Ridge Holland: From WWE to Online Personal Trainer

Ridge Holland (real name Luke Menzies) sits down with Miles to tell his honest story — from being a Yorkshire rugby league prop forward to becoming a WWE Superstar, surviving career-threatening injuries, the controversial Big E incident, and life after his WWE release in November 2025.

Now based near Orlando, Florida, and coaching online clients, Luke shares hard-won wisdom on training in your late 30s, recovering from major surgery, and what the fitness industry needs to stop doing.

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⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome Luke Menzies
01:10 Yorkshire to WWE
04:43 Released and Reinventing
06:12 WWE Tryout Mindset
08:08 Inside Performance Center
09:04 Finding Ridge Holland
11:32 Heel Character Challenges
12:44 Match Psychology Secrets
14:21 Planning TV Matches
16:26 Big Names and Austin
17:51 Training Week Breakdown
20:01 Look Standards and Safety
22:36 Life on the Road
24:03 Injuries and Comebacks
26:39 Career Derailed by Accident
27:53 Rebuilding Confidence in NXT
28:46 TNA Match Foot Injury
29:29 Neck Surgery and Recovery
30:15 Training Philosophy at 38
33:01 Biggest Training Mistakes
35:00 Programming for Longevity
39:32 Client Tracking and Coaching
42:12 Fitness Industry Grifters
46:00 Advice for New Coaches
48:38 Life Now and Future Plans
50:40 Where to Find Luke
51:29 Final Reflections and Goodbye

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About the guest: Luke Menzies (born 29 May 1988, Liversedge, West Yorkshire) wrestled professionally as Ridge Holland for WWE from 2018 to November 2025. A former British Rugby League prop forward who played for Batley Bulldogs, Salford Red Devils, Toronto Wolfpack and others (150 matches, 13 tries), he transitioned to wrestling after being released from Salford. In WWE he was part of the Brawling Brutes faction with Sheamus and Butch (Pete Dunne), and won the NXT Tag Team Championship with Andre Chase in August 2024.

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Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUaye0j8p34

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Triple H with my boss, uh, I've met Vince, I've met Sean Shawn Michaels, he's the boss in NXT, which is the developmental territory, obviously. Um, but yeah, the the main one was was was Austin because I've been watching him since I was a kid and he was like my favourite wrestlers.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Okay, so we've got a really special guest today on the Launch Lab podcast. Now, this gentleman's had quite a journey. Um, I've known him maybe it's 15 years before he reached Superstardom, and I remember watching him train hard and train properly in my old gym. So myself and Luke, who's on the podcast, Luke Menzies, um, was a member when he was a professional athlete at one of my former gyms, and I saw his meteoric rise, and we're gonna dive into that and see what he's up to now. So, welcome, Luke.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Hey Miles, how are we how are we how we doing? It's uh it's nice to finally see a familiar face, and uh one that I always enjoyed seeing when I used to come to train, and it we it was uh I can't believe it's been like you know 15 15 years since we like first met, probably going in 20. Yeah, yeah, crazy. And whereabouts are you now, Luke, in in the States? Where where are you where are you at? So I'm I'm based, I always say Orlando, but I'm based kind of just south of Orlando in a in a little in a city called Saint Cloud. Um it's just nice, it's quiet, off the beacon, off the beat and track. So just how I like it.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Okay, so let's get straight to it then. So from a Yorkshire lad to the WWE in America, I mean, that is I mean, when you talk about a journey, break that down for us, give us a bit of insight.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Um, well, I I'd always been a wrestling fan, believe it or not. Like kind of my one of my guilty pleasures, or not a guilty pleasure, but something I kept for myself, you know. So from the age of like, I would say six, I used to watch the old reruns of world of sport with my nan, you know, Big Daddy, giant air stacks, all that kind of stuff. Yeah. And then uh coinciding with that, my dad played my dad played rugby. Um, and it got to a certain point, I got to about seven, eight years old, but I was like, right, it's time to put your books on, kid. And so I ended up playing Batley Boys and going through all the junior stuff and still still watching wrestling, you know, side by side, and we had mates and stuff. And obviously, you'll know Keegan, but Keegan, we used to I'm still best mates with him. We used to watch wrestling together and stuff, and and then I ended up getting picked up by Salford Red Devils when I played for Dryglaton. Um, went through their academy. I moved at Bradford came in, Bradford swiped me from underneath Salford's nose, went to Bradford, like very limited uh spots in the first team there, obviously, because they had a load of superstars and I was just a young, a young, a young whippersnapper. Um, so I moved to Battley Bulldogs and then had club after club after club, managed to get into Super League with Hulk R, dropped back down into the first division, and then uh finished at Salford and I got I got released from Salford while I was on honeymoon. So I got a phone call saying, Oh yeah, you know, we're not gonna renew your contract. So I'm oh charming. So I'm I'm obviously still still kind of a wrestling fan and stuff. And I'm I'm going through Twitter and I see a tweet from William Regal, who's obviously people who know know William Regal, his famous British wrestler, and he was he was uh kind of uh championing the the coaching services of the man that coached him back in the day, a guy called Marty Jones, who used to wrestle the world of sport, in the world of sport. Um he was like a seven seven-time mid-heavyweight champion, and he's based in Oldham, he's from Oldham, from Shaw. So I uh emailed him, laid in bed in Cancun, uh, emailed me straight back. Two days later, I flew home, went to my first wrestling practice, and then six months later, um WB tryout. But within that time, obviously Bills need playing, so I got approached by Brian Noble to uh sign for Toronto Wolfpack. So I I did a preseason with Toronto Wolfpack while we're going through the the tryouts with the WWE, and then WB said, you know, how easy is it to get out of a rugby contract? And I said, I'll I'll show you. And so I wow spoke to them and then yeah, I just moved over to moved over to the States. But we had a bit of uh a uh hiccup because my my initial visa got declined, which put my move on hold for 12 months. So I had to go out and wrestle on the independence scene around Europe to prove to the US government that I was a wrestler. So once we got all that approved, me, my wife, and my eight-month-old daughter at the time, we uh made the jump over to the States.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

