Big E opened up about the moment his WWE in-ring career effectively ended after a neck injury in 2022, insisting the decision to retire wasn’t “difficult” despite everything he achieved.
Big E didn’t describe his WWE retirement as a breaking point. He described it as something he could live with—almost peacefully—because when the time came, he was able to look back at what his career had given him.
A few years ago, that peace had to start with pain. During a Friday Night SmackDown episode in 2022. Big E suffered an awkward fall and injured his neck after a belly-to-belly suplex mishap happened at ringside. After the injury. he stepped away from in-ring action and later took on a new role as a broadcaster in WWE. In his own telling, he also confirmed that he had finished his wrestling career.
Speaking to The A2TheK Wrestling Show to promote his upcoming book. Big E reflected on the decision to end his time in the ring and said it wasn’t “difficult” for him to quit. “It wasn’t difficult for me. as much as I loved my time in the ring. it wasn’t heartbreaking for me to say my time here is over. because I was able to look back. ” he said.
He didn’t just list highlights—he built a case for why walking away felt manageable. Big E pointed to his own path into the business, saying, “Ok. A guy like me. I’m not six feet tall. I don’t come from a wrestling lineage at all. To me. as a failed football player who came in with bad knees. to be the second ever NXT Champion. WWE named us the greatest tag team of all time. to have this long extended promo seg with The Rock. to have a cereal. a wrestling cereal that people actually went out to buy. to be number one in merch in 2016 in the whole company.”.
From there, he tied the story of his career to the way other people saw him. “To become WWE Champion, Mr. Money In The Bank. all these things. but more than anything. to have the respect of my peers. the respect from fans. I can look back. and I had so much fun in my career. I am so grateful, I am so thankful,” he added.
The candid part of his remarks wasn’t only about triumphs. He shifted to what he believes is hardest about the business now that he’s no longer wrestling full-time. “This is not an easy business. there’s a lot of politics to deal with. a lot of time away from family and friends. The politics, you can go on and on about navigating that,” Big E said. “I tell wrestlers all the time. the hard part is not the wrestling training. the shows. not the bumps. not all that. the hard part is learning to navigate the office. it’s learning to deal with creative. it’s learning when to push and say I’ll eat this one today. If you don’t know how to navigate those waters, you might not be around for long.”.
He also said he feels his career has been “charmed.” Even with that “extended” sense of gratitude, Big E is still part of the WWE roster, even as the New Day chapter around him has shifted. His former New Day teammates Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have parted ways with the promotion.
Big E WWE retirement neck injury SmackDown 2022 belly-to-belly suplex mishap broadcaster New Day Kofi Kingston Xavier Woods Money in the Bank NXT Champion The A2TheK Wrestling Show upcoming book