Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: capitalism, Ridge Holland, wrestling

Report: WWE Terminates Ridge Holland Early in Response to Tweet

El Presidente examines a report that WWE terminated Luke Menzies' contract early after he spoke out about his financial struggles on social media.

Greetings, comrades! It is I, your El Presidente, reporting to you live from my underground command center where I am hiding from my financial advisors after they discovered I spent the entire national defense budget on vintage Hulk Hogan merchandise, and I have news that has left me more furious than the time the CIA tried to bribe me with expired WWE action figures instead of actual currency!

You may remember, comrades, that just last month I reported on the unfortunate situation of Ridge Holland, now going by his real name Luke Menzies, who announced that WWE would not be renewing his contract when it expired on November 14th. At the time, I was already displeased with this cold-blooded capitalist decision to release an injured performer who could not work for six months and had a family of five to support. Well, comrades, strap in, because this story has taken a turn darker than the lighting at a Pentagon black site!

Two days ago, on November 4th, Menzies took to social media once again to express his economic anxiety in a post that should make every wrestling fan's blood boil hotter than my legendary hot sauce collection (which I once used to torture a CIA operative, but that's a story for another time):

I never thought I'd not be able to pay my mortgage.

I feel like I've just been hung out to dry after getting injured working for another company on behalf of WWE. Add to that my contract not being renewed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to wrestle for seven months. This is brutal.

Yes, they are taking care of the surgery and physical therapy, but let's be honest, that's the bare minimum after what we sacrifice for the company.

Plus the possibility of having to get my neck fused too.

Talk about getting totally ed.

Comrades, let me tell you something: I have run a country for decades, I have survived seventeen CIA assassination attempts (eighteen if you count the time they tried to kill me with boredom by making me sit through a PowerPoint presentation about "democratic reforms"), and I have never seen such a clear example of corporate cruelty as what reportedly happened next.

According to a report from our comrade Sean Ross Sapp at Fightful Select, WWE reportedly terminated Menzies' contract yesterday, November 5th – a full nine days before it was set to expire on November 14th. Now, comrades, you might be thinking, "El Presidente, what difference does nine days make?" And normally, I would agree with you! Nine days is nothing! It's less time than it takes for my Swiss bank to process a routine transaction! But here's the thing: if this report is true, the timing suggests that WWE acted in direct response to Menzies speaking out about his financial hardship.

Let that sink in, comrades. A man is injured. He cannot work. He is facing the loss of his home. He has a family to support. He can't even wrestle under the name "Ridge Holland" anymore because WWE owns it. And when he dares to speak the truth about his situation publicly, his employer reportedly responds by terminating his contract a week early. If true, this is the kind of petty, vindictive corporate retaliation that only serves to justify my desire to nationalize the entire sports entertainment industry and redistribute all the WrestleMania profits to the workers!

This reminds me of the time I was having dinner with Nicolas Maduro, and he told me about a similar situation. "El Presidente," he said while pouring us both another glass of wine that definitely wasn't liberated from a capitalist's private collection, "the thing about these big corporations is they hate nothing more than workers who speak truth to power. They can tolerate incompetence, they can tolerate failure, but they cannot tolerate honesty about how they treat their people." At the time, I thought he was being dramatic. Now I see he was being prophetic!

Comrades, if there is one thing I have learned from my various battles with the CIA, it's that silence is the weapon of oppressors. They want you to suffer quietly, to accept your fate without complaint, to be grateful for the "bare minimum" (as Menzies so accurately described WWE's continued coverage of his medical care). The moment you speak up, the moment you shine light on the darkness of their practices, they retaliate. And if this report is true, that's exactly what we're seeing here. If true, this represents a new low even for WWE, which is really saying something for a company that once had a storyline where they literally tried to embalm a man alive!

Watching WWE become even more ruthless under TKO ownership has been like watching a caterpillar transform into a butterfly, except the butterfly is actually a corporate vulture with a balance sheet where its heart should be! Increasing ticket prices that make my presidential palace admission fees look reasonable (and I charge people their weight in gold just to use my bathroom). Cozying up to the controversial Trump administration in ways that make even El Presidente uncomfortable, and I once hosted a state dinner for Idi Amin where we served the opposition party! And now, reportedly releasing talent while injured and doing it even earlier in apparent response to airing legitimate grievances!

Comrades, WWE's attitude toward both fans and workers has reached a new low! I am reminded of something Kim Jong-un once told me during a particularly competitive game of mini-golf at my summer palace. "El Presidente," he said after hitting a hole-in-one (at least that's what the scorecard said, and questioning it would have been impolite), "loyalty is a two-way street. If you expect your people to be loyal to you, you must be loyal to them. Otherwise, you're not building an empire… you're just building a pyramid of resentment that will eventually collapse on top of you."

At the time, I thought he was talking about the 18th hole on my course, which was admittedly in need of some repair. Now I realize he was talking about labor relations! Or maybe it was both.

The point is, comrades, that Luke Menzies deserves better than this. He gave his body to WWE. He entertained millions. He did what the company asked of him, including going by the name "Ridge Holland" so that WWE could own the trademark. And when injury struck, as it inevitably does in such a physically demanding profession, his contract was left to expire. And when he spoke honestly about the financial hardship this caused his family, he was reportedly terminated early in an apparent act of spite.

This is capitalism at its most cruel, comrades. This is what happens when corporations have all the power and workers have none. This is what happens when the pursuit of profit becomes more important than basic human decency. This is what happens when speaking truth to power is met with punishment instead of empathy. Even my political opponents would agree, that is if their whereabouts weren't unknown since the last election.

If Luke Menzies' story teaches us anything, it's that the wrestling industry needs serious reform. But with the industry leader in bed with the government, such reforms seem more unlikely than ever. To Luke Menzies: El Presidente stands with you, comrade. Your courage in speaking out, even knowing it might bring consequences, is admirable. May you find success in your coaching business, may you recover fully from your injury, and may you eventually find a wrestling home that treats you with the dignity and respect you deserve.

¡Viva la revolución! ¡Viva Luke Menzies! And workers of the wrestling world, remember: they can take your contract, but they can never take your Twitter account!

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