Big E: My heart goes out to Ridge Holland, I hope he’s doing okay
Big E has never held any ill will toward Ridge Holland over the move that ended his in-ring career.
On WWE SmackDown in March 2022, Big E suffered a broken neck while taking an overhead belly-to-belly suplex from Holland. The accident has forced Big E to retire from the ring, but he has no limitations in his daily life and remains with WWE in a broadcasting role.
Big E reflected on the incident during a new interview with radio station 107.7 The Bone, saying wrestling is inherently dangerous and he knows Holland did not mean to hurt him. Big E also expressed that he hopes Holland is doing well amid what’s been a difficult time for him, which has included neck and foot injuries of his own as well as Holland not having his WWE contract renewed.
“I talked to Ridge right after it happened. He actually sent me like a 10-pound box of meat as well. You know, that’s how men say I’m sorry, ‘Here’s a box of meat.’ [laughs] Thankfully, we had a conversation. There was never any grudge held on my end,” Big E said.
“Things happen in our industry. Things happen, people get hurt, it wasn’t malicious. I told him immediately there was no hard feelings. I know, unfortunately, he’s gotten a lot of flack online. And I know he’s dealt with injuries of his own. He’s dealt also with losing his job. My heart in many ways goes out to him. And I hope he’s doing okay, and I hope he’s recovering. But, man, there was never a moment of ill will at all for me. It’s the nature of what we do. You signed up for something that is incredibly fun, incredibly rewarding, but also has very inherent dangers as well.”
Safety in wrestling became a big talking point when William Regal sent out a post in December urging wrestlers to stop doing “stupid” moves where they get dropped on their neck. 107.7 The Bone asked Big E what he thought about Regal’s message.
“When you’re young — I knew neck injuries happen in our industry, I never thought that would happen to me,” Big E said. “And it’s very easy to feel invincible when you’re young. And it’s very sobering when you get to talk to these legends and you realize they’ve been on the other side of things where now they’re dealing with pain. They’re now dealing with life in their 50s, 60s, and beyond and dealing with all the bumps and bruises from time in the industry. So I think his message was very poignant and just wanting to take care of these young athletes.”
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.