So just I mean, you you make that sound really simple, you make that just sound like an effortless transition. So, pro rugby player, straight away, oh no sweat, no problem. Oh, I'll just go in the WWE, I'll go to the states, no problem, move my family. But I mean, talk me through the the stresses, the mindset, the resilience in in that sort of in that space.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Well, so you you you you firstly have the disappointment of getting released from your contract when I was with Salford, right? They're not going to renew you. So you it's like okay, the only thing I've known how to do, Miles, is I've always used my body to earn a living. You know, I'm not I don't have any really degrees as such, you know. I don't have a trade. I've my trade has always been physical stuff, sport, athletics. So I'm like, okay, what can I do here? And I don't I'd always previously when I was like 20 and 24, I'd inquired at wrestling schools to get into the business, and it kind of got shot down, told the wrong people, Ruby lads. Why do you want to do that shit? You know what I mean? Then and there. Um and I was like, just a leap of faith, I'm I'm gonna try it, you know. And then obviously there's my wife, she thinks I'm going through a midlife crisis, you know, or an early midlife crisis, going to, you know, going from a pro athlete playing super league to going to this warehouse in the middle of Oldham, wrestling wrestling guys, you know.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

So did you how did you break that? So did you say I'm swapping tight rugby shorts for spandex? Is that what you said?

SPEAKER_01 6:18

It was it pretty pretty much because I'd kept like how much I like wrestling like pretty secret from my wife. She never knew. Um like I never watch it with her. I never I never catch her, uh let her catch me watching it.

unknown 6:29

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

So it was kind of like a bit of a surprise. So I just said, look, I'm gonna give this a go. And she thought it was a phase. She went, oh, even my dad said, you know, it's a phase, he'll he'll he'll just want to try it. And you know, yeah, okay, okay, okay. It ended up just you know, the coach thought I had something, I took to it like a duck to water, and then the the WB was coming over uh to a for to do tryouts in Glasgow at the uh S S E SEC arena, I think it is in Glasgow. So we had tryouts there, and you had to go upstairs and cut a promo in a room, so you had a minute. And at this point, I'd not even I'd not wrestled like a professional show, I was just training. So there's like William Regal there, there's a few other guys, you've got to cut a one-minute promo. Um, so you I did it, I just spoke about my time in rugby, what happened, all this, and they ended up loving it. Uh, and I had one of the coaches say to me, if you do that again tomorrow, I think you've got yourself a job. Um, right. So it was the the mindset was just like, I don't know what's gonna happen, but I feel I need to do this. It was something in me that said, I need I need to do this, you know, as far as like travelling to Oldham, doing the wrestling training and taking the flack from from my mates and stuff about why I were doing it and even being misunderstood. There was something in me that went something drawing me to it and a need to do it. And um it's hard to describe, it just felt like it's something that I I was uh destined to do, you know.

SPEAKER_00 8:01

So obviously, physically, the strength, the mobility, the athleticism, everything else from rugby and training carries over to wrestling. Obviously, you need the skills and the technical skills, but when you see the showmanship and the you know, the like you said, the promo reels, you know, you you I remember Hulk Hogan and you know Ultimate Warrior in in sort of like the olden days, doing the famous like sketches, I don't know what it's called, but is there like a training school for that to learn that?

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Yeah, so uh there's a there's a trait, it's called the performance centre, and it's based in Orlando. That's why all the new recruits they come and live in Orlando so they can report to the performance centre, and it's there, it's a job. You're in there five, six days a week, you know, there's there's five, six, seven rings, there's the full on strength and conditioning uh area, we have strength coaches, there's special rooms where you have promo class where you can record yourself cutting a promo, watch yourself back, get critiqued. There's even like a um a ready-made TV studio in there where we're the host wrestling shows um we weekly on like you know big networks in the US. So everything that you need as a as a budding professional wrestler to improve is there like under one under one roof. If you can imagine, like if the NFL had a performance center, you know, and any everything you needed to know about being an NFL player would be under that roof. That's what that's WB's version.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

I get you. So right, next question I've got for you is is so you go over there, you show your physical prowess, you start doing all these. I don't want to use our acting skills for the camera and everything else. When do you get your wrestling name? How does that come about?

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Well, so first off, what they do is I I remember when I first got there, I wasn't expected to wrestle for the for the first couple of months when I got there, and I think the first two weeks I was I made my my TV debut was Luke Menzies, um, just kind of uh as like an enhancement talent for for more experienced wrestlers on TV. Um so I had a couple of outings as like Luke Menzies and working the untelevised shows, and then when you're getting ready for TV like to be focused upon and become a regular character, they come to you and they say, Look, can you give us 20 names? So I'm like, uh, okay. So within your promos and stuff, you're kind of working on a character or might fit well. So I was going down the lines of like a kind of Yorkshire, Peaky Blinders, Bill Sykes, you know, kind of like Vinnie Jones, Snatch S, Guy Richie, kind of all those amalgamated into one, right? Yeah. I'm thinking, okay, I need a name that kind of so I wanted a British name, so I either wanted Archie, Charlie, or Tommy. Because they're obviously synonymous kind of British, British sounding names. I'm thinking, okay, I need a surname that I always liked being a bad guy, so I need something with like negative connotations. So it malice. So I was like, it was either going to be Archie Charlie or Tommy Malice. And that was one, the one that I wanted, but they didn't like it. So then I wrote down 20 names that meant nothing to me. And then they picked Ridge and then from one name, then Holland off another, and put both those two together and said, Look, um, the boss man likes this. And I turned it down at first. I said, I think it's shit, don't like it. I mean, I've never I've never met a Yorkshire guy fella called Ridge, you know.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

No, it sounds it sounds very, very um States-esque, you know, an American name, doesn't it? Ridge.

