Ridge Holland Discusses Rugby Career: ‘I Wanted To Impress My Dad, There’s A Bit Of Validation There’
Ridge Holland discusses his rugby career.
Before he made his professional wrestling debut in 2017, Ridge Holland played rugby for over a decade.
During a recent appearance on The Mike Rand Show, Holland talked about his rugby career before transitioning to professional wrestling.
“Being from a small working-class town, you either grew up and wanted to be a policeman, a bricklayer, get a trade, or you played sports. A big sport in my area was Rugby league. My dad played amateur, never played pro. But he kind of nudged me in that direction. When I was like seven, eight, he said, ‘Okay, let’s sign you up for a grassroots club.’ I started playing rugby. Fell in love with it. Obviously, I wanted to impress my dad. There’s a bit of validation there.
I happened just to turn professional at the age of 17. It’s kind of common in the UK, but unheard of over here in the States. So, I was playing professionally against grown men at 17 years old. It’s like a 17-year-old going to play in the NFL. So yeah, I played my debut at 17. I had 12 good years playing professional rugby for quite a few clubs over the north of England. It was a good experience.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Ridge Holland discussed his recent surgeries. Fans can read more about it here.
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