Photo Courtesy Of Big E/ Instagram
Former WWE Champion Ettore “Big E” Ewen broke his neck during a SmackDown wrestling match at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 11.
Ewen suffered the injury while partaking in a tag team match, with The New Day–an all-Black wrestling group–member and WWE champion, Kofi Kingston, against Ridge Holland and Sheamus. Holland performed an overhead belly-to-belly suplex move on Ewen outside the ring, which caused him to hit the ground head-first. Unfortunately, he didn’t brace his fall in time to protect it.
The entire incident made rounds on social media via a viral video clip of the SmackDown episode.
As a result, he was rushed to UAB hospital and diagnosed with a non-displacement fracture of his C1 and C6 vertebrae. Thankfully, although his neck was broken, his spinal cord wasn’t damaged.
On Saturday, March 12, he took to Twitter to confirm his diagnosis in a short clip while wearing a neck brace in a hospital bed.
“So, I got some really good news, all things considered. C1 and C6 have indeed fractured–not a displacement, though, which is a very good thing–and I don’t have any damage to my spinal cord. [There’s] no ligament damage and no surgery, which I’m very thankful for.”
He also thanked UAB for helping him and his supporters for sending him encouraging messages. “A pro-tip: if you’re gonna break your neck, do it in Birmingham, they’ve been great. Everyone here at UAB has been great, but for real, it [has] meant a ton to me that so many of you have been so kind and reached out, stopped in to see me, [and] texted me. I know I sound like a broken record, but I am so grateful.”
He concluded, saying he would be okay.
“I’m gonna be alright. It’s a blessing.”
The 36-year-old Tampa native expressed the same sentiments during the first night he was admitted to the hospital.
“I can’t thank all you beautiful people enough for all of your concern and your messages; it’s very heartwarming,” he said in another video clip he posted on Twitter. He continued, letting everyone know that he could still move his hands.
“I can still move my digits,” he said as he wiggled his fingers. “That’s nice. That’s always a good thing. Strength feels fine, but unfortunately, right now, [doctors] tell me my neck is broken, so there’s that. I, once again, thank you, everybody. I’m gonna be alright; I’ll be good. Don’t worry, go to sleep. I appreciate all of you.”
Sports medicine expert Dr. Brian Sutterer said that Ewen was lucky he didn’t suffer from neurological damage after hitting his head on the ground. He added that the suplex is a potentially dangerous move in the wrestling ring.
“The suplex is a really dangerous move if not performed correctly, and here you can see that Big E just doesn’t rotate over enough to where he lands more square on his back with his neck tucked forward,” Sutterer said in a recent YouTube video.
“Here, he doesn’t rotate enough, so as he lands, he gets this extreme axial compressive force, basically going directly from the ground straight into the top of his head, compressing those bones of the cervical spine.”
Ewen has not since confirmed whether or not he would continue wrestling for the rest of the current season, including at WWE’s big event, Wrestlemania 38. The show is set to air via Pay-Per-View (PPV) on Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
In September 2021, the former football player and powerlifter became the 33rd Triple Crown WWE Champion after 12 years in the industry. He won the title on SmackDown, the same show where he hurt his neck, making him the fourth Black WWE champion in history.
His group, The New Day, also won seven Tag Team Championships for the series since they debuted in July 2014 on an episode of RAW. Their flamboyant style and bold promos have made them a WWE sensation.
Ewen separated from the group in 2020 to focus on his solo career.