Big E Says He Feels '100%' After Neck Injury, Doesn't Have Timeline for WWE Return

Former WWE champion Big E provided a positive update Friday on the neck injury that has kept him out for over a year, but he remains unsure when or if he will be able to return to the ring.

During an appearance on After The Bell with Corey Graves (h/t WrestlingInc's Sai Mohan), Big E said the following about where he stands in his recovery:

"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."

In March 2022, Big E suffered a neck injury during a tag team match that saw himself and Kofi Kingston face Sheamus and Ridge Holland of The Brawling Brutes.

Holland attempted to hit Big E with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex outside the ring on the floor, but Holland did not get enough height on it, resulting in Big E landing on his head.

Big E had to be stretchered off, and he later announced that he fractured his C1 and C6 vertebrae.

While Big E has now been out of action for about 16 months, the fact that he avoided any spinal cord, nerve or ligament damage is a major positive and suggests he has a chance to return to wrestling at some point.

Before the injury, Big E had established himself as one of WWE's top stars and one of the greatest tag team wrestlers in company history.

As part of New Day with Kingston and Xavier Woods, Big E is an eight-time tag team champion. He has also held the Intercontinental Championship on two occasions.

He took a huge step forward as a singles competitor in 2021 when he won the men's Money in the Bank ladder match, later successfully cashing in his contract to beat Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship.

Big E was a huge asset to WWE due to his popularity and ability to excel in both the singles and tag team ranks, and there is no question that the company is hopeful that his continued progress will eventually lead to a return.

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