The “Big E” wrestler broke his neck at a WWE SmackDown event in Alabama on Friday after he fell backwards on his head during a botched stunt.
Ettore “Big E” Yuen, 36, informed his fans of his injury in his hospital bed that night. Wearing a neck brace, the athlete wiggled his fingers in front of the camera and confirmed that he could move them.
“But unfortunately right now they are telling me that my neck is broken,” he said in a video posted to Twitter.
On Saturday morning, Yuen confirmed that he had fractured C1 and C6 vertebrae. He added that they were not displaced, there was no damage to the ligaments, and he would not need surgery.
“And pro advice: if you’re going to break your neck, do it in Birmingham,” he joked.
It is not yet clear how long it will take to recover.
The Tampa, Florida native played football at the University of Iowa and even had a brief career in powerlifting. He won the WWE Championship in September, becoming the face of the entertainment company for several months until he was defeated in January.
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Ettore “Big E” Yuen, 36, confirmed he broke his neck on Friday but won’t need surgery, in a video posted to Twitter on Saturday.
It’s unclear how long the wrestler who won the WWE Championship in September will take to recover.
The video shows wrestler Ridge Holland picking up Big E and throwing it back in a move called a belly-to-belly suplex at Friday’s SmackDown event. Then Big E lands on his head
Other videos show Yuen being carried out on a stretcher as the crowd cheers and applauds.
A social media video shows wrestler Ridge Holland, real name Luke Menzies, lifting Big E and throwing it back in a move called a belly-to-belly suplex.
As he fell, a Big E landed on his head next to h.
The other wrestlers can be seen rushing to check on Big I.
Another Friday video shows the wrestler being escorted out of the Legacy Arena on a stretcher as the audience applauds. The scene was not shown on television.
Ewen thanked Birmingham residents and hospital staff as he lay in his hospital bed on Saturday.
“They were great, everyone here at UAB (hospital) was great.
“But it really meant a lot to me that so many of you were so kind and reached out, stopped to see me, wrote to me. I know I sound like a broken record, but I’m very grateful and I’ll be fine.”
He has fractures of two vertebrae, but he said that he would not need an operation.
Ewan was seen lying in pain at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday after a stunt gone wrong.
Big E won the WWE Championship in September 2021 but failed to defend his title against Brock Lesnar in January. Above: Big E in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October.
“I can’t thank all of you wonderful people for all your concern and messages,” he said Friday night.
“It’s very touching. I’ll be fine. I will be good. Do not worry.
The 5-foot-11, 285-pound wrestler played football at the University of Iowa, according to ESPN.
He was also a powerlifter, breaking several state records in his short career before signing a developmental contract with Florida Championship Wrestling, now NXT, in 2009.
The wrestler was briefly the reigning WWE Champion from September 2021 to January.
“Being a WWE Champion is a lot and I’m very proud of it,” Yuen told Sports Illustrated in January.
Yuen played football at the University of Iowa and even did some powerlifting.
“Being a member of the Breakfast Club and speaking to the media all over the country, I know all the good things that come with it and all that we have been able to do outside of the ring. And there is so much more to be done.”
The wrestler was unable to defend his championship title and was defeated by 44-year-old Brock Lesnar at a day one event in Atlanta on January 1st.
“I wanted it to be a five-course meal and it was more of an appetizer,” Yuen said of his short stint as champion.
“From the very beginning, I am too critical of my work, so I would not say that I am satisfied with it. I was hoping to knock him out of the park, and I missed a little. So that motivates me to start climbing.”
He added, “I don’t feel comfortable being just a guy on the list. I don’t want to go back to what it was before.”