WWE superstar Big E of the New Day spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to talk all things pro-wrestling, including how he feels about his upcoming singles-push. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
On his singles push:
I am not going to waste this shot. I might not have this window open again. This is my chance.
On fan excitement for his push:
All we did was this backstage promo where we talked about me doing singles, and now people are talking about world title runs. For me, I’m very flattered and appreciative of that. It still floors me. All I said was I was going to do some singles. But I’m excited about it, and I’m excited that people are excited about it.
Compares The New Day to The Shield and how he still has something to prove:
I think of The Shield. Rightfully, they were the chosen ones. They were so talented. That wasn’t me, that wasn’t us. The New Day, we were three guys that had to get this on our own. We were all floundering when we came together. We all still have something to prove, and there’s been a fire lit under my ass.
Why he thinks he doesn’t need to break away from The New Day:
Our story is one of brotherhood. That’s so different. Why can’t you have three men, three Black men that really care about each other, that want to see each other succeed? It’s not about stabbing each other in the back, it’s about coming together for a common cause. Kofi said, ‘When I became world champion, we all became world champion.’ He didn’t say it to set up a feud, he said it because he meant it. If you look at any stable in the 10 years, besides The Shield, I can’t think of very many where a break-up benefited everyone. There is so much more you can get out of the three of us staying together and believing in each other.
On Xavier Woods being the glue of The New Day:
There’s no New Day without him. If Woods doesn’t come up to me in 2014 and say, ‘Hey, I have an idea for a group. You want to join me?’ If that doesn’t happen, who knows where my career is right now, who knows if I’m even still employed here. He changed our lives. And the fact that he got the trombone over in wrestling? That’s incredible.
On George Floyd’s murder:
After George Floyd’s murder, we had a conversation on our podcast where the underlying message was about being empathetic. We wanted people just to truly listen. We’re not here to point fingers or label people as racists. I’m here to tell you our experiences and how we feel. We want to work toward a better world, a better society, and it’s been really heartwarming to see the amount of support for that. We want to continue to have a positive impact on our world and be worthy of people’s fandom.