SPEAKER_01 11:35

Massively. And so I turned it down, and then they came back to me a couple weeks later and said, Listen, like, he really likes this. So I'm like, well, he's paying the checks, he's he's writing the show, so I guess, I guess we'll give it a go. And that's how Ridge Holland was was born, really.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

So there was no other, was there any like other alter egos? Like, you know, you weren't gonna be like miss Mr. Hot Guy, or you know, coming in with a hot pants on. There were no other characters, no?

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Uh no, uh not really. I'd always gone in with the intention of being a bad guy. And it's a heel, isn't it? Yeah, heel, yeah, heel's a bad guy, yeah. So a villain. Um and I just I always liked that kind of the kind of guy rich, guy rich, guy richie-esque type thing. And there'd never been a lad from like Yorkshire in there, really, that that that would talk and put that character across. And it ended up being really hard to do that because they just don't understand the vernacular, you know. Um, so it was hard to put that across. So I had to kind of the thing with your promos and things, when you get on TV, they're written for you. Right. So when you've got an American American lad that's never been in a fight before, never been a pro athlete, never been to England, doesn't understand how we taught from Yorkshire, and he's telling you to say, I'm I'm gonna kick your ass. How many lads in Yorkshire, Miles, had you say if you got into a a bit of a uh a situation, would say that to you? You they wouldn't, would they?

SPEAKER_00 12:57

You know, no, on a night out down Battley in the olden days, you'd not hear that, would you? No, that's not what you'd hear.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

No, no, you'd you'd hear something uh a little bit more um selective, let's say.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think we've both experienced that. So so so that so you start your wrestling at this point. What what are you finding the most difficult? What's the most difficult part of learning this new craft?

SPEAKER_01 13:21

So I'd I'd say I always so the thing that I that I found easy was like the moves and stuff and the athletic things, obviously coming from an athletic background. The hardest thing was probably the psychology of putting a wrestling match together. So if you think about it, our our job is really to suspend the audience's disbelief and and and garner emotional reactions from them. And we garner those emotional reactions via what we do in the ring. So there's a there's a there's a sat there's a there's a kind of like a there's a psychological, psychological component to what we do. Everything everything that you do in the ring needs to mean something and there needs to be a reason for it. And the modern style of wrestling that's kind of gone by the wayside. But how I was taught, everything that you do needs to have a meaning. Like, for instance, me being a heel, um, uh a bad guy, it'd always be doing something underhanded. It'd always been attacking a guy from behind. You know, even if he was down on the floor, I'd circle behind him and attack a guy from behind, and things like that. Things that looked underhanded, and people would resonate and think, oh, that was a bit shitty. And doing things like that, and then you'd get you'd garner that negative emotion from the fans, and they'd want to see the the the baby face, the good guy, come back and and smash me to pieces, and then that's when they get the sympathy from him selling. So that's the psychology part, and just knowing like not just what, but how not just what to do, but how, where, and when. And and that's that's the toughest bit.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

So I've got right, I've got to ask, I've got to ask this. So I think I think most most grown-ups appreciate that wrestling is it's theatre, it's it, you know, it there's a planned ending and a planned victory and all the rest of it. So to what and I and I imagine, and correct me if I'm wrong, it's quite detailed the actual plan of the match by both parties before. So, do you two get together in the room beforehand and you you map out the match? Is that how it works? Uh, pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

I mean, like, there's an art to it of like uh say like the booker or the office, you know, the or the bossman saying, Listen, we want this as a finish, this is the finish of the match, and then the the the two the two guys would just be able to go out there and call it in the ring. There's certain ways that you can communicate in the ring, whether it be a a touch or talking and how to communicate in the ring, and we can still still do that. But now with the advent of everything being so like on such a big scale with with with cameras and tight shots and everything like that, and everything's mic'd up, and they don't want to miss these shots, it's very heavily produced. So, to your point, yeah, we'd get instruction of what the the boss the boss man wanted, and then we'd have a producer with us or an agent. We'd go together and we'd throw ideas around and see what I'd fit where and stuff, and see what I'd how we would tell this story the best way possible and have an entertaining match within the the time constraints. Like it might be a two-segment match, you might have a segment, uh, a four-minute segment up front, a three and a half minute break, and then a six-minute segment on the back end. So you have to plan break spots, you have to plan spots to come when you come back on air, and all that meantime, when when you're dark, when you're in commercial break, you're still working for the live audience. So it's like spinning plates, the referee's talking to you, the referee's talking to you, he's communicating times, you're communicating to your to your opponent. So, like, there's a lot of things going on. It's it's it really is a skill, and the guys that are fantastic at it uh are truly like masters of the craft.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

And so, in your in you're in WWE, so you know so who who did you dance around the ring with then? Give me some give me some names. What were the biggest names you danced around the ring with?

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Oh man, I mean I wrestled recently, like probably like what was it 2022, like Roman Reigns, who were in like a war games match with Roman Reigns, um Sammy Zane, Kevin Owens, uh Drew McIntyre, Seamus. Um not on TV, but we were in the ring with John Cena, uh, had like a uh an after-show thing for the live audience. Um yeah, there's been a few. I've I've bumped into not wrestling and stuff, but obviously bumped into you know The Undertaker and Steve Austin uh at WrestleMania and stuff because Austin was my guy, he was the man that made me want to be a wrestler. So who who was who were the ones that made you actually like have a bit of like be star struck? So the the only one was Austin. Like I like I'd met obviously Triple H with my boss, uh, I'd met Vince, I'd met Sean Shawn Michaels, he's the boss in NXT, which is the developmental territory, obviously. Um, but yeah, the main one was was was Austin because I've been watching him since I was a kid and he was like my favourite wrestler. So um meeting him was like a no shit, it's stone cold because he knows he's not around a great deal, you know. Um he's on a ranch in in Nevada somewhere, you know, keeping himself out of the way. So when it when he pops up, it's kind of like oh shit, you know.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Wow. So from a physical perspective, then, you know, as as a pro wrestler at the highest level, what is your sort of training in terms of how much is like S and C gym strength training, how much is wrestling skills, how many hours a week? Give me a bit of a breakdown.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

