A LOCAL athlete who found fame brawling across the world for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has spoken of his excitement over an upcoming London show, saying UK crowds have a “palpable energy” similar to football or rugby matches.
Luke Menzies, otherwise known as WWE superstar Ridge Holland, says the UK crowds are completely different from the ones he normally performs in front of in North America.
Ridge, who was born in Liversedge and used to play for Bradford Bulls, currently wrestles on the Smackdown brand as part of the Brawling Brutes stable.
He spoke to the Telegraph & Argus ahead of the company’s Money In The Bank show at the O2 arena next month.
The show is one of WWE’s annual premium live events and will be the first such event to be held in the UK in decades.
It follows last year’s Clash In The Castle in Wales, which was a one-off event.
The company will also film an episode of Smackdown the day before the event.
At Money in the Bank, Ridge and his Brawling Brutes teammate Sheamus will be in the corner of the third member of the trio Butch – who will be competing in the headline match.
The Money In The Bank Match will see six competitors fighting it out to grab a briefcase held above the ring, which can only be reached by climbing a ladder.
The briefcase contains a contract to a guaranteed title match.
Speaking of the significance of the event, Ridge said: “The company wants to build off the success of Clash in the Castle, and its testament to the fans' voices being heard that they have decided to put a premium live event that is usually in the calendar every year in London.”
He said he would like to push for a major live event to be based in the UK each year, saying “fingers crossed” the goal was to bring such a show to Yorkshire.
UK crowds are well known in WWE for being unpredictable – often cheering the “heels” and booing the “babyfaces".
On this, Ridge told the T&A: “That’s fun for us as performers, because the fans tend to go against the status quo of what you see on TV. Someone who the North American fans might favour, the UK fans might totally flip on.
“It keeps us on our toes, you have that football match, rugby match feel. It’s a different kind of palpable energy than a lot of the crowds we get to perform in front of.
“The people will be travelling there from the length and breadth of the country, and it will be great to get in front of them and give them a good show, which is what they deserve.”
Referring to his teammate’s match, he said: “We need the UK fans to be as loud as possible for Butch, if he can bring that contract home and cash it in, then we’ll have another English lad with a championship around his waist, so we just need him to come be his wild self.”
For his early WWE career Ridge was left performing in empty arenas due to the Covid pandemic and restrictions on live crowds.
He said: “It was a very strange time in the business with no fans, because the fans are the lifeblood of what we do – everything we do is to garner a reaction from the fans.
“Being back on the road is what wrestling is built upon, going town to town.”
“We’re going through a boom period at the moment, business is great. House shows are selling out, ratings are up. It’s a good time to be involved in the business, and its all because of the fans – we’re back on the road and can entertain them.”
The company recently saw a draft, where superstars are moved to different brands.
When asked which new arrivals to Smackdown he’d like to face, Ridge said: “A big stand out for me would be (former world champion and veteran) AJ Styles – he’s the best of the best.
“Bobby Lashley (another former world champion) is someone I’d like to test my mettle against.
“As a group we’re always up for a fight, so anyone and everyone really, we’re not going to shy away from any competition. There is the OC, the Street Profits, who are a hell of a tag team, and there are (current tag team champions) Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. There are plenty of options when it comes to a good scrap.”
Ridge and Seamus will team up on Smackdown tonight to compete in a match to determine the number one contenders to the tag team championships.
WWE brings Money In The Bank to The O2 in London on Saturday, July 1. For tickets visit: https://www.wwe.com/event/money-in-the-bank. Fans can tune in on the WWE Network.
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