TMZSports.com
Big E doesn’t know if he’ll ever wrestle again after breaking his neck in March … and that’s perfectly okay with the WWE Superstar, who tells us he’s “at peace” with the way his 13-year career played out.
The 36-year-old 8x tag team champ (WWE champ and 2x Intercontinental Champ, too) joined the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) … where Mojo and Babcock asked the wrestler for a health update.
“I’m doing really well,” E said.
“I can live my life pretty normally. But [my necks] not in a position where I should be ramming my head against other things, immovable objects. So wrestling doesn’t make sense right now.”
And, E says things could’ve turned out far different.
“I feel great. Don’t have any nerve issues, don’t have any weakness, don’t have any atrophy. I got real lucky cause it could’ve been a lot worse.”
E broke his neck in March when Ridge Holland attempted a belly-to-belly suplex. It wasn’t just his career that was in doubt … there was concern the injury could severely alter E’s life.
oh god noo…. Big E dropped on his head. Please be okay #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/QgIgdvGnlW
— Deke Stokes ︎ (@2Sweet444Life) March 12, 2022
@2Sweet444Life
Months later, the former champ tells us doctors are taking a “wait and see approach” with his recovery and will reevaluate his progress after the 1 year anniversary of the injury. Meaning fans of the near 300-pounder shouldn’t expect to see him competing in a WWE ring anytime soon.
“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,” E said.
“I’ve been with this company for 13 years. That means a lot of Saturdays and Sundays in Poughkeepsie and Kalamazoo and 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.”
We asked E if he’d be content if he was never able to wrestle again … and ultimately, he believes the answer is yes.
“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.”
E continued … “If I spend hours or days or weeks kind of mourning where I’m at in life, and not being what I wanted to be, that doesn’t serve me.”
Although Big E has been trying to make the most of his newfound “free time” … the star wrestler admits he’s tired of being in the house, which is why he was thrilled Triple H asked him to be a part of a WWE tryout for college athletes in the days before SummerSlam on July 30.
TMZSports.com
E — who played college football at Iowa — says he’s interested to see if the athletes in attendance can make the transition to the WWE universe … and hopes the tryout will yield the company’s next generation of superstars.