So initially, when you start, you you're wrestling. So when I first started, it would it would be like Monday, so you'd be in the ring um three hours, too, two hours, two or three hours in a class. So it'd be Monday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, you'd be in two or three hours in in the morning in your class, then there'd be extra ring, and you'd have to go, that'd be compulsory, you'd have to go to extra ring, like later on, like three or four in the afternoon. And what you'd do is you probably have you would have your ring time in the morning for two hours, then you'd go straight into the gym, then you'd have a little bit of downtime, grab some food, and then you would go back for extra ring, and then Thursday, sorry, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, we had these things called coconut shows, which were live events around Florida, where guys could get in front of a live crowd and hone their craft. So you would you would kind of train in the morning on a on a Thursday and a Friday, and then you would get in your car, put your suit on, or put your smart clothes on and have your wrestling gear, and then travel two hours to Jacksonville and go put the ring up, you you know, put the chairs out and and and and and in these armouries, and then wrestle on the show, and then travel back, and then do the same again, you know, Friday and Saturday. So I would say, yeah, you a good what 10 hours, 10, 12 hours of wrestling, and then probably four days four times a week you're lifting. I would always like to do my own lifting though. Like I'm very I always have my own coaches, you know what I mean? I'm very particular about how I train and what I do. Um a lot of the guys will follow like train like bodybuilders, but as we all know, it's very 2D. You know, there's there's there's not a lot of you know athletic components to that style of training, and then you see guys that are tearing pecs, tearing biceps, and and and things of that nature. Um, so I always like to keep things relatively athletic.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

What is there, and this this is something I've heard on the mentioned before from wrestling.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

Is there any sort of pressure on you to maintain your a certain look, a certain body fat percentage, depending on your character, is is that something that's brought up regular or I wouldn't say I would I wouldn't say it's like it's like uh if you're in shape, you're in shape and they don't really you know uh bother with you, but it I think it comes down to like a per a personal standard, like it because if you think of wrestling, it's a variety show, right? We've got big, tall, skinny, fat, muscular, you know, men, women, it it it's a variety show, so there's a place for everyone, but you at the end of the day, you need to be able to be able to be safe in the ring, which means you need to have your wind, you need to be relatively strong in the ring, uh, and you need to be durable. So, regardless of whether you're carrying an extra extra few percent body fat, you need to make sure that you're doing your cardio and you're and you're getting your conditioning in. So as long as your performance isn't isn't marred by your physical, um, you know, by by your physical condition, you you're okay. Wow. Well, yeah, back in the day, yeah, back in the day, obviously everyone was, you know, 300 pounds, absolutely gassed to the gills. That was just how it was, right? But now things have changed slightly.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Yeah, because the the wrestling look, and I know there's outliers, but um, you know, if you go back 20, 25 years. Years, the majority of them could have stood on a bodybuilding stage, most of them, couldn't they?

SPEAKER_01 22:04

Yeah, yeah, they could have done. And 25 years ago, even like 25, 30 years ago, a lot of them, the schedule there, that do a wrestling, you know, two, two, do it on the road 250 or 300 days a year, you know, and then not to mention what did they have to do to maintain those physiques while on two hours sleep a night, you know, driving, you know, driving for four hours every night. Yeah, it's just taking the punishment, obviously working injured, you know, and that's why we had unfortunately a lot of guys from from like the 80s and stuff pass away relatively early. I know we've heard about the British Bulldog and people like that pass away relatively early due to you know painkillers and and a cocktail of things just to keep going, but it's in a better spot now. They have drug testing, the medical, the the medical supervision is top-notch, the schedule's a hell of a lot lighter. So we get treated or they are because I'm not with the WB anymore, but they get treated a lot more like athlete like athletes, like a priority now.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Um you mentioned like the 250 days on the road. What was kind of like a typical schedule for you in terms of travel?

SPEAKER_01 23:14

So it would differ with with obviously NXT, it would be what I said, obviously, training, training like five days a week and then three shows. So you'd you'd do Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and that'd be just within Florida, but it it'd be like it could be a 200-mile, you know, trip, you know, each each way. Um but then when I got up to the main roster on SmackDown, we would we'd fly out to whatever city it was on a Thursday evening for SmackDown on Friday. We'd do Smackdown, we'd get in a car. Me and me and Pete, my tag partner, we'd get in a car, we'd drive however many hours or miles it would be to the next town, to the hotel, get in at 3-4 in the morning, sleep, get up, go to the gym, head to the show, do the show, rinse and repeat, you know, drive to the next town, and then depending on whether they needed us for Raw Monday night, we'd catch a flight to Raw or drive to Raw, or we fly home Monday morning, and then we'd have two days at home, three days at home, and then rinse and repeat that. So it's yeah, it's it's it's still a grind, it was still a grind. Now it's in now the schedule's even lighter, they don't really have house shows. Um, so yeah, they just do TVs now. Um, but it was still a grind back then, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:32

Wow, and so so from starting in the WWE to, I know you've just mentioned obviously, you know, and obviously because I follow you on socials, I I know you've had one hell of a journey and some real bad luck. Um, so what as as you sort of do you want to talk about your injuries now and what happened?

