Big E hasn’t closed the door on taking on another position in WWE, but is reluctant to get back on the “hamster wheel.”
In February, Big E announced that he had officially retired from pro wrestling as a result of the neck injury he suffered in 2022. Since being forced to step away from the ring, the former WWE Champion has been regularly seen on TV as an analyst for Premium Live Events.
During a new interview with The Takedown on SI, Big E addressed the possibility of taking on a more regular role on WWE TV. While the star didn’t rule it out, he made it clear that going back on the road was a daunting prospect.
“It’s possible, I think it would have to depend. I will say I think the idea of being on the road every single week for an extended period of time is something that I’m not really open to doing right now. And God bless the amount of people who’ve come to me or even tweeted at WWE, ‘Get him on commentary. He deserves to be on commentary.’
“Look, I’ve been approached multiple times by people within the company, people who’ve gone to bat for me. Michael Cole has been someone who has definitely been in my corner, and I’m very thankful for all the lovely things he’s said about me.
“But, man, when you’re on that WWE hamster wheel, when you’re on the road every single week — I tell people all the time, when I first started on the road, we would do five shows a week every single week. And I was happy to do it. We were getting paid per show, so being young, being 26 when I first got called up, I wanted to be on every show. And I loved the road and loved my time and I was gung-ho about it.”
Big E says life is good away from the grind, although he is grateful that he still gets to be a part of WWE.
“But once you’re able to get off that hamster wheel and you realize that, man, I have my weekends back again or when I first started dating Kristen, my fiancée, I was able to come out for a chunk of 10 days for two weeks. And, man, life is good out here. Life is good off the grind. You know what I mean? Not living in the circus life. And I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be on the pre-shows and post-shows for the PLEs.”
Why Did Big E Decide To Retire From Pro Wrestling Officially?
Recently, Big E explained his decision to make his retirement from the ring official. While getting back to wrestling seemed like a possibility shortly after his injury, it later became apparent that his neck wasn’t healing as well as he had hoped, as no new bone was forming where he broke his C1 vertebrae. This led to doctors advising him that, even if he were cleared, he should reconsider getting back in the ring, something Big E took heed of.
He also admitted that seeing some of the older veterans struggling with their own past injuries helped him make his decision, saying it could be “sobering.”
H/T to WrestlingHeadlines for the above transcription.
