Former WWE Champion Big E said he wants to make a smart decision about whether to resume his wrestling career following a near-catastrophic injury in March of 2022.
He attended the “Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez” premiere this past Sunday following last Saturday’s Royal Rumble where I caught up with him on the red carpet.
Big E said he feels great and wants to continue to do so, listing off a litany of injuries he has sustained throughout his wrestling career including tearing both ACLs, his left pectoral muscle and his left meniscus.
That was before the broken neck and fractured C1 and C6 vertebrates he sustained on a belly-to-belly suplex gone wrong with Ridge Holland back in March 2022. This past August, Big E said doctors informed him that he may never wrestle again.
“…So when I think about the damage I have done to my body over the years, I just want to be smart, because this is the one body I get and I have to carry it throughout my 40s, 50s hopefully and beyond. So that’s the goal. I just want to make a smart decision and I am just so grateful to feel so good, to have no restrictions and I want to be smart with whatever decision I make.”
He has remained involved with several WWE projects and initiatives including open tryouts at various colleges in addition being an executive producer for the newly-released Bridges cartoon as part of Our Heroes Rock!
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez, Mike Sempervive and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including the latest on Big E., Seth Rollins and Kenny Omega, RAW tonight, the Royal Rumble this coming Saturday, Tom’s Smackdown report, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Big E still doesn’t have a timetable for an in-ring return.
TMZ on Sunday posted a video talking to the former WWE Champion, where he said that his neck injury suffered back on the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown was healing. Big E suffered a broken neck after taking an overhead belly-to-belly suplex from Ridge Holland.
“It’s all together. The bones are connected to the other bones,” he said.
However, he told the outlet that there was still no timetable for an in-ring return, and wanted to make the best choice for himself.
“I just want to make a smart decision,” he said. “I didn’t start wrestling to end up in a wheelchair. So I want to make sure I’m making the best decision for myself. I don’t have a timeline unfortunately, so thank you for asking.”
Big E recently posted photos on Instagram of his reunion with New Day members Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston. They will all be on an upcoming episode of The Drew Barrymore Show that airs this Monday.
While still recovering from the serious neck injury that has kept him out of action for more than a year, former WWE Champion Big E continues to remain active with a role in a new movie.
Announced on Monday, Big E (Ettore Ewen) is part of the cast of F Plus (F+), a family comedy that stars former UFC two-division champion and The Expendables action star Randy Couture.
Jonathan Davenport, a wrestling gear designer and friend of Big E’s, wrote the screenplay. Big E will play Cliff Barker, but the specifics on the role are unknown as of now. The movie also stars comedian Tommy Davidson (In Living Color) and Jennifer Esposito (Crush, Blue Bloods, NCIS, The Affair).
According to Deadline, the movie “follows a group of young teenagers who plan the perfect heist to break into their middle school to alter their failing test grades.”
Production on the movie recently wrapped up thanks to a SAG-AFTRA waiver granted to some independent film productions during the current actors/writers strike. The film’s worldwide rights have already been acquired by Premiere Entertainment which was also part of today’s announcement.
The release date is unknown because those rights have not been sold. According to Deadline, Premiere “will introduce the film to domestic and international buyers during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.”
While he has been out of a neck brace for some time, Big E. said during a SummerSlam press conference that “has no answers” when it comes to a potential in-ring return and that he’s got differing opinions on whether he should return to wrestling. He said there is no timeline for a decision and that he physically feels good.
The former WWE Champion took questions during a SummerSlam media press conference event (via Sportskeeda). When asked about his health, Big E said that some of the doctors who had worked on other neck fusions for WWE stars advised him that he shouldn’t wrestle again.
“We did the year checkup and all that stuff looked great. But on the other side, I talked to spine specialists, people who have worked on other people in the company and done their fusions and they said like hey, I would not wrestle again if I were you,” he said.
He further stated that there was no timetable for an in-ring return, and doesn’t have any answers.
“I don’t really have a timeline right now,” he said. I’m just really grateful to not 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, hopefully I’d like to have have a lot of healthy life ahead of me. Unfortunately, right now, I have no answers. I feel great, but yeah, I have nothing.”
