Various: Matt Riddle Issues Statement Since Rehab Reports, Big E Injury Update, Drew Gulak on NXT Return

Matt Riddle Issues First Statement Since Rehab Reports

As noted before, Matt Riddle recently failed a drug test and was sent to rehab by WWE. Riddle is currently expected to be out of action for six weeks due to his failed drug test and had been written out with a storyline injury as WWE’s way for his absence.

Riddle recently issued an official statement on Instagram revealing that he is currently working on trying to improve his life and health.

I’ve been working a lot on myself lately and have been saying no and setting boundaries for the first time ever and certain people aren’t happy about it, but I couldn’t be healthier or happier.

Thank you for all the support

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Big E Neck Injury Status Update

As noted before, Big E has been out of action for WWE since this past March due to a broken neck injury.

Big E was recently involved in a media scrum (via These Urban Times). One of the topics discussed included Big E providing an update on the current status of his neck injury.

“I have to get some more scans at the one-year mark in March and we’ll see how everything is looking. We’ll see from there. My C1 is broken in two spots, so we obviously have to be very smart about that. I was very fortunate. I want to make sure I’m making the best decision for myself. We’ll see in March. I feel great, I’m really thankful for that. I don’t have any nerve issues, no strength issues, no impairment whatsoever. Obviously, to get back in the ring to do what we do, I want to make sure my C1 is rock solid. Other than that, I’m very blessed. I feel great.”

Big E also gave his thoughts about him currently working as a member of WWE’s NIL scouting team while away from the ring due to his injury.

“It’s been fun for me because I resonate with it because I was a football player at Iowa with a bunch of injuries, my career was over, and I’m thinking now, ‘what do I do with my life?’ I was going to grad school, but I didn’t really feel fulfilled. For me, I love being able to…I feel I can go back in time to 13 years ago and look at young men and women in a very similar position as me who are seeing the end of their college career. You spend so much of your time invested n your sport. So many of us, we play our sport since four, five, six years old. It’s all we know. You’re in school and working hard at that, but it’s something you love, and then it’s gone. For me, being in the ring wasn’t the same as playing football and having my hand in the dirt, but it still filled that athletic void. The ability to go out there and hit people and run and jump, I felt like a kid again, I felt free. For me, I love doing it because it’s an opportunity to reach out to college athletes and let them know, ‘WWE might not have been something on your radar or you might not have considered it, but I’m telling you, it changed my life dramatically.’ I’ve been able to travel the world, entertain people all across the globe, it’s an incredible experience. I love it because I love college sports and I resonate with college athletes. Being able to present this to them is something that connects with me.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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Drew Gulak Comments on His Recent Return to WWE’s NXT Brand

A recent episode of WWE The Bump show featured Drew Gulak as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Gulak’s thoughts on his recent return to WWE’s NXT brand.

“I have had a unique opportunity presented to me by certain people, and I see an opportunity for myself to only grow, but also to potentially help other people along the way. As you’ve seen, we talked about The Bloodline earlier, we know there’s strength in numbers here in WWE. So anybody with any sense will not turn down potential resources for that, resources being a primary thing in NXT. It’s a theme there. So I’m keeping an eye out, and Hank is someone who came up to me and reminded me of myself in my younger days and asked me for some help. So this week, we hold a seminar, the Drew Gulak Invitational. So please tune in next week. Maybe you’ll learn some stuff.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com