Triple H has not punished 260 lb WWE star for botches, feels veteran; reveals reason for NXT run
A wrestling veteran shared the possible reason for a WWE star's current run in NXT. Glenn Gilbertti, more famously known as Disco Inferno in WCW, said that Triple H didn't punish Ridge Holland when The Game moved the 260-pound star to NXT after several botches.
Holland had a solid run on the main roster as part of The Brawling Brutes with Sheamus and Pete Dunne. However, it was marred by a couple of accidents that led to injuries to Big E and Elton Prince. Big E broke his neck during a tag team match alongside Kofi Kingston against Holland and Sheamus in March 2022 and has not wrestled since. Meanwhile, Prince and Pretty Deadly lost momentum after the injury.
In a recent episode of Konnan's Keepin' It 100 OFFICIAL podcast, Disco Inferno was asked about Ridge Holland being in NXT. Disco didn't think that it was punishment for the botches, but a way to help the English star refine his skills and become a safer worker.
"I'm assuming he [Ridge Holland] still has a problem protecting himself; protecting other people he works with. Obviously, they probably need to send him back there, and he's got to get more polished, period. If you're getting hurt yourself and you're hurting people, it's like we need to get you more polished. So when we're watching you work, there's like no risk of that happening again and that takes time,'' he said.
The 56-year-old added:
''We're not just immediately going to like do it. That's actually smart. He hurt one guy then he got hurt, and it's like, 'All right! We gotta be very cautious with this guy!' He's kind of sounds, like, he's a little bit reckless in protecting himself and protecting others. He's got to learn how to do it correctly!" [0:42-1:28]
Ridge Holland's "recklessness" was even turned into a storyline in NXT in which he kayfabe injured stars such as Ilja Dragunov and Cruz Del Toro.
Ridge Holland and Ethan Page emerged victorious at NXT 2300
In a special episode of the developmental brand last Wednesday, Ridge Holland teamed up with Ethan Page to take on Trick Williams and Bubba Ray Dudley in a tag team match. The unlikely pairing of Holland and Page emerged victorious, though it ended badly for the latter following the bout.
D-Von Dudley made a surprise appearance, helping Williams and Bubba Ray put Page through a table.
It will be interesting to see if Ethan Page moves on from his feud with Trick Williams. Ridge Holland pinned Williams during the tag team match, so he'll likely be in line for a shot at the NXT Championship, possibly at Deadline next month.