Big E was rushed to the hospital after being stretchered out of WWE Smackdown, which was caught on video, PWInsider.com reports.
Big E later told fans his neck is broken, though he has told fans Saturday morning he won’t need surgery, and that there was no spinal damage. However, according to former WWE physician Dr. David Cho, a C1 fracture ‘often heals incompletely’ and that might spell the end of Big E’s WWE career permanently.
The C1 fracture is most dangerous as the top cervical vertebrae is a ring and are commonly associated with immediate death or complete paralysis. Thankfully the fracture was not displaced and he will not need surgery. However, this type of fracture often heals incompletely and it may mean the end of his wrestling career.
The C6 fracture is likely a compression injury to the vertebral body. This likely requires immobilization but not surgery. One would anticipate a minimum of three-month recovery with a return to full function and activities for this lower cervical injury.
Previously, I had worked regularly with WWE as a consulting physician for events and performing surgery. I can assure you the stunts that are executed are real and come with risk, even though some consider the sport to be “fake.”
In other news, Steve Austin’s promo accepting Kevin Owens’ WrestleMania challenge aired on Smackdown. WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin’s feud with The Rock has gone down in history as one of the most iconic feuds in all of professional wrestling. Their feud ended at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, which was Steve Austin’s final match as an in-ring competitor. It was the third match at WrestleMania in their feud.