Big E has been out of action since the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown where he took a belly-to-belly suplex from Ridge Holland, landing on his neck. He is in Detroit this weekend for SummerSlam media, as well as appearing at WWE’s tryouts.
Poll results from all the major shows plus Match of the week and Performer of the week
Looking back on a week with some of the best matches of the year, story behind the matches and complications involved
Week one G-1 Climax coverage, what stories have been told, where is business, what is and isn’t working and match-by-match coverage
Coverage of TripleMania, including what really happened with Don Callis, the story behind Vikingo vs. Omega, as well as looking at the 8/12 show in Mexico City
Tony Khan press conference coverage, update on All In with new ticket sales info and how close to records is the show, more PPVs question, longer Dynamite, Death Before Dishonor and more
Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show and what is next for the participants
Eric Young returns and Impact Slammiversary, as well as the return of Josh Alexander
How many homes are the networks that carry wrestling in
The most detailed look at the ratings for all the wrestling and MMA television shows, with a lot of shockers in the weekly and daily standings. Including what show placed No. 7 for the week in network television, where the wrestling and MMA shows finished on cable, segment-by-segment, competition and more
What promotion is killing it every week in ticket sales at the same arena
Major talent jump to join his brother
Documentary on the life of one of the biggest stars in history hits movie theaters internationally in the fall
Major TV documentary on the Ali vs. Inoki fight, what was revealed and some new news being reported
75th anniversary of the birth of the NWA and the real story of its birth and growth
How the public’s viewing has changed
The Rick Steiner situation and how it was handled
More on the Teddy Hart arrest and what he was in Florida for
Notes on upcoming Impact TV shows
Upcoming ticket sales for WWE & AEw shows
Lots of new major UFC fights
Iconic company set for a return in September
Updated Money in the Bank and Forbidden Door PPV numbers
WWE injury updates
Dwayne Johnson reportedly sets an all-time money record
We are currently looking for two people to moderate our message board. Those interested please contact [email protected].
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Friday Update
For this weekend, Garrett and I did a show today talking about the news of the week and some history. Bryan and I will be back Sunday covering all the weekend stuff.
There is a giant news story coming from CNBC about Disney CEO Bob Iger attempting to make deals to give the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball minority owner stakes in ESPN. The idea to me seems to be that ESPN wants to get out of the spiraling rights games by offering the key content producers points in the company with the assurance that they will stay on ESPN. As we constantly talk about, the television business is rapidly changing and as more and more people no longer get cable, and cable carriage fees and advertising declines with them, the stations will no longer have the money to pay as much for programming. This spells potential disaster for every sport, as well as WWE, AEW and UFC, in attempts to continually get more money each negotiation period. The bottom hasn’t fallen out yet, and may not, but it feels to me this is the most dangerous challenge to this system that has served sports so well and made WWE and UFC into giant companies.
For those wanting to see the Kento Miyahara vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima match that was talked about in the new issue and will probably finish high in match of the year voting, you can get a free week at Wrestle Universe and watch it with English commentary at https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en
Smackdown is tonight in Orlando, which is sold out with more than 12,100 tickets out this morning. Remember the show is on FS 1 and not FOX tonight due to Women’s World Cup soccer. If you watch via DVR, adjust it quickly because in most cases, your FOX season pass will not record the show. There will be angles set up for the Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso SummerSlam main event with the stips, as well as for the Asuka title match (which has already been announced as a three-way with Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair) plus Rey Mysterio vs. Sheamus vs. LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes in a match where the winner faces Santos Escobar next Friday. The winners of that will get a U.S. title match with Austin Theory. Dominik Mysterio vs. Butch for the North American title is also scheduled.
The Austin Theory U.S. title match was as of earlier this week scheduled for Smackdown and not for SummerSlam, which is already full with nine matches. That could always change but it was confirmed to us that was the original plan for the tournament.
Big E is at the building tonight for Smackdown backstage. Bayley is also there but not scheduled for a match.
UFC announced Leon Edwards defending the welterweight title against Colby Covington for the semi on the 11/11 30th anniversary show at Madison Square Garden. That’s the show headlined by Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title.
