Big E says doctor ‘quite literally breathed a sigh of relief’ over retirement decision
Big E’s decision to retire from in-ring competition was very much supported by his doctors.
Nearly four years after suffering a broken neck on WWE SmackDown, Big E confirmed this month that he now considers himself retired from the ring. He is able to live a normal life despite the injury, but his neck is not forming new bone in the way it is supposed to. Because of that, wrestling again would carry significant risk.
Big E recently spoke with The Takedown on SI and said his decision to retire was made long before he officially confirmed it. He recalled a conversation he once had with his doctor, who urged Big E not to get back into the ring — even if he were given clearance to do so.
“So after talking to [Dr. Juan Uribe] and a few other doctors, the doctor almost damn near begged me like, ‘Hey, please, even if you get your all go, you’re clear, you’re allowed to get back in the ring, please really reconsider it,'” Big E said.
“And when I told him, ‘I think I’m definitely leaning towards being done,’ he almost quite literally breathed a sigh of relief. So for someone who’s been doing this for so long, who knows a lot more about spines and necks than I do, I definitely took heed.”
Big E is not bitter over the way his career ended and holds no ill will toward Ridge Holland for delivering the overhead belly-to-belly suplex that injured him. He loved wrestling but is grateful that he gets to live a pain-free existence.
“You see so many of the veterans, the legends, around WrestleMania, oftentimes that’s when you see a lot of the guys you don’t see year-round. And man, it’s sobering,” Big E said. “So many of them, who aren’t even that old, are struggling with pain. Clearly not very ambulatory. They’re using walkers to get around.
“And man, I told myself, as much as I love my career, as much as I love being an athlete, I am really gambling with my health.”
Big E still works for WWE in a broadcasting role that includes appearing on PLE pre-shows and post-shows. He’s also partnered with data analytics firm SūmerSports to host a new YouTube series focused on the NFL Draft.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.