Pro wrestling is indeed a pretty dangerous proposition. After all, it’s not ballet. One wrong judgment can alter or even end a career. In some cases, it has also ended lives. The recent edition of SmackDown saw Pretty Deadly’s Elton Prince suffer a grave shoulder injury. While Prince is expected to spend time away from the ring, WWE Universe is pointing their fingers at Ridge Holland for causing the injury.
The Brawling Brute member is facing massive criticism for his in-ring work. Ridge Holland’s reputation as a worker was marred last year when he inadvertently injured Big E during their match on SmackDown. Big E ended up with a broken neck as a result of an awkward fall from a belly-to-belly suplex.
Ridge Holland injures Elton Prince during their match on SmackDown
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The latest edition of SmackDown saw Pretty Deadly lock horns with The Brawling Brutes in a tag team match. The match kicked off with Sheamus gaining the upper hand over Elton Prince and Kit Wilson by delivering two rolling sentons, respectively. After Ridge Holland tagged into the match, he sent Prince flying with a pounce strike that ultimately saw the latter landing awkwardly.
Following the impact, Prince was seen favoring his shoulder throughout the match. However, Prince was able to finish the match after delivering a leg drop off the top turnbuckle, pinning Holland for the win. At some point during the match, Holland even delivered the dreaded belly-to-belly suplex, leading the fans to speculate if it was that move that injured Elton Prince.
While fans thought that Elton Prince was selling the move by favoring his arm, PWInsider later confirmed that the injury was real. The fact that Prince got injured amidst Pretty Deadly’s push in WWE is a fly in their ointment. This prompted fans to take to Twitter to hold Ridge Holland responsible.
In his defense, Holland fired back at his detractors in a now-deleted tweet, stating, “So to set people straight before they get all p***y! It wasn’t the belly to belly…..it was a wonky landing from the pounce. Out of my control. Wishing @EltonPrince_PD a speedy recovery.”
Nevertheless, a separated shoulder could keep Prince out of commission for at least a month. This puts Kit Wilson’s and Pretty Deadly’s status in a quandary.
We will have to wait and see how much time Elton Prince requires to heal up. Meanwhile, fans took to Twitter to voice their opinions about Holland.
WWE Universe labels Ridge Holland an unsafe worker
Despite the fact that Ridge Holland had no control over the landing, WWE Universe cannot help but recall his previous incident with Big E. It’s unfortunate that Holland is having to deal with criticism for the second time. Here are a few reactions on Twitter.
Pretty Deadly's Elton Prince has suffered a separated shoulder (PWInsider).
Wishing a speedy recovery 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/QIHkAjlSmF
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) July 15, 2023
Ridge is dangerous 🤦♂️
— RELAX (@itzzSKL) July 15, 2023
Damn, this Ridge Holland guy is really something!! pic.twitter.com/AcPLZqnt7a
— Andrew (AJ™) (@TheAndrewgram) July 15, 2023
After SmackDown, some fans are convinced that Holland Ridge is not a safe worker
Ridge responsible for another injury lmao, I seen the way he grabbed his shoulder after that belly to belly suplex
— jay (@vexi999) July 15, 2023
They needa take that move out of his arsenal he already (not sure entirely) ended someone's career we dont need more injuries or more
— lv noob vl (@Sad_default) July 15, 2023
Despite clarifying that the injury was caused due to the pounce, fans still believe that it was the belly-to-belly suplex that took Ridge out.
Ridge got big downgrade after Big E injury, and now will be jobber forever…
— Dr……. (@fast1012200) July 15, 2023
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How is ridge still allowed in a wrestling ring?
— BeautyWrestle (@BeautyWrestle) July 16, 2023
At one point, even former WWE star Ryback took a lot of flak for his style of wrestling. We will have to wait and see if the WWE Universe learns to love Ridge Holland going forward.
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What are your thoughts on Elton Prince’s shoulder injury? State your opinion in the comment section!