The recent success of Big E has shown he can do well in the singles division. WWE initially used Big E as a singles star with the NXT Championship run leading to his main roster call-up. The struggles in his career made the time in New Day even more valuable to gain momentum.
WWE separating Big E from New Day was recently done to see if he can move up the card in a singles role. Fans have loved witnessing Big E perform at a higher level on his own. Each chapter of his career gives us interesting tidbits about his time on and off-screen. Find out more about Big E with the most interesting stories from behind the scenes.
10 Daniel Bryan Was Behind His Recent Singles Push
Big E confirmed a rumor about Daniel Bryan taking on a creative role for the Smackdown brand. The creative input of Bryan featured him pitching the idea of Big E having a bigger singles role for the future of the show.
Bryan has praised Big E publicly many times in the past, but this is another level of support. Big E has become a huge part of the product and is thriving as the Intercontinental Champion. Bryan’s pitches clearly have worked out in the short term already.
9 John Cena Believed In Him Before Main Roster Call-Up
The potential of Big E was clear to most people in important positions for WWE during his start. John Cena was the biggest star in the company and he clearly believed that Big E was bound for big things in his future.
Big E revealed that Cena invited him to work out together since they lived relatively close before he even joined the main roster. Cena gave a young Big E advice and tips on how to improve and succeed on WWE when he reached the bigger stage.
8 Pitched Idea Of Mailman Gimmick
The comedic side of Big E has been the biggest aspect of his success in WWE. Big E showing his humor in New Day allowed fans to truly embrace him, but he almost went too far with this side in the earliest WWE stage.
Wrestlers used to have to send in a list of names before settling on one for the rest of their WWE careers. Big E admitted he chose the name of “Mel Mann” with the concept of him playing a mailman character. Unless he time-traveled to the New Generation Era, Big E likely would have flopped from the start as Mel Man.
7 Talking Smack Segment With Paul Heyman Was Unscripted
Paul Heyman becoming a co-host of Talking Smack has added a new element to the show. Wrestlers from Smackdown are interviewed in a more candid setting with Heyman often asking the hard questions or making bold statements.
One of the more memorable moments recently featured Heyman telling Big E he needed to make changes to get to the top of WWE. Big E’s stunned silence as the show ended made it a compelling way to progress his story. Dave Meltzer confirmed that the segments on Talking Smack are usually unscripted and Heyman is allowed to take things in the directions he feels will help the performer.
6 WWE Warned New Day Before Big E Draft Moment
The 2020 WWE Draft featured Big E being separated from Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods for the first time since New Day formed. All three members have been vocal about never wanting to break up or turn on each other.
WWE still felt it was right to keep Big E on his own for his singles push to work in the long run. Big E stated it was easier to accept when WWE warned them a few days in advance instead of them finding out on television like other past scenarios with the draft.
5 Vince Initially Felt He Could Have Roman's Spot
Roman Reigns being the chosen one of WWE management feels like it’s been the case since he started in developmental. However, there was a time when Big E had as much of a chance for the top spot as Reigns did.
Dave Meltzer reported that Triple H viewed Roman as “the guy” from his early start while Vince McMahon saw something special in Big E. Interviews with Big E have confirmed this as he just didn’t get over in the way WWE expected during his early main roster run.
4 Undertaker Gave Him Huge Praise For Changing Things Up
Every WWE superstar would love to get words of support from The Undertaker due to his status as an all-time great. Big E revealed he was overjoyed when Undertaker went out of his way to praise him during one of the recent returns.
Undertaker said he had no idea Big E had so much personality when he started on the main roster. Big E had a serious character when Undertaker was transitioning to making fewer appearances. The legend was clearly entertained by Big E’s antics to offer encouragement for his New Day work.
3 Was Making Most Money On Cameo Of WWE Stars
WWE’s decision to stop wrestlers from joining third-party platforms have seen wrestlers losing huge outside sources of income. Cameo was a hit for wrestlers who would offer video greetings in exchange for payment.
Big E reportedly made the most money on Cameo of WWE-employed performers with twice as much as the second-place Ric Flair. The total of $62,000 from Big E in 2020 proved he was a huge hit due to his entertaining sense of humor providing great videos.
2 Was Irate Backstage When Finding Out About Brock Squashing Kofi
The controversial decision to have Brock Lesnar destroy Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship upset a lot of fans and wrestlers alike. Lesnar beating Kingston to win the title was one thing, but the burial of a 10-second squash match left a sour taste in the mouths of critics.
Kofi remained professional about the situation, but Big E admitted he struggled with the decision. The anger of seeing his friend’s hard work ending made him irate until Kingston’s reaction to it changed his mood.
1 CM Punk Requested To Work WIth Him When WWE Was Losing Interest
Big E’s first run as a heel on the main roster led to him struggling to find the right role when separated from Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee. The fear of Big E was that he’d get sent back down to NXT when he wasn’t booked on Raw and Smackdown as much.
CM Punk was the one to help Big E when the two worked together in a singles match. Big E revealed that AJ informed him of Punk requesting to work with him to Vince McMahon. The match helped with Big E’s confidence and ended with a face turn that led to a bigger push.