Big E: There Was Never Ill Will Towards Ridge Holland. My Heart Goes Out To Him
On the March 11, 2022 episode of WWE SmackDown, Big E suffered a broken neck after a botched overheard belly-to-belly suplex courtesy of Ridge Holland. Big E landed on his head and was stretchered from the ringside area.
He fractured his C1 and C6 vertebrae and has not wrestled since, recently stating that he is retired.
Speaking to Baby Huey of 107.7 The Bone, Big E was asked about Ridge.
“I talked to Ridge right after it happened. He sent me ten pounds of meat, that’s how men say ‘I’m sorry.’ Thankfully, we had a conversation. There was never any grudge held on my end. Things happen in our industry. People get hurt. It wasn’t malicious. I told him immediately that there are no hard feelings. I know, unfortunately, he’s gotten a lot of flack online. He’s dealt with injuries on his own and losing his job. My heart, in many ways, goes out to him. I hope he’s doing okay and is recovering. There was never a moment of ill will from me. It’s the nature of what we do. You sign up for something that is incredibly fun and rewarding, but also has inherent danger as well,” he said.
Ridge was sidelined with a Lisfranc injury suffered at TNA iMPACT! tapings in September. His contract with WWE was terminated due to breach in early November after he was informed that his deal would not be renewed when it expired in mid-November. He underwent neck surgery in November.
Elsewhere during the interview, E commented on a potential Hall of Fame induction. You can find his full comments here.
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