SPEAKER_01 24:53

Yeah, I mean so I I was probably in the company probably about a year, 18 months, and I was about I was set for like having a really big what they call it, a push where you know you're gonna be a focal point and they're gonna kind of make you one of the one of the guys. And I ended up um I was outside the ring and a guy dove on me, and as I went to catch him, um, I took a step back and I kind of caught him relatively high. So I had to step back, which fractured and dislocated my left ankle, and I didn't mean here, so I was still trying to hold him. So, as well as fractured fracturing and doing all that damage to my left ankle, all that weight went through my right leg, which caused my knee to come in, which caused then the patella to dislocate, which caused the patella tendon to rupture. So all in one fell swoop, I blew both my legs out. Um, so that was like 10 months, 10 months on the sideline. Um I've managed to rehab that and come back. They thought they thought that we're done. Like I remember when I came back from injury, the the medical staff said we thought you were done, like but we didn't think you'd come back from it.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

Yeah, because they're they're quite, I mean, for anybody who's in who's in the fitness and sporting industry, that they could be career-ending, couldn't they? Yeah, without a doubt, yeah, without a doubt.

SPEAKER_01 26:07

But it just goes, it's testament to like the the the physical therapy, you know, uh members of the uh the WWE that they know the stuff, and obviously you've got to put the work in, and I worked my ass off, but without their guidance, I don't think I would have I would I would have been back in this shape that I ended up being in. Um but I came back, um ended up getting called up to smack down. Um and then I think my first pay-per-view was on New Year's Day. I ended up uh someone landed on my face and broke my nose. Um now usually I would add a with the broken nose I'd have carried on, but what that they had a strict no blood policy, and my my nose was pissing blood, I couldn't get it to stop. So they I had to leave the match, a tag team match. Um my nose was like over here on my face. So they tried straightening it, couldn't do it. I had to fly to Nashville for for the nose job. Um that'll fix my nose. So that'll put me back about six weeks.

SPEAKER_00 27:00

Uh then so basically the modelling career's back on now, yeah? Now you've got your nose.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

Well, my nose is better than it's ever been now, mate. So I can charge a bit of a premium, you know.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Um but uh and then we're we we had an issue where I unfortunately was involved in an accident where a gentleman broke his neck. Um I give him an overhead belly, a belly suplex, and he just went went awry and he landed on his head, broke his neck. Um he's okay now. He's he can't he can't wrestle again, but he's not, doesn't have any nerve damage. He he kind of uh fractured his uh his C1 vertebra. Um so he's he's he can't wrestle anymore, but I caught I copped a lot of flack after that, and that kind of derailed my career because when something big like that happens and he was a big star, um it's it's a big thing when you're when you're kind of involved in it in a spot where someone gets hurt and I was new. How did you feel? How did that sort of make you feel? Terrible, mate. I had like confidence-wise, like it took me probably three years to get over it. Confidence-wise, I didn't want to touch anyone, yeah, didn't want to even get in the ring and touch anyone. Uh um, and then just from there, it was like uh always this black cloud. I had social media, I got like death threats to my house and stuff, and I still get it to this day. So that that was a big a big a big thing. Um and then due to that, there was like a black cloud hanging over me from from like the I could tell like the way that things were that people had lost a bit of confidence in me due to that. Um so I I I I asked if I could go back down from the main roster to back down to NXT for a bit of a um what's the word, like a character repackage or a rebrand. Yeah, with with the view of coming back up in six months, kind of a bit a bit, you know, with a bit more shine and and and just just kind of re-established. And that just didn't end up working out. Um they they had other ideas, uh, and then um I ended up like with winning some tag belts in NXT and challenging for the for the heavyweight title and stuff, but um nothing really focused on me. It was always to kind of like get someone else over, yeah. And then I ended up um I was due to um my contract was coming up and I wrestled, they have a partnership with another wrestling company called TNA. So I've gone down there to wrestle their world champion uh that time, uh Mike Santana. And the day after I wrestled a guy called Moose and I caught him in a power bomb. So I popped him up, and he's so athletic, he jumped so high, I like nearly lost him. So I caught him, stepped back again, and then the the left foot I had a Lis Frank injury where it's like a midfoot dislocation, so the ligaments in the middle that hold your foot together they snapped, and it felt like imagine someone's getting a disc cloth and wringing it out in your boot. That's what it felt like. So I had to have surgery, and then during the time that I was recovering from that, my neck was giving me issues, so I went to see a specialist. They said you've got two collapsed discs in your neck, you you need you need a fusion. Well, there's no way I'm having a fusion. I didn't want a fusion, I've seen what it does to people. So I found a doctor in Manhattan, Dr. Karaishi out of HSS in Manhattan, and he'd worked on UFC fighters and hockey players, and they've all gone back to like you know, full contact sports. And he we did a a double uh a two-level um artificial disc replacement. So now I've just got two titanium discs in my neck, um, and I'm I'm sweet. So yeah, that's basically where where I'm at at this moment in time.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

Yeah, yeah, so so so I just want to touch on on your training philosophy. So young lad in battle, yeah. You go through rugby, you build up the physique, you build up the strength, that serves you well, professional athlete, gets you the look and the athleticism and everything for the WWE. At the age you're at now, obviously going through that journey. How has your training changed? What's your what's your sort of training philosophy now?

SPEAKER_01 31:16

So now I I take obviously I've started I still have a coach, you know. I have I'm coached by a gentleman called uh Luke Lehman, who used to be an educator for for Charles Polloquin or the Polloquin group back in the day. He's he's the man.

