In the final round of the WWE Draft 2021, on Monday Night Raw, another NXT star has been brought up. Ridge Holland, current NXT Superstar and ally to Pete Dunne, will be making his way to Friday Night SmackDown following Crown Jewel on October 21. This is just one of four major moves from the former black-and-gold brand throughout the past few days. Last Friday, on SmackDown, Hit Row and Austin Theory were called up. Earlier tonight, Xia Li was given the same treatment. Not unlike his fellow NXT call-ups, Holland’s goals on SmackDown remain unknown at the time of this writing.
#WWENXT powerhouse @RidgeWWE is about to bring his Herculean strength and power to #SmackDown!#BeSeeinYa#WWEDraft pic.twitter.com/M28fyw3FW2
— WWE (@WWE) October 5, 2021
Ridge Holland Drafted to SmackDown
Born in West Yorkshire, England, Ridge Holland signed with World Wrestling Entertainment in May of 2018. He made his debut the August after, losing to Keith Lee on NXT, before making his way to the NXT UK brand. In the years that followed, Holland became a prominent competitor on not just NXT but NXT UK. In October of 2020, he became a more consistent NXT competitor, even appearing in the main event of TakeOver 31. During the NXT Championship match between then-titleholder Finn Bálor and challenger Kyle O’Reilly, Holland appeared in the front row, carrying an unconscious Adam Cole over his shoulder.
Ridge Holland would have his momentum derailed, however, on the October 7 episode of NXT. Following a victory over Danny Burch, Holland brawled with Burch and Oney Lorcan. During this skirmish, Lorcan performed a crossbody to the outside, Holland catching him. During the catch, however, Holland’s legs gave out from underneath him. He suffered multiple injuries as a result, including a fracture in his left leg and a dislocated knee patellar. Holland would remain inactive until this past July, when he joined forces with Lorcan and Pete Dunne.
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