Booker T Questions Recent Big E Moves Following Neck Injury

During the latest episode of Booker T's Hall Of Fame podcast, he reflected on Big E's recent neck injury.

Big E broke his neck from a belly-to-belly suplex outside the ring this past Friday night on Smackdown. This is something Booker T questioned, admitting it is important for wrestlers to pick the right time for those kinds of moves.

"When we go through stuff like that on Reality Of Wrestling, two guys just say, for instance, they're going to do that spot. They come to me and say, 'hey Book, we are going to do this,' and the first thing I'll go is, 'well, why are we doing that?' And they're going to give me a reason why they're doing it. Or they're not. They're just going to say, 'we are just doing it.' That's the question you've got to always ask yourself in that situation, is this something that we need to do?

"Are we going to get more out of this if we do this, or if we do that? What's going to be the payoff? My thing is this, don't put yourself in a situation where stuff like that can happen if you don't need to. I always talk about your levels of how you're going to go out and perform," he said. "House shows, you're going to perform a certain way. TV, you're going to perform a certain way, PPV you're going to perform a certain way. I just think about those levels as far as going out there working certain ways."

Booker also touched on the impact this will have for Big E's career overall. He thinks it is something that will take years away from his career. The Hall Of Famer also admitted he didn't like the spear through the ropes that The New Day star did, either.

"Big E, this one more is something that is going to take years off his career," he said. "Big E always did that dive through the middle of the ropes. And that was another move where I was like, 'I hate that move.' If it's something done on PPV, I understand throwing caution to the wind. But just doing it just to do it, I don't believe in that."

Booker pointed out that this is now a touch-and-go for Big E as far as him returning to the ring. However, Booker believes that the muscles that Big E has may have actually helped him.

"He's definitely going to have to through a lot of pain," Booker said. "A lot of sleepless nights getting himself prepared to step back in the ring. There again, stepping back in the ring, that's going to be a touch-and-go situation after you've broken your neck. But we know it can be done, you look at a guy like Kurt Angle, broke his freaking neck and won an Olympic Gold medal.

"So we know it can be done. Just like you was talking about. Big E having so much muscle around the neck of the trapezius. His shoulders, I am sure that helped him a whole lot. As far as not going through what most probably would have gone through in that situation right there. I am sure his recovery time, just that alone, having that is going to help him a whole lot."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Hall Of Fame podcast with Booker T with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.