Holland performed the belly-to-belly suplex to Big E on the floor, and Big E landed on his head. Big E ultimately had to be stretchered out of the arena, and he later took to social media to give his fans an update on the situation. In the video, Big E said that his strength is good, and that he has movement in his extremities. He also thanked his fans for the outpouring of support and concern for his health.
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Big E did not touch on what this injury will mean for his future in WWE, and it’s quite possible that answers won’t come for some time. Numerous WWE superstars have returned from a broken neck injury over the years and have gone on to have lengthy careers, but not every neck injury is the same. At the very least, WWE fans can expect Big E to be out of action for an extended period of time, meaning that he will almost certainly miss WrestleMania this year.
Big E had yet to be booked for a match at WrestleMania 38, but based on what transpired on SmackDown, it seems likely that WWE was building to Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch facing off against Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods in a six-man tag team match. This would give The New Day a proper reunion on a big stage after the three had been separated for most of the past year, competing on different brands.
It will be interesting to see what the immediate aftermath of this situation is on WWE television. WWE tends to work legitimate injuries into storylines, so it’s probable that this will be used to further the rivalry between The New Day, Sheamus, Holland, and Butch. Perhaps Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will have to find a substitute for Big E, which could be an excuse for WWE to bring back another legend for WrestleMania. Alternatively, it’s possible Kingston and Woods will square off against Sheamus, Holland, and Butch in a handicap match. WWE fans will have to stand by to find out more.
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