Last March, Big E sustained a broken neck when a belly-to-belly suplex from Ridge Holland went awry on an episode of WWE Smackdown. A few months after the injury, E updated fans on social media regarding his progress, noting that the C1 vertebrae in his spine was not ossifying, or forming new bone, and would require more scans in about a year to decide what steps to take next.
We are a little over a year removed from that update, and at today’s WWE SummerSlam Service Experience, I had the chance to ask E how his recent doctor visits have gone and if he has a timeline for his potential in-ring return.
“We did the year checkup, and all that stuff looks great, as well,” he began. “But on the other side, you know, I also talked to spine specialists, some who’ve worked on people in the company and done their fusions, and they said like, ‘Hey, I would not wrestle again if I were you.’ So, for me, at 37, these are things that I think about, I think about quality of life. When I started this job at 23 years old, and probably had a bit of a death wish and was okay dying in the ring; I now, at 37, would like to not die in the ring; I would like to do other things with my life.
“So, I don’t really have a timeline right now; I’m just really grateful not to have any nerve pain. My strength is great, legit, no issues whatsoever. So, it’s just something I want to be smart about and make the very best decision for my life. Because, you know, hopefully, I’d like to have a lot of life, a lot of healthy life ahead of me. So, I just want to be smart about the decision. Unfortunately, right now, I have no answers. I feel great.”
Big E’s full WWE SummerSlam media scrum will be available on the Haus of Wrestling YouTube channel shortly.
If you use any quotes from this article, please give a h/t to Haus of Wrestling for the transcription