Following the departure of New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, now known as Kofi and Austin Creed, from WWE back in May, amidst a slew of post-WrestleMania 42 releases, the topic of the company asking its stars to take pay cuts in restructured deals has been a hot one. Following their signing as New Level and debut at AEW All In London 2026, Kofi and Creed opened up about the "unfair deal" WWE put in front of them.The men revealed that despite the initial rumors being that they were asked to take a 50 percent cut, it was actually more than that. Now, another former WWE star has spoken up on social media about his experience leaving WWE. Luke Menzies, the former Ridge Holland, revealed more on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday."Honestly I think I may have been the first to experience the new TKO version of 'contract Negotiations,'" Menzies posted. "56% paycut.... OUCH!"Holland has been very open about feeling "totally f*****" by WWE after it was revealed the company wouldn't be renewing his contract last October. The news came as Holland was recovering from an injury suffered during a match he was working for "WWE NXT," but in TNA, due to the companies' partnership. While he said that WWE was covering the cost of his surgery and rehabilitation for the broken foot he sustained during a match against Moose, being injured and out of a job while trying to pay his bills made his situation even more difficult.Holland had worked for WWE for around seven years before his departure, initially signing with the company in 2018. He worked in "NXT" and "WWE NXT UK," as well as on the main roster as a member of the Brawling Brutes on "WWE SmackDown."