Rampage tonight on TNT at 10 p.m. has a 20 man Royal Rampage match with the winner facing Luchasaurus at All Out for the TNT title, plus Kris Statlander vs. Marina Shafir for the TBS title and Billy Gunn & The Acclaimed vs. QT Marshall & Johnny TV & Aaron Solo. They will also be announcing tomorrow night’s Collision show tonight on the air.
Tonight at Arena Mexico will have Cibernetico main event with Mistico, Metalik, Rocky Romero, Volador Jr., Templario, Titan, Mascara Dorada 2.0 and Dragon Rojo Jr. On paper, this should be something. Arena Mexico as far as big crowds and big reactions, on Friday nights, ism the closest thing to old-school wrestling in atmosphere pretty much anywhere.
UFC tomorrow from the O2 Arena in London on ESPN+ from Noon to 7 p.m. Eastern:
Jafel Filho (126) vs. Daniel Barez (125)
Shauna Bannon (115) vs. Bruna Brasil (115)
Yanai Ashmouz (155) vs. Chris Duncan (156)
Ketlen Vieira (135) vs. Pannie Kianzad (136)
Makmud Muradov (186) vs. Bryan Barbarena (185)
Mark Parkin (264) vs. Jaal Pogues (266)
Marc Diakiese (156) vs. Joel Alvarez (156)
Danny Roberts (171) vs. Jonny Parsons (171)
Davey Grant (136) vs. Daniel Marcos (136)
Lerone Murphy (146) vs. Josh Culibao (146)
Jai Herbert (155) vs. Fares Ziam (155)
Paul Craig (186) vs. Andre Muniz (185)
Nathaniel Wood (146) vs. Andre Fili (145)
Julija Stoliarenko (125) vs. Molly McCann (125)
Tom Aspinall (258) vs Marcin Tybura (246)
Tod Gordon did an interview with FOX News about his upcoming book on the history of ECW with the idea of saying that the WWE version of Paul Heyman version of his departure aren’t accurate.
We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s ROH PPV show, you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
We’re also looking for reports from these shows:
WWE Smackdown tonight in Orlando (dark matches only or anything not on television)
NXT tonight in Lakeland, FL
AEW tomorrow night in Newark, NJ (ROH tapings and dark matches only)
WWE Saturday night in Mexico City
NXT Saturday night in Gainesville, FL
WWE Sunday night in Monterrey, Mexico
We’re looking for results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]
There was a G-1 show today in Nagaoka. Lots of raves about actually most of the show. There is no show on Saturday and the C and D block run Sunday morning at 5 a.m. Eastern from Nagano which has Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jeff Cobb, Aaron Henare vs Eddie Kingston and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi, the latter of which is always one of the better matches of the year.
Michael Oku defending the British heavyweight title against Trent Seven, as expected from the angle at York Hall, has been added to the 8/26 RevPro show at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Pro Wrestling NOAH announced a record advance gate for its 9/17 Korakuen Hall show with Will Ospreay vs. Naomichi Marufuji as the main event.
SummerSlam odds at BetOnline:
Seth Rollins -300 Finn Balor +200
Cody Rhodes -450 Brock Lesnar +275
Shayna Baszler -1000 Ronda Rousey +550
Other Notes
Manami Toyota, perhaps the greatest woman wrestler who ever lived, will be making a special appearance at the West Coast Pro debut in Los Angeles at The Don Quixote on 9/10.
Sam Adonis announced today that he was leaving MLW, for now. He said “I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the MLW crew and I wish them nothing but the best.”
There is a 30 percent off ticket sale for Defy using the code DEFYTIME for shows on 7/28, 7/29 and 8/12. Tickets are at www.DefyWrestling.com 7/28 is an all women’s show with Vert Vixen, Maki Itoh, Marina Shafir and Madusa as a guest. 7/29 features Jon Moxley vs. Artemis Spencer. 8/12 features the Super 8XFP Grand Prix night two the debut of Masha Slamovich and Lio Rush vs. Judas Icarus.
Central States Wrestling on 7/29 in Lenaxa, KS at the National Guard Armory with a 60:00 Iron man match with Dak Draper vs. Jeremy Wyatt as the main event.
