Big E Says He Thinks He Brings Something Unique To WWE

In an interview with TalkSport, Big E said he thinks he brings something unique to WWE, referencing comments Booker T made about him needing to change in order to have a successful solo run. Here are highlights:

On Booker T saying he needs to be more serious: “I think all of us – and I’ve definitely learned this myself – we’ve learned to trust our instinct. I think that there will definitely be a time where I need to change and evolve, but if it’s up to me, that’s going to come at the right time. So we do this backstage promo where I say I’m going to do singles and Kofi gives me his blessing, for me to suddenly come out and be serious makes no sense to me. If anything, there needs to be a reason to get me there and also, if I’m constantly serious – like I was when I first debuted – there is no room to get more angry. There’s no room for me to become irate or incensed or to have this shift in temperament. If there is a reason given, if there’s an antagonist, if there is something that drives me there, then hey, I might be all for losing my smile or whatever it is! But why would I lose what makes me unique or special?”

On how he’s unique in WWE: “For so long when I watched wrestling, I wanted to be the ass-kicker. I wanted to be the bad ass. I wanted to be the Ron Simmons, the Vaders, the guys I loved watching. But we have Brock Lesnar. We have Bobby Lashley. We have some of these guys that are bigger than me, taller than me, we have a bunch of those guys. But I feel I can offer something unique to our industry, to WWE that I have. I feel like people enjoy my work and what I do in the ring as well, I think a lot of the appeal too is being charismatic. Having some semblance of an it-factor, whatever you want to call it. But not just being someone who is in tights and spandex, but more than that. And that allows you to connect as a fan because they are not just someone who goes out in tights, they have a personality and you have a better understanding of who they are. And that’s what I love doing too, man.”

On being praised by Daniel Bryan: “That’s dope, and I don’t take it lightly. To me that’s one of the highest… I think getting love from your peers is important. And I never strive to get it, but a guy like Bryan, that means a lot. That means a ton from him who I think is a generational talent, one of the best to do it. He’s incredible. I so thoroughly enjoyed the times we’ve been in the ring together and we haven’t that many opportunities. I think we had Rowan and Bryan when they were together, we had a tag match with them and in the last few minutes of that title match it was me and Bryan going back and forth.

It means a lot coming from a guy like him. To have earned his respect and to have him push for me is important. It’s humbling I guess in many ways and like I said, it’s not that I didn’t see this for myself, I thought I could be very good. But I always felt like I was the guy who was overlooked. Like when I was in FCW, I was overlooked. I always felt like I was on the chopping block. No one ever said that, but I was always in the matches with the guys who were soon to be released. Even in NXT, the first several months of NXT I wasn’t even on the show. Then I got the five-count and I was able to run with that, but I guess I always had that insecurity. Maybe that’s what it is, maybe I need to address that within myself [laughs].

I’m not a guy that built his name on the indies or is renowned all over the world as one of the best workers there is, but to have respect from a guy like Bryan who has done that and has mastered the in-ring, mastered the character work – he’s become a complete performer. Like, the one reason the KofiMania run is so special is because it’s against Bryan. It wasn’t just him winning the world championship, it was that he beat one of the greatest of all-time. So it means a lot and I’m really humbled by what Bryan said and whatever comes of this singles run, I hope it’s worthy of people’s acclaim. Not like ‘we wanted this for years!’ then it’s like ‘Oh. Remember that Big E singles run of 2020? Ughhh’ [laughs].”