During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Big E. commented on his singles run, The New Day’s success, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On taking advantage of his singles run: “I am not going to waste this shot. I might not have this window open again. This is my chance … All we did was this backstage promo where we talked about me doing singles, and now people are talking about world title runs. [laughs] 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.”
On the New Day’s success: “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 … 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 learning from Kingston: “Every facet of the job, Kofi does it and does it well. Kofi sets an example. When he walks into a locker room, he treats everyone, whether it’s extra talent or top guys, with respect. He’s a true family man, and I love watching the way he interacts with his kids and the way he talks about them. He’s a consummate pro, a great human being, and he has everyone’s respect. He is an example of what a great wrestler and human should be.”
On his and Kofi’s Black Lives Matter pose on SmackDown: “It was important to us. Thankfully, we got support from the company, from Vince, everyone was on board. It was something that really weighed on us, and we felt like we really needed to make a statement. This is not a situation that will be resolved in a week or two, or two months, so I want to continue to have these conversations and continue to bring some awareness, and remain open-minded. 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.”
On Xavier Woods’ support: “I was so focused on being serious. All the guys I enjoyed watching as a kid were in that vein—Ron Simmons, Scott Steiner, Vader. The big, massive dudes that were ass-kickers, that’s what I wanted to be. But there were already guys that were taller and bigger on the main roster, like Brock Lesnar and Mark Henry, that were filling that role. I needed to find what made me different, what made me unique, and Woods really helped bring that out. He’s so free and creative and energetic, and goofy, and that allowed all of us to lean more toward that aspect of ourselves. 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.”
