Former WWE Champion Big E has been out of action since March after suffering a broken neck. The injury occurred in a tag bout between the New Day and Sheamus and Ridge Holland, which culminated in Holland tossing E with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on the outside of the ring. E landed awkwardly on the top of his head and was immediately stretchered out of the arena. Big E would take to social media not long after, revealing he suffered fractures to his C1 vertebrae and C6 vertebrae. Fortunately, the heavyweight suffered no ligament or spinal cord damage.
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Despite signs being relatively positive, Big E has noted he doesn’t know if he will wrestle again. While the neck injury did not require surgery, it does put him in a difficult position moving forward. Repeated neck damage is dangerous, as evident by Edge’s decade-long retirement from professional wrestling due to similar issues.
Regardless of what the future holds, Big E is in good spirits. Speaking with Ryan Satin on Out of Character, E explained that he currently has “no nerve issues.”
“The upside is right now I have no nerve issues. There’s no tingling, no weakness,” Big E said. “I’ve been in the gym since two weeks after breaking my neck. They told me as long as your neck is in the brace, as long as you stay in the brace you’re good for that. I’ve been working out. I feel great.”
At the end of the day, Big E stressed that he’s grateful to just be alive.
“I’m just really grateful, honestly. I feel like in many ways it feels like a bullet whizzed by my face,” Big E continued. “Like, I felt the wind of the bullet go by my head and I’m very grateful to still be here, to still have the use of my limbs, to still feel good. That’s really my biggest takeaway. Gratitude. I truly am grateful that I’m still here, that I’m still kicking it.”
History has been relatively kind to those who return from neck injuries when given the appropriate amount of time to heal. WWE Hall of Famer Lita spent roughly 18 months on the shelf after suffering cracks in multiple vertebrae but was able to return to action and continue her career for years to come. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was temporarily paralyzed after taking a Sitdown Tombstone from Owen Hart at WWE SummerSlam 1997, yet was able to return to the ring and go on to become one of the most iconic WWE superstars of all time. Even Kurt Angle, who won a gold medal with a broken freakin’ neck, went on to have decades on squared circle success following his injury.
If Big E is cleared, the decision to return to the ring ultimately lies in his hands. That said, E has plenty of non-physical roles he could fulfill within WWE, including as a talent scout or manager. The muscle of the New Day recently tried out the former, as he was evaluating prospects at WWE’s Nashville tryout over SummerSlam weekend.
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Big E’s WWE future.
