Ridge Holland may have stepped away from the ring, but he brought the fight to Joe Gacy on the Countdown to NXT Stand & Deliver.
On the March 26 episode of WWE NXT, Ridge Holland announced that he was stepping away from the ring indefinitely . However, he appeared at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, as he joined the hosts of the Kickoff Panel. Holland was not just there to take in the action, as he attacked Joe Gacy with a chair during his entrance for his match against Shawn Spears.
Gacy persevered, as he went on to face Spears, though he was clearly less than 100%. He and Spears batted back and forth, and Gacy ultimately scored the win with the Upside Down.
The match marked Spears’ first bout at a WWE premium live event since he returned to NXT in February. He previously left WWE in 2019 and signed with AEW. Spears then entered free agency on January 1, 2024.
Here’s how the match broke down, courtesy of our play-by-play coverage:
Spears gets Gacy back in the ring and goes for the C4, but Gacy manages to escape. Gacy hits a uranage for another two count. Gacy regains control for a bit but misses a Swanton Bomb off the top rope. Spears capitalizes with a Pedigree, but Gacy kicks out at two.
Spears attempts C4 again, and Gacy reverses it, hitting Upside Down World on Spears to score the pinfall victory.
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