Add as a preferred source on Google Big E has once again opened up about the severe neck injury that ended his in-ring WWE career.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the former WWE Champion addressed the backlash Ridge Holland has received from fans since the accident.
The incident took place on the March 11, 2022, episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Holland delivered a belly-to-belly suplex on the outside of the ring, but Big E landed on his head and suffered fractures to his C1 and C6 vertebrae. He has not wrestled since.
While discussing the situation again, Big E made it clear that he spoke with Holland shortly after the incident and never believed there was any malice involved.
“I really hate that his tenure in WWE, for the most part, a lot of it’s going to be defined by the injury and his role in it… A lot of people crossed the line and went too far.”
In the same interview, Big E said Holland received threats and even sent him a 10-pound box of meat as an apology.
The situation took on another layer after Holland left WWE. In November 2025, Luke Menzies, his real name, said his confidence was shaken after Big E’s injury.