The Long Road Back for the Yorkshire Brawler
Luke Menzies is planning a comeback. The former WWE star, known to millions as Ridge Holland, recently took to social media to declare he is coming for it all after spending the last year in a quiet, painful exile. After suffering a severe Lisfranc foot injury and undergoing double-level artificial cervical disc replacement surgery, the physical hurdles alone are staggering.
But the physical rehab is only half the battle. Menzies is not just fighting his own body; he is fighting a deeply entrenched reputation. The road to this return has been defined by creative stagnation, booking ceilings, and a single, tragic moment that altered the trajectory of his entire career.
The Black Cloud of the Big E Accident
To understand the stakes of Menzies' return, one must look back to the night of March 11, 2022. In a routine tag match on SmackDown, a botched overhead belly-to-belly suplex on the floor broke the neck of Big E, fracturing his C1 and C6 vertebrae. While Big E has shown nothing but class and forgiveness, the internet wrestling community did not follow suit.
The incident became a permanent black cloud over Menzies' career. As Ringside News reported, he felt the fallout stereotyped him from the top down within the company. From the office to his peers in the locker room, the label of being unsafe permeated, leading to backstage whispers that he could not wrestle.
This internal bias severely crippled his booking. Even during his subsequent heel run in NXT alongside Chase U—where he generated genuine heat—creative refused to capitalize on his momentum. The office had already made up its mind that he was a liability, and no amount of solid work could wash away that stain.
The label of being unsafe was further cemented by subsequent scares, including Elton Prince suffering a separated shoulder on SmackDown and an awkward drop on Ilja Dragunov's head in NXT. Even if these later incidents were routine physical mishaps, his reputation made them look like chronic negligence.
The Mechanical Ceilings of the Brawling Brutes
Before his release in November 2025, Menzies' most prominent run came as one-third of the Brawling Brutes. The trio of Sheamus, Butch (Pete Dunne), and Holland was highly popular, yet Menzies recently revealed the structural flaws that doomed the group. As Ringside News detailed, the partnership came with a built-in ceiling with Sheamus positioned as the centerpiece.
This dynamic turned Holland and Butch into glorified supporting players. Instead of operating as a balanced unit where every member gained equal elevation, the booking treated them as background muscle. They existed to take pinfalls, absorb weekly beatdowns, and set up Sheamus's big moments at the expense of their own growth.
The mechanical structure of WWE stables often relies on this unequal distribution of labor. Holland and Butch were essentially shields for Sheamus, doing the heavy lifting while the veteran chased the Intercontinental Championship in high-profile singles matches. His partners remained stuck in the midcard tag division, spinning their wheels without a clear path forward.
Lost in Translation and Lazy Scripting
Beyond the structural hierarchy, the presentation of the Brawling Brutes suffered from a severe lack of creative direction. WWE has historically struggled to book European wrestlers without resorting to lazy caricatures. As Ringside News highlighted, the creative team frequently got lost in translation when handling their UK and Irish backgrounds.
The most egregious example of this cultural disconnect was the scripting of Menzies, a proud Yorkshireman from Leeds, with promos containing Scottish slang. To anyone familiar with British culture, this is the equivalent of scripting a Texas cowboy to speak with a Boston accent. It showed a fundamental lack of respect and attention to detail from the writing team.
Instead of letting the men lean into their gritty backgrounds, WWE watered them down into generic pub-fighting caricatures. The authentic, hard-hitting style that made them famous in NXT UK and the independents was replaced by catchphrases and flat comedy. When the writers do not understand who you are, they cannot book you to win.
What to Watch for in the Return Match
Menzies' eventual return to the ring will be a high-stakes test of his mental and physical fortitude. He has been out of action since September 2025, when he suffered a Lisfranc injury during a TNA taping. For a wrestler who relies on explosive power moves like the pounce and the overhead belly-to-belly, a compromised midfoot is a massive handicap.
Furthermore, his double-level artificial cervical disc replacement surgery means his neck will be under intense scrutiny. Menzies must adapt his in-ring style to survive rather than relying on raw, reckless power. Opponents will be cautious, and fans will hold their breath during every high-impact bump.
He must transition into a more methodical, ground-based style. Utilizing his rugby league background for positioning and focusing on safe, impactful slams will be vital. Replicating his old style is too risky, as he needs to show he can protect his opponents while maintaining his trademark intensity.
The Verdict on Luke Menzies' Post-WWE Future
The wrestling world is often unforgiving, but it also loves a redemption story. Menzies has all the tools to rebuild his career outside the WWE bubble as a massive, imposing power athlete. Free from the creative handcuffs of Stamford and the shadow of the Brawling Brutes, he can finally control his own narrative.
My prediction is simple: Luke Menzies will make his return to the ring by the winter of 2026, debuting for a major independent promotion before signing a full-time contract with TNA Wrestling. He will ditch the cartoonish Ridge Holland persona entirely, returning to his real name and a gritty, no-nonsense presentation. He will prove his doubters wrong by working a safe, highly physical, and successful two-year run that rehabs his image.
It will not be easy, and the internet will never fully let him forget the Big E accident. But inside the ring, where it actually matters, Menzies will show that the black cloud has finally cleared. He is coming for it all, and this time, there are no ceilings to stop him.
