Big E Injury Update, WWE Rumors on Drew McIntyre and Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart HoF

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Big E Speaks Out on Neck Injury Recovery

More than three years have passed since Big E's last WWE match, but that hasn't stopped fans from still hoping he'll make a triumphant return down the road.

That wait will continue indefinitely, with Big E saying last week on the show Bowks Talking Bouts (via Ringside News' Subhojeet Mukherjee) that "the situation is what it has been for a while."

He said he's not experiencing any pain or headaches stemming from his 2022 neck injury, but a return remains out of the question at the moment.

"More than anything, I am so grateful to god, to karma, the universe. The creator, whatever magic it is that puts us on earth," Big E said. "I'm happy to have a healthy and normal life. The door is not officially closed on anything. I'm 39 years old right now. I also came into wrestling with a myriad of injuries. So now I'm thinking more about whether I want to have a healthy life. 50 is not that far off for me. It's 11 years down the road."

The uncertainty over the former world champion was woven into the story of his stablemates from The New Day, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, turning full heel in December. Woods bluntly said that Big E is "never going to be medically cleared," which underlined his turn to the dark side.

This being the wrestling business, some wondered whether that actually foreshadowed Big E's return. What better way to tee up the resumption of his in-ring career than getting some revenge on longtime friends who abandoned him.

Other stars have made a full recovery from neck injuries, Bryan Danielson, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Adam Copeland being obvious examples. In Big E's case, however, he has been consistent in not giving anyone the wrong idea.

McIntyre Didn't Get Glass in Eye During Backstage Confrontation

Damian Priest ruined Drew McIntyre's Friday night plans during the last episode of SmackDown. He attacked McIntyre backstage and eventually chokeslammed him onto a car windshield.

McIntyre followed up on X to say the windshield was real glass and that a shard got into his eye.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported WWE medical staff removed something from the star's eye but that it wasn't glass. Johnson added that McIntyre's absence from a live event in Austria is explainable by the fact he wasn't scheduled to compete at all.

Whether it's just part of the storyline or for a legit injury, "The Scottish Psychopath" is now wearing an eyepatch over his right eye.

This is only going to spark more interest in what should be a fun match, assuming McIntyre vs. Priest is added to the WrestleMania 41 card.

Austin, Hart 'Immortal Moment' Reportedly Planned Well in Advance

WWE announced it's adding a new "Immortal Moment" category to its Hall of Fame for this year. The WrestleMania 13 battle between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart will be the first entry.

WrestleVotes refuted one rumor surrounding this development, reporting Friday the selection was "made well before the event’s underwhelming ticket sales."

Granted, one can surmise the "Immortal Moment" honor is broadly a way generate more excitement for the induction event. This is another way to recycle legends who have been enshrined one or more times already.

Hart and Austin are both WWE Hall of Famers, with The Hitman going in by himself in 2006 and then as a member of The Hart Foundation in 2019. Now, they can be Hall of Fame headliners again.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted WWE is also following after UFC, which singled out individual fights for its Hall of Fame in 2013.

With so many decades to work from, WWE has no shortage of "Immortal Moments" that can be singled out in 2026.