In March 2022, Big E suffered a broken neck during an episode of WWE SmackDown following a botched belly-to-belly suplex from Ridge Holland. The incident sidelined Big E indefinitely and led to a wave of backlash from some fans, with Holland continuing to receive criticism even years later.

This week, tensions flared again when a fan took to X to express their lingering anger toward Holland, stating that WWE should have released him years ago.

“Genuinely f*** Ridge Holland. They should’ve released him when he injured Big E and that should’ve been it. Get that walking workplace accident out of WWE and out of sports entertainment.”

Holland did not remain silent. In response, he posted a video on X where he addressed the comment directly, turning the hate into a sharp retort.

“That’s not a very nice comment, is it? You’re thinking about me though, I’m in your head, though, living rent-free, though. Oh, and one more thing… you’re a virgin. Sit out, lad.”

The clip was captioned with hashtags including #Ridgeroasts and #trolls, signaling Holland’s awareness and dismissal of the ongoing online negativity.

Despite the harsh words from critics, Big E himself has never blamed Holland for the injury. Shortly after the incident, Big E publicly expressed that he and Holland were on good terms and that he held no resentment.

“Me hating him or holding a grudge doesn’t help me at all.”

Big E has since come to terms with the reality that he may never return to in-ring competition, but his forgiving attitude stands in contrast to the fans who continue to target Holland over the accident. Whether others move on remains to be seen, but Ridge Holland appears to be confronting the criticism head-on as he pushes forward in WWE.

#Ridgeroasts. Let’s see what the trolls are saying…..#reaction #trolls #IWC #ridgeholland #tara #lad pic.twitter.com/JL2sZBFRjJ

, Ridge Holland (@RidgeWWE) April 13, 2025