Big E Says The New Day Were Told Of Their Split Two Days In Advance

In an interview with Fox Sports, Big E revealed that all three members of the New Day were told of their split only two days before it happened, as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods moved to RAW and E stayed on Smackdown. Here are highlights:

On when the New Day learned they would be split up: “We probably got two days in advance. Which, I think a lot of it was to ensure that we didn’t show up to work and if we heard the news then, I assume that people just imagine that we would be tearing up the halls, knocking down doors, crying in public, just fits of rage. So I feel like they decided, let’s give ’em a couple of days to simmer down at home before we had to actually do this on TV.”

On what their reaction was: “Initially, obviously, we were not pleased. I’d heard some rumors maybe a month prior that it was something discussed. But I’ve heard rumors for years that we’re gonna be broken up, that one of us is gonna turn on the other, and we’ve been able to weather a lot of those storms. But it felt like there was more momentum towards some kind of a split. So I had an opportunity to talk to one of the writers and say, “Hey, just so you know, I heard one of these rumors. Is this a viable option?” And I was told, like, “Hey, there are many options being presented,” and they would neither confirm nor deny. But we just wanted to let them know that we feel like there’s still a lot of cache in us as a trio.

We still feel like there’s so many things that we haven’t done as a trio. As much fun as we’ve had doing the goofy, slapstick New Day stuff, when Woods came out in that white and red suit in 2014, you never got to see militant New Day. You never got to see us really be aggressive heels. We were just goofy heels and it worked, but I feel like there’s so much we can offer as a trio. That’s kinda what I wanted to present to them. There’s so much we can do as a trio.”

On being serious: “If you prick my finger, I will bleed. Sheamus provoked me, so I had a reason to get in his ass. It’s not that difficult. But for me to suddenly revert to 2012/2013 me, I’ve already done that. It really wasn’t that enjoyable. To me, being serious is an absence of character, as opposed to adding another layer to my character. I think there will be times where I need to be more serious, and I’ll show that. I’ll show an intensity that I think a lot of people can’t really show or portray. But, in the same vein, I don’t want to lose what made me special, what made me unique. Because I feel like you’re gonna find powerhouses who are taller, who are bigger, who are faster, who can do things that I can’t do, but I don’t think you can find another Big E.

I don’t think you can find someone who has my combination of look, talking ability, presence. I don’t think you can find an exact copy to fill my shoes. That’s just how I feel. And I want to make sure that I stay in that lane. Because when I looked around in 2012, man. There was the Brocks. There was Mark Henry. There was The Ryback. I was kind of filling a similar lane and, to me, it’s always about trying to find a niche or an avenue that no one else is occupying right now. That’s important to me. So there will definitely be times where I have to be more serious, and it might just kind of happen. But to suddenly have no evolution, or there’s no path, and I just suddenly decide that, “Hey, it’s 2012 me again,” doesn’t make a lot of sense.

I feel like to be really invested in a title program, or be invested in any program, you need to see that the wrestler, the talent, takes it seriously. Winning means something. The titles mean something. And I think that’s an element of what it means to be serious that I need to connect with, but for me to just suddenly be devoid of character and just flip the switch, I don’t think really connects. I just want to evolve in a way or go down a path that makes sense for me.”