After Big E suffered a career-threatening neck injury on "WWE SmackDown" in 2022, fans questioned if the former world champion would ever be able to return to the ring until this past October, when he officially considered himself retired from professional wrestling.However, Big E recently shared that hedidn't initially think the broken neck would keep him out of action long-term, until learning about the specific fracture he endured.In an interview with "The Takedown on SI,"Big E explained that when doctors started to refer to his neck injury as a "Jefferson Fracture," a break that has a severe impact on the C1 vertebra, he knew it was time to hang up his boots for good."I wasn't in pain, I wasn't concussed at all, I didn't have any real nerve issues. I was like, 'Okay, we'll heal up.' And they told me initially, I think it was eight weeks being in a neck brace, and you should be good to go," he explained. "My C1 was broken in two places, and oftentimes, when that happens, the C1 will heal like cartilage. So in those gaps, it'll form cartilage instead of ossifying, instead of forming new bone ...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' ...And when I told him, 'I think I'm definitely leaning towards being done,' he almost quite literally breathed a sigh of relief."Big E continued to explain that it's sobering to watch legends return around WrestleMania season every year, stating that many veterans are suffering from pain despite not being too old of age, and is glad that he chose not to gamble with his health.