CM Punk will be announcing for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships on UFC Fight Pass on Thursday from the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa. It is the sixth straight sellout for the promotion in the building. Cedric Gunnison (6-1) defends the lightweight title against Rob Watley (12-3) in the main event.
Leon Slater vs. Alec Price was announced for the 8/19 GCW show in Atlantic City.
Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling on 7/28 at the Newark, CA Pavilion with Matt Cardona vs. Chris Masters, The Freaks vs. Sir Samurai & Eliza Hammer, Titus Alexander vs. Aaron Solo and Viva Van vs. Steph De Lander.
Big E still doesn’t have a timetable for a potential return to the ring.
The former WWE Champion appeared on After the Bell with Corey Graves this week and said that while he’s feeling great, he wishes he had more answers on if he’ll be able to wrestle again.
Big E said:
I feel great, man. Unfortunately, I don’t have a timetable but the great thing is I feel 100%, I don’t even feel like someone who broke their neck. My mobility is incredible, it’s great. My strength is great, I ahve no issues whatsoever. I wish I had some answers on returning to the ring, I got nothing, unfortunately.
The really beautiful thing is I feel great, body feels great, I’m really thankful for that. Life is good, I’m blessed. I can walk around, I can touch my toes, I can go to the gym, all those things.
Big E has been out of action for just under 16 months. He fractured his C1 and C6 vertebrae on the March 11, 2022, edition of WWE SmackDown after landing on his head following an overhead suplex from Ridge Holland.
Big E gave an update on his condition in April as well. At the time, Big E said he’d had scans done on his injury shortly after WrestleMania but had yet to speak with doctors about the results. He noted that his injury has been healing fibrously as opposed to ossifying, or turning into bone. In order for him to make a safe return to the ring, Big E said he wants to make sure his C1 is completely ossified.
Big E has provided an update on his recovery from the serious neck injury he suffered in March 2022.
The former WWE Champion appeared as a guest on the Battleground podcast recently and said he got scans done on his neck earlier this month. However, he has yet to talk with his doctors about next steps.
Big E said:
It’s just a complicated fracture. I broke my C1 in two places so that Jefferson fracture, is what it’s called, it just takes a little bit more time to heal. So, we just did the one years scans after WrestleMania, it was a little bit later because of WrestleMania. We have to sit down with the doctors at some point and kind of figure out what the next step is but from my perspective, I feel great, I have no function issues, no pain issues, I’ve been at the gym since two weeks after I broke my neck. I’m just feeling great and I’m really grateful for all that. It’s just, obviously, your neck has to be in a certain condition to deal with the rigors of being in the ring on a nightly basis.
During an appearance on Busted Open Radio last month, Big E noted that he was due to get scans on his neck done in the first week of April. He noted that his injury has been healing fibrously rather than ossifying, meaning it is not turning completely into bone. In order to continue his wrestling career, Big E says he wants to make sure that his C1 is completely ossified.
Big E said last month:
Obviously, your C1 is a very important bone and I want to make the best decision healthwise for myself. It’s one of those things you just don’t want to rush. I’ve been in rehab right now for about nine months working on strength and range of motion and all of that stuff has been great.
The 37-year-old was injured on the March 11, 2022, edition of SmackDown. He landed on his head after taking an overhead suplex from Ridge Holland on the outside of the ring.
Big E was also recently announced as the new emcee for the USFL’s Michigan Panthers.
“I am excited to join forces with the USFL and the Panthers as the team returns to Michigan,” Big E said in a statement. “Detroit has some of the best fans in the world and I look forward to connecting with them at Ford Field, the host of SummerSlam this August.”
*Update with more details on the proposed new AEW television show and if it happens, probable time slot, potential issues, and how the roster will be handled.
*Update on AEW at Wembley Stadium, different standards of numbers to break, ticket pricing, AEW’s goals for the show, signups and how that compares to Clash at the Castle and what it means.
*Sanada wins the IWGP title after a character change and the questions that opens up, plus notes on the next several months of New Japan major events, including G-1, Dominion and Forbidden Door.
