Ridge Holland has opened up about his frustrations with WWE, claiming management was not honest with him about why he disappeared from NXT television during his second stint on the brand before eventually being moved over to WWE Evolve.

Speaking with F4Wonline, Holland explained that after losing to Ricky Saints on NXT TV in 2025, his role quickly faded without any real explanation from those in charge.

According to Holland, he tried to get answers regarding whether there were issues with his in ring work, promos, or overall presentation, but was repeatedly assured everything was fine despite no longer being featured.

“I just got dropped off TV after, after I lost to Ricky Saints, actually. I just got dropped off TV, and then the next thing was like, ‘Oh, four months later you’re going to Evolve.’ And I kinda knew the writing was on the wall then. I asked if there was anything that I could’ve worked on. Is it my work, my promos? What is it? They said, ‘No, everything’s cool.’ Which is a lie, you know. Obviously, they took me off TV for a reason. So frustrating, but I took the jump to Evolve as another opportunity to kinda rebrand myself, trying to take the positive out of a negative.”

Holland also reflected on the controversial storyline involving Ilja Dragunov, saying he believes that angle ultimately changed how higher ups viewed him moving forward.

The segment, which played into Holland’s reputation following the real life injury suffered by Big E during a match, generated significant attention online but apparently created concern backstage.

“When the Ilja [Dragunov] thing happened, it got a great reaction. You know, it was all over social media and everything, and then I got the word that the higher-ups said it was too close to the bone, so they had to call me off. That’s what it felt like for my whole NXT run. I would get hot and then something would happen. I’d get hot, and something would happen.”

Despite the setbacks, Holland believes he was producing some of the strongest heel work of his career during the Chase U storyline, noting that he consistently received loud reactions from the audience.

“But I thought I was probably the best heel on the show leading up to the Chase U thing. I thought I was getting great heat, great reactions. There was never a silent moment in the crowd, and it was weird.”

Holland revealed that the darker character direction in NXT was actually his own idea, with the intention of eventually turning the story into a redemption arc before fully embracing the villain role.

“It was my idea to kind of run with the dangerous kinda, always injuring people. So that was my thing. I always wanted to come back, and the arc was to try a redemption arc. So I was always trying to do good, but things kept going wrong. And then the heel turn came. It’s when I started to realize, ‘Well, maybe I’m good at it. This is what I should do. Maybe I should be hurting people.'”

He also admitted that his initial main roster run left him struggling to establish himself creatively, saying he was largely positioned as backup for Sheamus rather than being allowed to showcase his own identity.

“It was tough just trying to kinda find myself again as a performer because I really was, on the main roster, being kinda like a Sheamus’ lackey. I never really got to find that area of character development and wrestle like how I wanted to wrestle or be given the time to develop.”