Ridge Holland On When He Will Return, WWE Taking Care Of Him During Recovery
WWE NXT Superstar Ridge Holland recently spoke with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT, his first public comments since suffering the leg injuries during the October 7 NXT episode. Holland, who suffered the injuries while catching NXT Tag Team Champion Oney Lorcan, underwent surgery the next day. WWE announced that he suffered a left ankle dislocation and fracture, a right knee patellar dislocation, and a patellar tendon rupture. The knee dislocation was put back into place at ringside, and the ankle dislocation was put back into place at the emergency room, according to WWE's announcement at the time. Holland reportedly began inpatient rehab on both of his legs the following week.
Holland told talkSPORT that rehab is going well for the "pretty freak incident," and he's still on the road to recovery.
"Pretty freak incident," Holland said. "On my left leg I fractured and dislocated my ankle and then on my right leg, I dislocated the kneecap and ruptured my patella tendons. Kind of a buy one get one free on injuries! But, it's coming on well. The WWE medical staff are top notch and they've got me well on the road to recovery."
Holland praised WWE for making sure he's had the best medical care. He was asked about how WWE has taken care of him since then.
"They were all very concerned and just wanted the best for me," he said. "They made sure I got the best medical care and reassured me that everything is going to be fine. From my personal standpoint, mentally, as soon that happened and I was on the stretcher I was already thinking about 'OK, let's get ready to come back. What can I do to get back and be better than ever?'
"Everyone was really helpful from the doctors to the trainers to Triple H. It's just a really good support system and it's nice to know people care."
Holland still does not have a timetable for his return to action, but he said he was told 6 to 9 months when he underwent surgery. He was asked about when he will return.
"It's early days yet, but the doctor has said six to nine months, so I'm just taking it day-by-day and see how the knee and ankle feels. If I look too far in the future I'll probably take my focus on what needs to be done today. So yeah, we'll see how it goes," Holland said.
The former rugby star also revealed that NXT General Manager William Regal has had a lot of influence on him since making the jump to pro wrestling.
"He's been instrumental, but kind of like a soft undertone to what I'm doing though," Holland said of Regal, who also works as WWE's Director of Talent Development & Head of Global Recruiting. "He's just there for advice, he's not overbearing. I think he's just confident in what I can do and he lets me get on with my business.
"But he's always there for advice and he's definitely a very influential figure in a lot of careers and that's for me also."