Big E is in charge of the decision on whether he ever returns to the ring.
For more than two years now, Big E has been out of action due to a broken neck. He fractured his C1 vertebrae and C6 vertebrae during the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown. The injury happened when Big E landed on his head while taking an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on the floor.
Big E has remained involved with WWE during his time away from the ring. He'll be one of the pre-show panelists for WrestleMania 40 this weekend.
While being interviewed by CBS Sports in advance of WrestleMania, Big E said he still does not have an update regarding a potential return to the ring:
We don't, unfortunately. I appreciate everyone still asking. C1 is a tricky bone and I broke it in two places, something called a Jefferson fracture. So, you know, I'm just trying to make the best decision for myself and for my health. I wish I had a better answer, but unfortunately, I don't have any right now.
CBS Sports asked Big E if he's in charge of the decision on whether to return to the ring or if it depends on medical clearance:
The great thing is I think they put me in control of that. Obviously, I'm listening to the doctors - they know more than I do as far as my health and prognosis. It's one of those things where my ability to live my life day-to-day and to be in the gym and whatnot is not compromised at all. But, obviously, getting in the ring taking bumps, getting thrown on my back and on my neck - that's a little bit different.
I didn't get into this to end up in a wheelchair or worse. I started wrestling when I was 23. And at 23, the idea of being 38, which is the age I'm at now, feels so far off the idea of what life in your 40s and 50s looks like and feels like an eternity from now. But now those are real things and consequences that I think about. It's one of the things - I've been an athlete my whole life, was playing tackle football at seven, which I don't know if I'd recommend, but doing that at seven, and amateur wrestling in middle school [and] high school. So I've been doing physical things my entire life. And I never wanted to leave sports hobbled and crippled. Now, at 38, those are considerations of mine. And I just want to make sure that I'm making the best decision for myself and for my health moving forward. So it's just one of those things I want to be smart about.
Big E told CBS Sports that Kevin Nash, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and Adam Copeland are among the people who reached out to him after his injury. While their situations are all different, Nash, Austin, and Copeland have dealt with their own neck issues.
Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Big E, CM Punk, Jackie Redmond, and Wade Barrett will be the hosts for WWE's WrestleMania 40 pre-shows. The pre-shows are airing from 5-7 p.m. Eastern time this Saturday and Sunday.