*Full coverage of the Sakura Genesis show
*Full coverage of UFC 287, what happens next for the headliners, business note and fight-by-fight coverage
*Major article on the life and career of The Sheepherders/Kiwis/Bushwhackers with the death of Butch Miller. We follow Miller’s life both in and out of wrestling, the territory days, fan attacks, crazy angles, their days of bloodbath matches and the 180 at the end of their careers that made them the most famous. We go through everywhere from New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Oregon, Southwest, Stampede, Mid South, Puerto Rico and of course WWE, the politics, the craziness and Miller’s later fights for his life.
*WWE attempts once again to get the MLW lawsuit thrown out. A look at their response and strategy in the case
*The most detailed look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling shows of the past week, what the ratings mean, placings, yearly trends, and how different segments did.
*Update on the Champion of Champions tournament.
*The celebrity angle that fell apart in so many ways and a look at why.
*Notes on the next season of Dark Side of the ring.
*NWA PPV coverage.
*The story behind Bob Backlund becoming WWF champion.
*How wrestling ratings will be affected the next two months and why
*Lots of injury updates.
*International TV ratings and streaming numbers.
*Ticket sales for all the upcoming WWE & AEW events.
Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
Tuesday Update
WWE
Big E will be the emcee for the USFL’s Michigan Panthers at Ford Field for the 2023 season.
WWE announcer Megan Morant ran the Boston Marathon on Monday in under three hours. “People ask me all the time why I run marathons,” Morant wrote. “The two people hugging behind me sum it up perfectly. These moments are what life is all about. Working together to achieve something bigger than ourselves.”
In a press release, WWE announced that they have extended their relationship with Fanatics to include “all global event retail and merchandise operations” beginning on May 1.
Nick Khan is speaking at the CAA World Congress of Sports on Tuesday.
Chris Jericho showed a new tattoo inspired by David Bowie on Instagram.
Tony Khan met with longtime wrestling superfan Vladimir. “At age 8, on the first ppv I ever watched live, I saw a fan who seemed to be having such a great time at the live event,” Khan wrote. “At age 12, I joined the IWC, and learned that his name is Vlad, + he’s a very nice guy. It was an honor to meet him in person. Thank you Vlad, you’re the man!”
Big E will know more about his wrestling future after WrestleMania.
During an appearance on Busted Open Radio on Thursday, the former WWE Champion said he is having more scans done the first week of April and should know more about how his neck is healing then.
Big E said:
Right now, I still haven’t gotten the one-year check-ups yet, we’re actually going to do that when I get back home after WrestleMania. So, early April, during that first week, we’ll get another set of scans.
Big E broke his C1 vertebrae in two places on the March 11, 2022 edition of SmackDown. While he was able to avoid surgery, he says the injury is not ossifying yet, which is necessary for a potential return to the ring.
Big E continued:
So, it’s healing fibrously, meaning it’s connected enough that I can walk around and no one’s concerned that I’m going to be in any kind of pain or have any issues. But, it’s just not ossifying yet, it’s not turning completely into bone. And to deal with the rigors of bumping and doing what we do on a nightly basis, obviously, you want to make sure your C1 is completely ossified, that it’s all bone, that it’s in the best shape possible.
So, right now the plan is to get some more scans the first week of April, and have the doctors review them, and then make a decision from there.
Obviously, your C1 is a very important bone and I want to make the best decision healthwise for myself. It’s one of those things you just don’t want to rush. I’ve been in rehab right now for about nine months working on strength and range of motion and all of that stuff has been great.
Last August, Big E said that while he isn’t cleared to wrestle, doctors aren’t worried about him being able to live a normal life. He told the Out of Character podcast that he is “cleared to live a normal life but I’m not cleared to be taking off and hitting suicide spears and to be taking back bumps.”
Xavier Woods is imploring fans to stop sending hateful messages to Ridge Holland.
Woods’ New Day teammate, Big E, was injured on the March 11, 2022, edition of WWE SmackDown when he landed on his head after taking an overhead belly-to-belly suplex from Holland.
The Brawling Brutes member posted to social media on Sunday stating he has received death threats, been labeled as racist, and had threats made to his family.
Holland wrote:
Death threats. Threats to my family. Lobbying for me to lose my job. Being labeled as racist. Great stuff keep ‘em coming.
