Tag: Big E

Big E says still no timeline on injury return: ‘I just want to make a smart decision’

WWE fans would love to see Big E back in the ring, but not at the expense of his long term health.

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If there’s a wrestler that fans and fellow talent alike are rooting for, it’s Big E. The former champion and founding member of The New Day has been sidelined since March of 2022 after suffering broken vertebrae in his neck, and while his recovery has thankfully progressed very well, we’re now coming up on the two-year mark of his absence from WWE programming.

While the 37-year-old has made it clear he’d like to wrestle again if possible, he’s also spoken about the changing priorities that come naturally with getting further into adulthood. He’s not as likely to risk it all to return to the ring as he might have in his mid-20s, which is why he’s taking it as cautiously as possible.

He sounded a similar note this week in an interview with TMZ. While he thanked the outlet for asking about a potential return, he said “I don’t have a timeline, unfortunately” and noted again his overriding goal is to do what’s in his best long term interest.

I just want to make a smart decision … I didn’t start wrestling to end up in a wheelchair, so I just want to make sure I’m just making the best decision for myself.

His New Day teammates have soldiered on without him, though they, too, have had their share of injury woes — Xavier Woods only recently returned to the ring after missing some time. While it would be great to see the trio reunited, and hope springs eternal with the Royal Rumble just around the corner, Big E won’t compete again unless he feels it’s not going to jeopardize his long term health, and that’s something that all of his fans can get behind.

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Big E still has ‘no timeline’ for WWE return, talks priorities changing with age

Big E gave another update about his recovery from a serious neck injury but couldn’t say whether a WWE return is in the cards.

The WWE Universe misses Big E. The New Day definitely misses Big E. And the man himself no doubt wishes he could be back in the ring entertaining people on a regular basis.

Perhaps that day will still come, but he’s still unsure when it might be. That’s the big takeaway from his appearance this week on Busted Open Radio, when the former WWE Champion spoke again about his recovery from a serious neck injury suffered last March (h/t Fightful for the transcription).

I wish I had more information for you. Right now, there is really no timeline. I’ve been to a few different doctors who have looked over my scans. I don’t have any issues, I feel great, but I broke my C1 in two different places, it’s called a Jefferson fracture and because of the nature of the fracture, it takes longer to heal. Initially, they told me three months. I thought three months and I would be back to wrestling, but things ended up being more complex. There are chances I might take with a broken forearm or finger. An ACL (injury), I’ve had before. I started wrestling when I was 23, and at the time, I was like, ‘If I die in the ring, doing what I love, so be it.’ I’m 37 now and you see life differently and you have other things to think about. I’m trying to make the best decision for myself and my health moving forward. I don’t have any answers.

It’s understandable that given the nature and severity of his injury, Big E would want to make sure that he is doing as much as humanly possible to understand the potential risks if he were to resume wrestling. It’s also human nature to have different priorities in life as you age.

On top of that, Big E has shown that he can be a fantastic ambassador for WWE and pro wrestling in general. The “Power of Positivity” isn’t just a gimmick for him, and his passion for both the business and life in general is infectious.

That said, what matters most is that he feels great and it doesn’t appear the injury will have lingering affects on his day-to-day life. On the question of whether he can ever return to the ring, as the great Tom Petty once said, the waiting is the hardest part — and that goes for WWE fans and Big E too.

Big E has no timetable for WWE return but says ‘I feel 100 percent’

The former WWE Champion said he has “no issues whatsoever” with strength or mobility in his neck.

For both his in-ring prowess and his real life application of the power of positivity, few injured WWE superstars have been missed as much as Big E. The former WWE Champion has been out of action for 16 months after surgery for a scary neck injury, but the hope was always that he might resume his career at some point.

His latest health update is one of those good news, bad news situations. While Big E told Corey Graves on After The Bell that he still had no date set for his return, he noted that he felt so good that he’d never even know he had broken a bone in his neck (h/t Sai Mohan of Wrestling Inc. for the transcription).

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.

Big E broke both the C1 and C6 vertebrae during what is for now his most recent WWE match on the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown. He was injured while taking an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on the floor from Ridge Holland, a move most wrestlers wouldn’t consider all that high on the list of potentially dangerous spots.

Alas, his fate on that day is proof that there is inherent risk every time a pro wrestler plies their trade. While the most important part of Big E’s recovery is that he feels great and can carry on with his life, plenty of WWE fans will be hoping that he can also make his way back to the ring, carrying on his singles career while also making The New Day whole again.

WWE Draft 2023: Could Big E, other injured stars return?

Randy Orton is also top of mind as a potential returnee during the WWE Draft.

When it comes to places where WWE fans expect to see wrestlers return after long injury absences, the Royal Rumble is undoubtedly top of the list. But from both a timing and logistical standpoint, the WWE Draft is right up there as well.