SPEAKER_00 31:28

He's wow that text me back. I used to love, I used to go to every Charles Polloquin seminar, good wherever it was, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:34

Yeah, he's he's the man, man, and he's like a wealth of knowledge, some of the smartest guys that I know. Anyway, he so I he he writes at the minute, right now, I'm just wanting to stay get back feeling a bit athletic after been being on the shelf for seven months. So we're doing a kind of like a mixture of of uh bodybuilding, and then on Sundays I'm doing some Olympic weightlifting. Uh, so I'm just re-learning, relearning those movement patterns. Yeah, and then we're gonna start throwing some conditioning in there, some sprints and things like that. So it's all a matter of just you know getting getting back, feeling, feeling good. And the big thing for me now, because I'm I'll be 38 this month, I have a lot of injuries, so it's longevity, and what we found now with with obviously the research is when people start breaking down when they lose that power output, when they stop training power, you know, and that neural efficiency. Yeah, so this is why that I thought, okay, I want to start doing this, you know, you know, Olympic weightlifting and start, you know, learning those skills. Because not only for the for the obviously for the for the power output, um, but obviously for the mental, it's learning a new skill. Yeah, you know, so that that keeps us going. Um, but as far as like my philosophy now is just prioritizing sleep, prioritizing recovery, and just making sure that I'm not drilling myself into the ground. Because I've done that before and realized that I wasn't making progress when I was younger. I wanted to get bigger, I wanted to get stronger, and I would just throw the kitchen sink everything, and yeah, you just can't recover from it. Um, so now it's okay, one wake up. How did I sleep? How do I feel? Can I push today? You know, um, how's the body feeling? Am I getting my mobility working? Um, do I just need to go for a walk today? So it's very much a suck it and see type thing. Yeah, and if if I can do what's programmed, great. If I can't, I'll let him know and we'll we'll we'll just kind of pivot.

SPEAKER_00 33:31

So, what would you say that training mistakes? So, along your journey, what looking back now, if you were to speak to a younger you, what would you be saying to that younger you now about training?

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Oh, I'd I'd I'd say stop looking at people that you want to look like and training like training how they train, because they're a lot further on in their lifting career. What's working for that they're at this moment in time, guys that are big and and and have made plenty of gains, whether it be strength or size, they're refining and they're looking for by extra 1% to bring them up to whatever level they want to get to. As a young man early in his training career, just focus on the basics. I would say two or three full-body lifting sessions per week, you know, focus on you know, vertical, vertical pull, horizontal pull, vertical push, horizontal push, you know, you've got a hip hinge, squat pattern, and throw some unilateral work in there. And Bob's your uncle. Um just I think and I think bodybuilding has taken up such a big space in in the fitness genre that people think that's how they should train anyway. They should train like a bodybuilder. And it if you want to feel good and and look good, you can't always train like that. You know, bodybuilders are training for it for a reason, and that's to get on stage one one one day, two days out of the year, you know. So I think people need to realise one they need to have realistic expectations, uh, and and they need to um pick a modality of physical activity that they feel that they can see themselves doing 10 years down the line. Yeah. That they enjoy. Because there's no point going to the gym. We've all been there, we've all said I hate this, but I'm gonna do it because I think it's gonna, you know, give give me what I'm what I'm searching for. But if you're not enjoying it, you're not you're not gonna put forth the effort at put forth the effort.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

What would you say? So if you if you were giving out based on your breadth of knowledge and obviously at the highest levels, if you are programming now for somebody who wants to age well, live well, look decent, you know, move well, what kind of things would be in a training plan, what would you be writing out for that person?

SPEAKER_01 35:55

Oh, definitely, I think definitely now zone zone two cardio, like even without without lifting, just like 120 minutes of zone two cardio per week within you know a minute, just for met you know, increasing metabolic flexibility, increasing, you know, the recovery capabilities and your aerobic capacity. If you're if your aerobic capacity is higher, you're able to recover more efficiently in between your sets and from your workouts. And not only that, you can you can utilize the nutrients better, you know, you become more insensitive, it has carry over to blood pressure and endolethial function and things like that. So zone two cardio is massively underrated. It's not just a calorie funnel. Everyone uses cardio as a calorie funnel, it's not a calorie funnel, you know. Um, it's uh you're building the engine, you know, if you want to perform well. Um and then from strength wise, give us a description. Oh man, strength wise, I'd I think I'd switch to obviously, like I said before, you know, you you want the basics in there, you know, your horizontal vertical uh pushes and pulls, and you want some knee dominant and you want some hip hinge, but I think things like front elevated split squats and and definitely a lot of posterior chain work is where people people miss out. So, you know, back extensions, uh reverse hypers, things of that nature, I definitely program them. Um and I think the the single leg and single arm stuff is is great just for einding out discrepancies. Um obviously that's where like if I if I have clients, for instance, and they're um I I want them to record their list for me. And let's say it's uh it's a fun element of split squat. I'll say, can you record it for me? But on your on your last set when you're under fatigue, because that's when that's when those holes kind of show themselves, right? Um, and then we can we can program it, you know, we can we can say okay, we need to do this, that, you know, you might just stay in the hole a bit longer, slow down, okay, have a bit of a longer, longer step. Don't be don't have your feet like a tight rope, think train tracks and tight rope, all that kind of stuff. Um, but I definitely think you unilateral work and definitely um some form of like core work where whether it be anti-rotation work, you know, pall off presses, um things of that, even like anti-rotation dead bugs, just things that are gonna make you feel good and that that have definite carry over to life. I always kind of look at it as like uh when I'm 60, I still want to be able to run around with my grandkids. So if if we if we if we're stronger on, you know, like single limbs, I think I think I think that people are missing out on a lot if they're not including single limb training, unilateral training, um in the in their uh in the in the programs.

SPEAKER_00 38:39

Yeah, makes perfect sense. I mean I can I can I can echo a lot of what you just said that makes it's what I say to most people, you know, it doesn't have to be complex, it doesn't have to be fancy, it's a lot of the basics.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

Yeah, it's always a lot of the basics and making sure that you know that you're you're progressively you are progressively overloading, but now everyone thinks that progressively overloading is putting more weight on the bar. Yeah, from from a from a basic standpoint, yeah, but it could be you know increasing tempo, it could be it could be standardizing your technique, you know. You that's still progressively overloading if you if you if you're improving your technique week on week, even with the same load, you're still progressively overloading. And then when you get your technique perfect and standardized, then we can look at loading and and and you can adding more weight to the bar there or more weight to the to the exercise. And obviously, recoverability, making sure, making sure that you know how well can you recover from what you're doing, you know, the stimulus for to fatigue ratio. So um I wouldn't say just smashing yourself is is the main thing, even if it's just two working sets, um and it's it's also for courses, you know, what's what's the what's the guy's goal, what was what's the individual's goal? Is it is it fight loss, is it muscle gain, is it, is it do they just want to feel good? So your program is gonna your programming is gonna change pretty much on on the goal of the of the uh of the of the participant.