Death threats. Threats to my family. Lobbying for me to lose my job. Being labeled as racist. Great stuff 👍🏻 keep ‘em coming.
Pro Wrestling is extremely dangerous. All of us involved understand that. Ridge & his family do not deserve to be treated this way. Please do not send any hate towards them. Instead use your energy to do something positive like sending love to E. Be kind. Please be kind.
Pro Wrestling is extremely dangerous. All of us involved understand that. Ridge & his family do not deserve to be treated this way. Please do not send any hate towards them. Instead use your energy to do something positive like sending love to E. Be kind. Please be kind. https://t.co/3iPM30qBtk
Last July, Big E told ESPN that he has no ill feelings towards Holland regarding his injury.
“I have no issue whatsoever with Ridge,” Big E said. “He’s reached out and said some very kind things. … What we do is dangerous, and there are inherent dangers. And to that degree, we all kind of know what we sign up for and it was unfortunate that it went down that way. But I’m not dead. I’m alive. I’m doing well.”
TMZ recently interviewed Big E, who told them he’s waiting on scans of his injury which will help determine if he is able to wrestle again.
“Everything isn’t permanent. If it comes to an end, cool. If doesn’t, cool. What will be, will be. I’m good with whatever.”
Holland received several other supportive responses to his post as well.
“Stay strong, Ridge! We know your heart,” wrote Samantha Irvin.
“You’re honestly one of the nicest and most caring guys around. This app is absolute trash some of the time. But It doesn’t reflect real life or the opinions of the people who know you. Keep you chin up big man, big love,” wrote Flash Morgan Webster.
Holland last wrestled on WWE’s March 5, 2023 house show from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. He defeated Legado Del Fantasma’s Cruz Del Toro in singles competition. The night before, Holland defeated LDF’s Joaquin Wilde from Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum.
WWE has announced its next tryout for college athletes.
As first revealed by SI.com, 30-35 athletes will be taking part in a two-day tryout on Wednesday and Thursday this week. The event will be held at IMG Academy, a state-of-the-art facility located in Bradenton, Florida. The 600-acre boarding school campus serves as a training ground for professional and amateur sports teams as well as sports camps.
As WWE continues to invest in recruiting college athletes, @IMGAcademy is an ideal venue for this week’s tryout.
The tryouts will be the third such event WWE has held this year. 18 athletes were offered developmental contracts following tryouts in Dallas during WrestleMania week and another 15 were offered deals from tryouts in Nashville when the company was in town for SummerSlam.
WWE has another tryout scheduled for Lagos, Nigeria in February titled “The Search for Africa’s Next WWE Superstar.” Tryouts in Los Angeles are expected to take place during the week of WrestleMania 39 as well.
“There are countless examples of top talent that came into the business via college sports, but there hasn’t always been a system built out,” said WWE’s head of talent operations and strategy James Kimball. “That’s what we’re trying to create here, a true talent development pathway into WWE for college athletes.”
“We want a clear calendar,” Kimball continued. “Moving forward, we’re going to emulate what we’ve done in 2022. It’s really important there is a clear schedule, as college athletes have so many options. For wrestlers on the independents, that system is in place and that pathway to WWE is well known, so our resources are allocated to building a new pathway to collegiate sports.
“We’re just scratching the surface. We’ve been working on this for a year, and it’s going to take years, but we’re growing. We’re adding quality and depth, and the work is just starting with college athletes nationwide.”
Big E will once again be present for the tryouts, as he was in Nashville this summer.
“E is such a critical part of what we’re doing,” Kimball said of the former WWE Champion’s participation. “This recruitment strategy is really hitting home for him, and it’s something we should have had when he was a collegiate student-athlete at Iowa. He’s such a great ambassador, and he can relate to these athletes. He’s presenting with shared experience—that goes a long way.”
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including WWE Raw tonight, the G1 and Okada’s thoughts on defending the briefcase, AEW Rampage & SmackDown reviews, and tons more.
A fun show as always so check it out~!
Listen to this and over 13,000 other archived podcasts plus the weekly Wrestling Observer Newsletter with a subscription.
Big E says doctors are not worried about him leading a normal life but he is still not cleared to wrestle.
