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While the cloud of uncertainty continues to hover over the in-ring future of Big E amidst his ongoing absence from WWE TV, wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell has addressed whether it's time for the New Day member to call quits on his 15-year career.
The 38-year-old Superstar has been on the sidelines since suffering a neck injury during the March 11, 2022, episode of SmackDown. Despite fracturing his C1 and C6 vertebrae, Big E revealed that he did not require surgery. As of this writing, there's no clear timeline for his return.
Speaking on Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the former WWE manager stated that Big E could risk further damage to his neck by getting back into the squared circle:
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"I think he's been out too long. I really do. And I think he's thinking about that, you know, his wife is. Because if it could happen once, it could happen again," Mantell said. [From 01:19:03 to 01:19:18]
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Mantell said if it were up to him, he would have hung up his boots and transitioned into a backstage role:
"It's too big of a liability for him and his family for him to take that chance. I think if I was him, I just say, my wrestling days are over, and I just keep the job at WWE because they'll have him doing something," he added. [From 01:19:31 to 01:19:48]
Check out the video below:
Big E provides an update on his WWE in-ring future
In an interview with Shak Wrestling, Big E said he has been consulting doctors and undergoing scans to see if he should get back to the ring:
"It's just a matter of listening to the doctors, taking in enough information, looking at my more recent set of scans, and deciding if the gamble is worth it," he said.
The former WWE Champion most recently appeared as one of the hosts during the WrestleMania kickoff event. He will be in attendance for The Show of Shows this weekend, but the question remains whether he will be involved in any physicality.
If you use quotes from this article, please give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and credit Story Time with the Dutch Mantell podcast.