SPEAKER_00 40:02

So for your clients, what are the big things you measure, you track, and you hold them accountable for for their own for their own good and their own results?

SPEAKER_01 40:13

So the f the first thing that I'll always do is it's it's always not giving them too much to like if I if I went to mocha, these are your macros, I want you, I want you to take these calories, this protein, this carbs, this fat, and they've then they've never tracked before. How long do you think that's gonna last? You know, so I'll always give them a couple of little goals. So I always make sure that say, listen, um, let's focus on protein and let's focus on your overall calories. Just two things to work on, then and then once we get that nailed for like a solid two weeks, we can add something to that. Something I would always do. Um, I'll always ask if they can get on the scale in the morning, just so we can get an average scale weight throughout the week, you know, in a morning fasted after they've been to the bathroom. Um, but if they can't, just once a week I'll do it, at least you have a metric. It's all about data, especially being an online coach. I can't be in there with them. So the more data that they can give me, the better when when we get you know that down the road. As far as training, um we always kind of go through kind of like a uh either a structural balance or a GPP phase with our clients, and that's obviously them learning how we're gonna you know program down the line, increasing skill, tissue tolerance, things like things of that nature. And it's me learning about them, so I'll always ask them to record the lifts, like last working set, um as we go on. Um and then just keep I think the main thing is being a coach for me is communication. So, like it on WhatsApp, I look it's these daily touch points. How are you doing? How you feeling, you know, did you sleep well? Um, not just what you're doing in the gym, but what you're doing out of the gym. So I I'm very I don't want to say like controlling, that's not the right word, but I like to know what they're doing, I like to know if they're traveling, I like to know how they're sleeping, if they're stressed, you know. So there's a there's a lot of metrics that we can use and even like wearables. We use uh chronometer uh to for that nutrition tracking, and obviously that there's you can integrate wearables into that, which gives us I an idea of like the HRV, the resting heart rate. So therefore in a training phase we can tell if they're you know if they're getting getting pretty stressed out or to the point where where they need to deloft if that HRV is dropping and that resting heart rate is getting elevated, things like that. So they're the kind of things that I that I kind of look for down the line.

SPEAKER_00 42:41

Perfect. So what currently in the fitness industry, what if you had a bin and you could grab things from the fitness industry that would never return, what would you be sort of putting in that bin right now?

SPEAKER_01 42:57

Oh man. See, it's it's funny because I I I'm I'm of the I'm a big believer that everything works, think everything can work in context, right? Like there's a place for everything, it's just that people get so focused on one thing, I think that is the only thing, that is the only way that you have to maneuver in in in you know in in whatever goal you want to achieve. Yeah, um so I hate I hate I probably man fitness influencers, they can go straight in the fucking bin.

SPEAKER_00 43:30

Do you mean do you mean the the people who get believed who have absolutely zero knowledge of anything to do with training, fitness, but they might have a genetically good body, so therefore they must or I'm gonna follow them because on Instagram they look good.

SPEAKER_01 43:47

Yeah, but yeah, you you you summed it up because what what I've what I've come to find is that uh like there's there's there's fitness influencers and there's coaches, yeah, you know um Don't think a coach will ever call themselves a fitness influencer. Um, so I think like what what you've just said then, guys that are always posting pics of their own body, guys that are you know don't really it's very generic advice and and sometimes wrong advice, um, or they'll even copy other people's content and put it out there, and um especially uh nowadays with all the the the the the um the the the peptide kind of craze that's going on, right? Everyone's everyone's running peptides and stuff like that. And but I think some of the some of the peptide gurus were pushing crypto two years ago, weren't they? Yeah, it's it's just it's just another thing, like a oh yeah, I want I want this peptide is the answer to everything, it cures everything, right? It's gonna make you superman. And just happens, I sell it.

SPEAKER_00 44:49

You know, it's use use my follow the link below that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 44:52

Yeah, below it for it, and you know, you you use code bullshit for a 10% discount, you know.

SPEAKER_00 44:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:59

100%.

SPEAKER_00 45:00

It's yeah, I think that we'll agree on that one. I mean, what do you what do you think the fitness industry has is doing well and and actually has evolved with? What do you think we're doing right? So I think there's a lot of good educators out there.

SPEAKER_01 45:15

I think that I I think that it's hard because the influencers get so much so much traction. But I I just wish like there's things that go on, like something going on in Las Vegas at the or it which just finished called the Real Coaches Summit. Um, and that's the place where you can go and you can pay for a ticket, and there's all the top educators and people that know that actually know things that you can learn from um within the industry and go there and you can help your clients. Uh so I think the good thing about the fitness industry is that people are putting out that content, they do it because they want to help people. I think that's that's the that's the best, that's one of the main things is that the people that are putting out good content that that that is educational, they're doing it because not because they want to earn money, um, not because they want to be known as an expert, but because they genuinely want to help people. I think that's a sub a subsection of of the fitness industry that's doing things really well there. Um the other thing is obviously I want money, I want clicks, I want this, I want that, I want grandioso stay, grandioso statements, um, I want clickbait. That's a thing that should be shied away from because that leads people down the garden path and unfortunately does does no serves no purpose.

SPEAKER_00 46:30

So how how so for a young trainer who's getting into the business, and for somebody who's wanting to get into the fitness business, coaching business, there's a lot there's a hell of a lot of fitness business grifters out there who you know all they talk about is your 10k a month, your 5k a month, your 30k, sell high ticket. And when I see those kind of words straight away, my bullshit radar goes off, usually by a rented Lamborghini or a rented Porsche outside a house they don't own. Yeah, you know what advice would you say to people who get it's easy to get sucked in by that. What would you say?

