The Ridge/Ilja angle

[Chiral]

Sorry if there's a thread already for this but I just finished this week's NXT and even knowing in advance about what happens...just what the hell is this?



-Ridge randomly interrupts an Ilja promo looking disheveled and depressed
-Talks about all the injuries and accidents and says "so far my career is a series of unfortunate events"
-Says this will be his redemption and asks for a title shot
-During said title shot, he kayfabe breaks Ilja's neck


Like...what the f***? Not only is it really tasteless, like where do they go from here? Why do this while Ilja is in the middle of an angle with Trick and Melo? What redemption arc do you do for a wrestler that wants to not be known as the neck breaking guy immediately breaking another neck? Are they gonna do the Billy Kidman thing and start to have him like hurting others? Why would you use a guy who's had genuine tragic accidents in ring for this?

[Celexa Bliss]

Having not seen the angle, but being aware it happened, I appreciate the details being laid out. My guess is they'll vacate the title and have Trick fight Melo for it, then Ilja returns to feud with Ridge.

[A Little Doo Doo]

This angle may lose Shawn Michaels the Hooker of the Year.

[ayumidah]

Dec 21, 2023 22:28:15 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

This angle may lose Shawn Michaels the Hooker of the Year.

Oh?

[The Rick Jericho]

Ilja will be the "undefeated" champion who gets called up and goes for the IC title and Gunther post Rumble.

Meanwhile Trick and Melo feud over the title.

Ridge will probably just fade away, unless Butch comes down to NXT to chase after him.

[Lizuka #BLM]

Yeah, this is just stupid and gross.

Also, like... Shouldn't Ridge win by forfeit then?

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

Ridge was paid by somebody for this.

Vic made the point to mention that Ridge came in as Pat McAfee's hired gun during this match. They're setting up that somebody paid Ridge to do this. Somebody attacked Trick, somebody "attacked" Melo, and now Dragunov is taken out.

[wildojinx]

Dec 21, 2023 22:28:15 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

This angle may lose Shawn Michaels the Hooker of the Year.

Hooker? Shawn owns a time machine and is working the 1910s carnival circuit now?

[fw91]

Yeah this is stupid

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

It’s already a grim enough angle to do as it is (see when they did it with Roxanne Perez after her match with Meiko Satomura), but using a guy like Ridge Holland where you know he’s been a target because of what happened with Big E is straight out darksided. God forbid they ever consider doing it with Nia Jax, someone who, kayfabe or otherwise (I’ve never had this answered, everyone just assumes that she’s saying it as a shoot because they already don’t like her), has bragged about injuring talents.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

Even if you look past Ridge's history here and how this is pretty distasteful - I've never liked wrestling angles that lean into the idea that we're not actually supposed to hurt each other. I think we all know as fans that this is fake and guys are out there to protect each other. But when we suspend our disbelief, we're supposed to be watching guys trying to hurt each other to win a match. So anytime they get into this whole "the guy who was trying to hurt his opponent accidentally hurt him too much" I just feel a disconnect as a fan/

[City Duck]

It's an absolute what the f*** move but if everyone involved with it is comfortable with doing it and there's no indication that Big E is offended by it then I'm not really bothered by it. 

Like it's tasteless and dark as hell but it's also literally the only time that I've ever been interested in what Ridge Holland is gonna do next and I'm generally just interested to see how this effects the Trick/Melo/Ilja triangle. This could 100% spiral in to Satan's EWR save (okay more so) but *right now* I'm willing to see where it goes. 

Also I've been thinking about Ridge Holland doing his own Trapped In The Closet narration of the incident multiple times a day since Tuesday and like again this is the most I have ever thought about Ridge Holland in my life other than when his nipples getting waxed was a regular TV feature during Mania Season. 

[UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm]

i reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally wanna see what happens and i am super intrigued but i will admit i'm super fearful of where they're going with this. they're gonna have to pull off the magic booking move of the century to not change ridge's career for the worse but there is the very slight chance (maybe like 5%) that this somehow makes him a huge character in it all.

if it wasn't something approved by all parties involved INCLUDING big e, this is bad enough stuff to make someone stop watching for sure.

the best way i can put it is that i'm super into games, shows and movies that make me feel genuinely uneasy, like difficult media. wrestling rarely ever does it so you can count me in as needing to see where the f*** this shit goes.

[4real]

If this is a way to get Big E back then il take it but it’s still pretty tasteless.

[Feargus McReddit]

Dec 22, 2023 0:15:22 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

It’s already a grim enough angle to do as it is (see when they did it with Roxanne Perez after her match with Meiko Satomura), but using a guy like Ridge Holland where you know he’s been a target because of what happened with Big E is straight out darksided. God forbid they ever consider doing it with Nia Jax, someone who, kayfabe or otherwise (I’ve never had this answered, everyone just assumes that she’s saying it as a shoot because they already don’t like her), has bragged about injuring talents.

I think this is part of my thing with it too. Ridge was already a target for what was an accident and putting him in this situation is just going to have people who do not realize what it is to go after him. It doesn't feel fair to the guy unless, like, he goes out of his way to brag about it outside of non-kayfabe situations like on The Bump or whatever.

[Dub H]

Dec 21, 2023 22:52:36 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

Dec 21, 2023 22:28:15 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

This angle may lose Shawn Michaels the Hooker of the Year.

Hooker? Shawn owns a time machine and is working the 1910s carnival circuit now?

Context: During Dynamite, someone in the thread posted a typothat Khan might lose Hooker of The Year . So now the race is on

[CeilingFan]

Dec 22, 2023 4:37:36 GMT -5 Dub H said:

Dec 21, 2023 22:52:36 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

Hooker? Shawn owns a time machine and is working the 1910s carnival circuit now?

Context: During Dynamite, someone in the thread posted a typothat Khan might lose Hooker of The Year . So now the race is own

The race is own???

[Dub H]

Dec 22, 2023 4:41:35 GMT -5 CeilingFan said:

Dec 22, 2023 4:37:36 GMT -5 Dub H said:

Context: During Dynamite, someone in the thread posted a typothat Khan might lose Hooker of The Year . So now the race is own

The race is own???

on*


C'mon if people can figure out Hooker to Booker people can figure that out.

[Nosnorb]

I don't understand Ridge being in NXT in the first place. Dude was doing just fine as part of Brawling Brutes, why send him back down to NXT?

[government mule]

Dec 21, 2023 22:28:15 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

This angle may lose Shawn Michaels the Hooker of the Year.

He almost definitely won that 3 years on the trot in 95, 96 and 97 with the amount Vince probably spent on him