A superstar who was a bright part of WWE television was Big E, the former WWE Champion who had been out of action for over a year with a neck injury. Updates have been regular and from the New Day member and he seems to be doing much better with time away to heal and rehab. However, fans have been waiting for the biggest update: is he fully healthy and when will he be cleared?
Big E Gives Big Update on Neck Injury—Will He Be Cleared to Wrestle This Year?
Sitting down with Corey Graves for After The Bell, Big E said that while he feels “great” and he’s not experiencing any mobility issues, there’s been no updates on when he could return to action.
“I feel great. Unfortunately, I don’t have a timetable, but the great thing is, I feel 100 percent. I don’t even feel like somebody who broke their neck. My mobility is incredible, my strength is great, and I have no issues whatsoever. I wish I had some answers on returning to the ring—I got nothing, unfortunately.” (h/t: Wrestling Inc)
The thing is that from previous interviews and updates, Big E was feeling great. He feels physically fit enough to return to the ring. Now, that’s obviously for doctors and WWE staff to approve. The company definitely doesn’t want someone to return before they’re 100-percent. In the case of head and neck trauma, you could say WWE would rather avoid the risk and prefer that they not get back in the ring.
This was the case with Bryan Danielson who was ready to go and even had clearance from his doctors. WWE eventually came around to him returning to the ring but there was period between Danielson mentioning that he felt great, getting medical clearance, and returning to TV.
In that time, Danielson was used in as personality on programming. WWE had kept Big E in the loop within the company’s ecosystem by having him on as a scout for the their NIL—Next in Line—program.
As a refresher on Big E’s neck injury, he was injured in March 2022 during a tag team match. Ridge Holland of The Brawling Brutes attempted to throw Big E with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on the outside.
Holland wasn’t able to get Big E up as high as necessary and the former eight-time Tag Team champion landed on his head. As a result of the botch, Big E’s C1 and C6–located at the top and towards the bottom of the spinal column, respectively—were fractured.
What do you make of Big E’s update? Do you see him returning later this year or by Royal Rumble? Or do you believe it’s worse than Big E is letting on? Share your thoughts below!
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