Big E on his wrestling future, and what he’ll be doing for WWE while he rehabs his neck

Former WWE champ and ESPY Award finalist Big E spoke to ESPN today (July 13) about his recovery from the broken neck he suffered back in March.

Much of what E’s discussion with Marc Raimondi expounded on messages he’s already shared with the world: the severity of the injury, his current treatment plan, his positive outlook & what the well-wishes he’s received mean to him, and how he puts no blame on Ridge Holland, the wrestler whose move resulted in his C1 and C6 vertebrae being fractured.

We do get some new information about E’s prognosis. While it will be at least a year until we see him in a ring again, he’s expected to make “a full recovery” — so it’s a matter of when, not if.

E told ESPN his neck will be evaluated at six and nine months post-injury, but that doctors don’t think they’ll have a clear answer on how long he will be out of the ring until his one year check-up in March 2023. In the meantime, he’s had stem-cell treatment, and is using a bone stimulator machine & taking calcium supplements as part of his rehab. Other than that, “he is living basically a normal life and waiting to find out how long until he will be able to wrestle again.”

Oh, and one other thing. Big E will join Triple H & team scouting potential signees for WWE’s NIL program at the just announced SummerSlam tryouts in Nashville on July 27-29.

A former college athlete who made the transition to pro wrestling, E should have some insight on who has what it takes to be a success in WWE, and a good resource for young men & women planning for life after collegiate sports.

“I wish there was an exit program for college athletes, because you spend so much of your time on campus studying for your sport or participating for your sport or practicing for your sport,” Big E said. “You devote so much of your life to it, and then when it’s gone, it is such a distinct drop-off. It’s so hard to prepare for that. That was something that was really hard for me mentally too.”

It’s also a great sign that WWE is interested in staying in the Big E business, regardless of the timeframe for a return to the ring.

No reason to dare being sour about any of that!

Read ESPN’s entire piece on Large Epsilon here.