland vs. Cesaro, Sasha Banks and Toni Storm vs. Charlotte Flair and Shotzi". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  33. ^ Powell, Jason (2 January 2022). "WWE Day 1 results: Powell's review of Big E vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan for the Raw Women's Championship, The Usos vs. Kofi Kingston and King Woods for the Smackdown Tag Titles, Edge vs. The Miz". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  34. ^ Currier, Joseph (1 January 2022). "Ridge Holland suffers broken nose at WWE Day 1". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  35. ^ Powell, Jason (30 January 2022). "WWE Royal Rumble results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble matches, Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs Doudrop for the Raw Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  36. ^ Powell, Jason (12 March 2022). "3/11 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of Ricochet vs. Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship, Big E injured during a tag match with Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland, Sasha Banks and Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler and Natalya, Jey Uso vs. Rick Boogs". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  37. ^ Powell, Jason (3 April 2022). "WrestleMania 38 results: Powell's live review of night two with Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Unified WWE Championship, RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy for the Raw Tag Titles, Edge vs. AJ Styles, Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match, Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  38. ^ McGuire, Colin (3 September 2022). "WWE Clash at the Castle results: McGuire's review of Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Gunther vs. Sheamus for the Intercontinental Title, Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler for the Smackdown Women's Title, Seth Rollins vs. Riddle, Bianca Belair, Asuka, and Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley, Iyo Sky, and Dakota Kai". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  39. ^ Powell, Jason (16 September 2022). "9/16 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of New Day vs. Hit Row vs. Ridge Holland and Butch vs. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci for a shot at the Undisputed WWE Tag Titles, Logan Paul's appearance, Raquel Rodriguez vs. Bayley, Sami Zayn vs. Ricochet". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  40. ^ Powell, Jason (23 September 2022). "9/23 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns' appearance, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. Ridge Holland and Butch for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Braun Strowman vs. Otis". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  41. ^ Powell, Jason (4 October 2022). "10/04 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Toxic Attraction vs. Zoey Stark, and Nikkita Lyons for a future tag title shot, Andre Chase vs. Von Wagner in a qualifying match for the ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship, The Grayson Waller Effect with Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  42. ^ Powell, Jason (8 October 2022). "WWE Extreme Rules results: Powell's review of Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins in a Fight Pit match with Daniel Cormier as special referee, Bianca Belair vs. Bayley in a ladder match for the Raw Women's Title, Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey in an Extreme Rules match for the Smackdown Women's Title, Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross in a strap match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  43. ^ Powell, Jason (5 November 2022). "WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's live review of Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, Bianca Belair vs. Bayley in a Last Woman Standing match for the Raw Women's Championship, Braun Strowman vs. Omos, Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross in a cage match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  44. ^ Powell, Jason (26 November 2022). "WWE Survivor Series WarGames results: Powell's review of The Bloodline vs. Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, and The Brawling Brutes in a WarGames match, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, and Mia Yim vs. Rhea Ripley, Nikki Cross, and Damage CTRL in a WarGames match, Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory for the U.S. Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  45. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2022". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
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