That’s especially true for the 2023 WWE Draft, which starts this week on SmackDown and continues next Monday on Raw. Back in its more traditional post-WrestleMania spring spot after the last three editions were held in the fall, it’s perfect for reintroducing some familiar faces who haven’t been on TV in some time.

According to WRKD Wrestling, that might include Big E.

The former WWE Champion has been out of action since suffering a broken bone in his neck on the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown. He gave an update earlier this month on his progress, noting that his neck scans were good but he still needed to speak to the doctors about the next steps.

It’s of course possible that he’s already had those conversations and simply didn’t want to tip off his return, or he could be drafted in anticipation of a comeback later this year. Either way, seeing the popular New Day member announced would be a highlight of this year’s draft.

And while WWE appears to be keeping a lid on expectations for the return of injured stars during the draft — the graphic that people have been using as a de facto draft list doesn’t have the most notable injured wrestlers on it — the selection of Big E would presumably open the door for others to follow. Two that come to mind immediately are Randy Orton, who hasn’t wrestled in nearly a year due to back issues, and Bray Wyatt, who’s been off WWE TV since February and is said to be battling an illness of some sort.

It’s also possible that none of these wrestlers will return to the fold, which would be a shame since the WWE Draft is the perfect vehicle for reintroductions that give fans certainty about where to see stars they haven’t seen for some time. By this time next week, we’ll know which way WWE was leaning.

Big E provides injury update, says neck is ‘feeling great’

Big E said he still needs to talk to doctors about the next steps in his recovery.

It’s been a little more than a year since WWE stalwart Big E suffered a scary injury on a fairly routine move on an episode of SmackDown. He’s bouncing back well from a broken C1 bone — the first vertebra t the top of the neck — but still has no timetable for a return to the ring.

The 37-year-old former WWE Champion provided a positive (fitting for a member of The New Day) update on his recovery on the latest episode of the Battleground podcast, explaining that while he’s feeling fine after receiving his one-year neck scans, that doesn’t mean his neck is ready to take bumps again just yet (h/t to Wrestling Observer for transcription).

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.

Big E has said before that one of the hurdles for his return is for his injury to fully ossify, or turn to bone, before he could resume wrestling.

In the meantime, it’s clear that he’s comfortable as a more regular presence around WWE events and as an ambassador for the company. Big E was in Los Angeles during WrestleMania 39 week, where among other things, he received a touching tribute from his fellow wrestlers and people who know him best at WaleMania.

The USFL’s Michigan Panthers also announced this week that Big E would serve as the emcee for the team’s home games at Ford Field — which just happens to be the location for SummerSlam later this year.

While co-workers and fans alike root for him to complete his healing, as Bianca Belair told Wrestling Junkie in the WrestleMania media week interview you can see below, it’s simply great to see him back around WWE in general, as his presence alone lifts everyone’s spirits.

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High school freshman gets custom size 23 cleats from Under Armour

While that massive size gives him an advantage on the football field, it makes finding equipment that fits quite a challenge – especially footwear.

Goodrich High School (Mich.) 14-year-old freshman Eric Kilburn Jr. is as big as athletes come at his age, checking in at 6-foot-10. While that massive size gives him an advantage on the football field, it makes finding equipment that fits quite a challenge – especially footwear.

Kilburn wears a size 23 shoe, which you won’t find on display at Foot Locker or anywhere else, for that matter. He says it would mean everything just to get shoes that won’t give him blisters, per the New York Post.

“It means everything to me, just having shoes that don’t cause blisters or just pain on my feet would mean everything. It would mean the world… I just want shoes, there’s nothing else behind it. I just need shoes because once I grow out of these, I’ll have nothing to wear – no sandals, no crocs, no anything.”

Thankfully, Kilburn recently got an assist from Under Armour, who hooked him up with a custom pair of size 23 cleats. Watch.

Kilburn plays defensive tackle for his school, but he could only appear in three games this past season due to an ankle injury. Hopefully, the custom cleats serve him better than the size 22 basketball shoes he’s been wearing.

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WWE champion Big E was part of the huge crowd at Penn State-Iowa on Saturday

WWE Superstar — and current champion — Big E played college football at Iowa.

So, what better way for him to spend the day than at Kinnick Stadium as the Iowa Hawkeyes met the Penn State Nittany Lions in a huge Big Ten clash.

Since FOX Sports had the game and also has SmackDown! Live, it was the perfect promotional opportunity.

Big E delivered … and so did the Hawkeyes, with a 23-20 victory.

Ettore Ewen played defensive tackle for the Hawkeyes from 2004-06.

And from one champion to another, Big E and FOX announcer Rob Stone.