Welcome to another edition of #FinisherFriday! This is Wreddit_Regal bringing you a short review of one of my favorite English wrestlers and his finisher, just before Christmas strikes.
It's not often that you see a TV show character that you like being referenced in some way on professional wrestling. It simply makes the viewing experience more enjoyable, as you think that this character is now facing a new set of opponents on another field of war. I, for one, am a big fan of Tommy Shelby in the crime drama Peaky Blinders. This guy's aura just screams BADASS whenever he appears on screen:
You can't imagine the joy I felt when I saw an NXT guy with the same getup walking down the ramp, cap and all:
That's our boy Ridge Holland, one of the true scary big men of the NXT 1.0 division.
"...with the character, I try to put a northern spin on things like Snatch, Lock Stock, Peaky Blinders obviously, there’s that little element there...Everyone thinks that the flat cap, I got it from Peaky Blinders. but actually all the old boys where I’m from up north in Yorkshire, they always have the flat caps on, they’re always hard working men. So it’s a little bit of a homage to them."
Enough of the fanboying; let's get down to business. A former rugby player, Luke Menzies decided to put his destructive power to use in another battlefield and signed with WWE under the black-and-yellow brand. His stature and frightening presence immediately struck fear in the hearts of the whole men's roster, branding him as a potential threat to any championship reign. Injuries would sidetrack him from his quest in procuring gold, but it opened a new door for him: just a few months after his return, the promotion allowed him to enter the big leagues without the need to prove his worth. Now, it's just a matter of time until we find this bloke holding a title.
Taking pride in his roots as a rugby player, Holland's physique and arsenal let him lay waste to his opponents, ragdolling them like crash test dummies in the process:
His finisher is a take on the classic Northern Lights Bomb, named the Northern Grit:
Another fun fact: the Northern Lights Bomb was invented by the legendary Akira Hokuto, who gave her opponents more than headaches as she put this deadly move to use:
Using my Regal Rating, I'd give this move a:
10/10 for aesthetics. Execution-wise, it foregoes one step of the Michinoku Driver (full scoop)...
...and is about a half-step further than the small package driver.
Either way, it only adds to the allure and uniqueness of the move.
10/10 for damage. You rarely see any recipient of the Northern Lights Bomb landing on their neck or upper back. It's pure unadulterated cerebral concussion, and Ridge Holland is there to savor the satisfaction.
And that's it chaps, my short review of Ridge Holland's Northern Grit! Do you want Holland to break free from being Sheamus' protege, and start on his own? Let us know in the comment section below!
*****
Wreddit_Regal is the resident finisher fanatic of Reddit's wrestling forum, r/squaredcircle. From the most basic of punches to the most intricate double-team maneuvers, he can explain them within the realm of human anatomy and physics, because when doing absolutely nothing wrestling-related, he also happens to work as an operating room nurse.