SPEAKER_01 47:12

So I think to your point there, everyone's saying scale up, right? That's that's that's the message, right? Scale up, you need to scale your business. Yeah. If you if you've not got a business, you can't scale it. You know, so I would almost say scale down, start start small, learn your craft. Learn your craft, yeah. Learn your craft, and almost that and that takes time as well. You you're gonna you would rather make mistakes when you when when not as much money is on the line, if you've got a massive fitness business and making mistakes that you should have looked should have made in your first two years of being a coach, you know, and making them 10 years down the line and absolutely losing your ass. So get in the gym, get training people, make mistakes. Okay, not mistakes that are gonna harm people, but make the same mistakes that we always have done and people are still making, but make them early, learn from them, and then read read, do your research, pick up like I'll go back to Luke, like muscle nerds education. They have a um it's kind of like a monthly subscription, it's called Cerebro, it's$97 a month, and they put out a new, a new, a new uh, a new lecture every month, and they've got everything from programming to to you know stress and metabolism to anything, it's it's huge. And you can whittle your way through there and learn topics that will really help your clients and yourself. Um just find find mentors, find like-minded people that want to learn.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

Um people who've actually trod the path.

SPEAKER_01 48:41

Yeah, and it are not more often than not those people that uh that have been there and done that, they still have that thirst for learning. They will always they're always learning. So if you want to find someone like that, someone to look up to, almost like a mentor, whether it's in cloth, you know, in close conversation with or someone from afar where you can admire the work and kind of you know emulate, you know, just find some someone find someone who uh who's helped a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00 49:07

Excellent. And so what you know, what does life look like now, Luke? What what is it you're currently doing? And what uh yeah, I know you're doing some coaching, so you know is is that is that the taking up the bulk of your time?

SPEAKER_01 49:18

Um pretty much at the minute, yeah. Um the coaching is is a big thing. Obviously, I'm I'm a father of three. My wife just started working, um, so she's uh she's a property manager for a for a real estate company now. Um so she's she's busy, so I'm kind of like kind of like flexible dad mode. You know, I'm working when I can, being with the kids when I can, school runs, drop-offs, this and that. Um looking to get back into wrestling, so picking up bookings, um, because I think I've still got an itch to scratch there, still got something there to scratch to myself. And then it's just finding the time, I've like I mentioned, just to stay educated and study myself and learn more. So I sometimes I get overwhelmed because I've got so much things that I think I want to do. I I I struggle to like, okay, how can I find time to do all this stuff? So it's like, okay, just take it day by day. But definitely right now, helping the clients that I've got, uh, doing a good job, um, and then you know, picking up some some bookings and getting back on the on the wrestling scene and obviously staying in shape and enjoying my lifting and my training.

SPEAKER_00 50:22

And just for anyone watching this now or watching any of these clips, I can wholeheartedly recommend Luke because I do know he actually has walked the walk, he's talked the talk, and he actually knows how to train and how to train people because I've seen it over the years myself. When he was a even when he was a younger gentleman, he knew how to train and he knew how he knew his he knew what good training looked like and what good form and technique looks like. So I have no doubt that your clients' form, technique, and everything is on point.

SPEAKER_01 50:54

Well, I hope so. And if not, you know, I'll be cracking, I'll be cracking the whip and stuff. But we we we try right as an online coach, it's easy. Sometimes it's a little bit difficult to get everything nailed without being in there with them in person. Um, but you know, that's that's the challenge, and that's I think that's the mark of a good coach. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:11

And so for anybody who wants to obviously follow yourself, anybody who wants to get in touch for coaching, um, wrestling bookings, where where where do they find out more about you, Luke?

SPEAKER_01 51:22

So all my stuff is really for Instagram, so it's uh at Ridge WWE. I've not had a chance to change my handle yet, so it's at ridge, R-I-D-G-E, WWE. Um, and for coaching, I work for a company called Silverback by Ali Gilbert. Oh, I know, I know I've been to some of her seminars, yeah. Yeah, so I'm in close quarter quarters with Ali's me, Jim Ferries, and uh a guy called Anthony Bluebello, where we're the coaches for Silverback, so yeah. Um if you're interested in coaching, um hit us up at Silverback and we'll we'll we'll help you out.

SPEAKER_00 51:54

Perfect, perfect. Um, anything else you'd like to add, Luke?

SPEAKER_01 51:58

Uh no, it's just me, it's it's good to to reconnect with you, uh Miles. It's obviously you were always uh kind of like a wealth of knowledge yourself when I was a young kid, you know, with training at MP MP fit, and I'd always train I'd always train on my own. I think you probably noticed that. I never really had training partners, and you would always say to you know, and you've had a your share of injuries too, as well, you know, with your Achilles and things like that, I remember.

SPEAKER_00 52:20

And and yeah, yeah, I've done I've done the shoulders, the hips, the Achilles. I've done I've I've I've I think me and you were when when you're about my age, you'll caught up to me with injuries.

SPEAKER_01 52:30

Yeah, I think but I what's that? I said the other day, I feel like I've donated my body to medical science, and I think you'll feel the same way.

SPEAKER_00 52:35

Uh I've got two, I've got two titanium shoulders now, so it's it's just I can't I keep just stacking up these injuries, keep stacking them up. I have to start calling you the M62, mate, because you've got too much.

SPEAKER_01 52:46

Luke. No, it's been it's awesome, mate, the connecting again, mate. And hopefully, when I'm back in the UK, I can come and we can get a coffee or whatever and what have you.

SPEAKER_00 52:53

I look forward to it, mate, and get a session in. So, like I said, everybody go and follow Luke. He's he's a gentleman and he's extremely knowledgeable. So, you know, go follow Luke and thanks for coming on, Luke, today. Yeah, cheers, Miles, it's been a pleasure.