The former WWE Champion has been recovering from a broken neck he suffered on the March 11 episode of SmackDown. He landed on his head after taking an overhead suplex from Ridge Holland.
Big E appeared on Out of Character recently and provided an update on his recovery.
“Essentially, the issue right now is my C1 is not completely ossifying, it’s not completely forming into bone but it appears to be healing fibrously so it’s kind of contained enough,” he said. “I’m not a medical expert so I’m gonna butcher all these terms but it’s good enough that they’re not worried about me in my day-to-day life, I don’t need the brace anymore, they took surgery off the table.”
“I’d be cleared to live a normal life and I am cleared to live a normal life but I’m not cleared to be taking off and hitting suicide spears and to be taking back bumps. The nature of what we do is very physical and involves your neck and your spine and I’d like to keep that as intact as possible.”
He continued to say that he’ll be undergoing more tests next March, which will be the one-year mark from when he suffered the injury.
“So for me right now, kind of the next step is they want to take a look at it again after a year, get some more scans. So, we are talking about, like, March of next year to see how it’s doing. We might also, along the way, at the six and nine-month mark look at it again. But the upside is right now I have no nerve issues, there’s no tingling, no weakness. 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, I’m just really grateful, honestly.”
During an interview with TMZ Sports, Big E opened up about his potential in-ring future.
Big E suffered a broken neck during a tag team match on the March 11 episode of SmackDown. While taking an overhead belly-to-belly suplex at ringside from Ridge Holland, the spot went wrong and Big E landed on his head, fracturing his C1 vertebra and C6 vertebra.
Big E tweeted an update earlier this month, noting that his C1 vertebra still isn’t forming bone quite yet. Big E said the plan is for him to get more scans at the one-year mark and see how things are progressing. Despite that, Big E wrote that the great news is he’s feeling “tremendous” and surgery is off the table as an option.
Big E told TMZ Sports that he’s doing really well and is able to live his life pretty normally.
“I’m doing really well,” Big E said. “I can live my life pretty normally. But [my neck is] not in a position where I should be ramming my head against other things, immovable objects right now. So wrestling doesn’t make sense right now. So I have to wait for that to ossify, to form bone, and to heal. But man, I feel great. I don’t have any nerve issues. Don’t have any weakness. Don’t have any atrophy. I got real lucky cause it really could’ve been a lot worse.”
When asked if he thinks he’ll be able to get back into the ring, Big E said they’re taking a wait-and-see approach.
“It seems like it’s one of those wait-and-see things. It’s one of those things where — initially when I talked to Dr. [Joseph] Maroon, who’s been great, really great, in Pittsburgh, and he suggested, ‘Hey, let’s look at this thing in a year.’ And that’s after looking at my last set of scans. So I really can’t say. I don’t know whether I’ll be back in March and 100 percent or if they’ll look at it and say, ‘Hey, maybe you should be doing something else with your life.’ For me right now, March of next year is very far off. So I don’t want to spend a lot of time worrying or stressing about that. I’m just kind of living my life,” Big E said.
“I’ve been with this company for 13 years. That means a lot of Saturdays and Sundays in Poughkeepsie and Kalamazoo and the most random towns. But now I get to live my life a little bit and see some friends and I’m enjoying just being human.”
TMZ Sports asked Big E if he’d be content if he were never able to wrestle again.
“Yeah, I think so. Honestly, my philosophy as a human being is learning to be content with whatever life brings you. I’m so grateful to not be in a wheelchair, but if I was, I would have to adjust to life in a wheelchair. That’s just how I am programmed. If I spend hours or days or weeks kind of mourning where I’m at in life, and life not being what I want it to be, that doesn’t serve me,” Big E said.
“Worrying about it [and] stressing about it only hurts me. It’s not useful. I think I’ll be at peace with whatever happens. Whether I can wrestle again, I’ll be at peace with that. If I can’t wrestle again, so be it. My limbs work. I get to do this [moves fingers]. It could have been very different for me. There’s a lot of life to live regardless.”
It was announced yesterday that Big E will be helping out at WWE’s talent tryout in Nashville, Tennessee during SummerSlam weekend later this month. The invite-only tryout is exclusively for current and recently graduated college athletes.
