Big E has been out of action since suffering a broken neck back in March of 2022.
Teaming with fellow New Day member Kofi Kingston in a match against Ridge Holland and Sheamus, the former WWE Champion was given an overhead belly-to-belly suplex by Holland. However, instead of the New Day star landing flat on his back, he landed on his head and neck. While Big E was taken to the backstage area on a stretcher, it was later confirmed that he had broken his neck, though his injury would not require surgery.
The star explained at the time that his C1 and C6 vertebrae were fractured, but he thankfully hadn’t sustained any damage to his spinal cord.
Despite not requiring surgery, recovery from such a severe injury is a long process. Speaking in a recent interview with Busted Open Radio, Big E updated fans on his condition and detailed the extensive rehabilitation process, explaining why he’s had to wait so long to take further steps.
“Still haven’t gotten the one-year check ups yet. We’re actually going to do that when we get back home after WrestleMania. Early April, during that first week, we’ll get another set of scans.
“Right now, the issue was, the thought was after three months I should be ready, but because of the nature of my fracture, I broke my C1 in two places, and it’s a Jefferson fracture. Sometimes, unfortunately with that injury, thankfully there’s no displacement, so we didn’t need to have surgery and all the bones were still in place to hopefully heal together properly.
“It’s healing fibrously, meaning it’s connected enough that I can walk around and no one is concerned that I’m going to be in any pain or have any issues, but it’s not ossifying yet, it’s not turning completely into bone. To deal with the rigors of bumping and doing what we do on a nightly basis, you want to make sure your C1 is completely ossified, it’s all bone, and it’s in the best shape possible.”
“I Want To Make The Best Decision Health-Wise” – Big E On Not Rushing To Return To Action In WWE
Continuing, Big E made it clear that his long-term health is a priority, and that he’ll be making further decisions after undergoing more scans in early April.
“The plan is to get more scans at the first week of April, have the doctors review them, and make a decision from there. Your C1 is an important bone and I want to make the best decision health-wise for myself. You don’t want to rush. I’ve been in rehab for nine months, working on strength and range of motion and all of that has been great. That’s where we’re at right now. We’ll get the scans and move on from there.”
h/t Fightful