Despite Fan Backlash, WWE Is Expected To Move Forward With Original Plans For Storyline

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The WWE product has been on fire over the last year, shortly after Triple H took over main roster creative in the summer of 2022 from Vince McMahon following the hush money scandal. Everything from locker room morale, the product, ratings, attendance, merchandise sales, and other business metrics have increased.

Storyline

NXT is also hitting on all cylinders with its booking under Shawn Michaels as the company heads towards next week’s NXT Stand & Deliver and WrestleMania 40. There has been an ongoing storyline that has been met with criticism from fans involving Ridge Holland.

On Tuesday's NXT, Holland announced that he’s stepping away from the ring for the time being after getting the reputation for being dangerous in the ring. He said he was going home to be with his family. WWE later moved him to the alumni section of its talent roster section. This is a play on Holland accidentally making a mistake when performing a belly-to-belly suplex in 2023 that resulted in Big E being sidelined with a serious neck injury that may prevent him from ever wrestling again.

In December, WWE did an angle where Holland took on NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov, and they planned a spot where the top star was dropped on his head. the bout was stopped, and IIja was written off television. However, he has since returned. This was the start of Holland's unsafe worker storyline, something that many fans have criticized as they believe it is in bad taste due to Big E's situation. 

Latest

Corey Brennan of Fightful Select reported coming out of NXT this week that this is purely a storyline, one that Holland has been motivated to do and being receptive to suggestions, as he is planned to return at some point.

It was added, “The storyline has had no pushback from a creative or talent standpoint despite fan backlash, and is expected to run its course as originally planned.”

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