Big E is thankful for getting to spend the majority of his WWE career alongside Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
WWE Superstar Big E was a recent guest on the Battleground Podcast to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about his thoughts regarding Xavier Woods winning the King of the Ring tournament, Big E goes in-depth about how proud he was of his New Day teammate.
“Man, I was so happy. So his match, this was in Saudi. His match was right before mine. So I was so grateful I was in Gorilla at the time too, getting ready for mine and to see him win King of the Ring,” Big E said. “Mind you, this man has talked about being King of the Ring as long as I’ve known him; this is truly a lifelong dream. Not saying that he doesn’t want to be world champion.
“He did have those dreams as well. But specifically, being King of the Ring is something that he’s wanted. And I’ve seen him like he was never the guy, he was always — whether it’s size or people not knowing what to do with him, but he was never in FCW on the main roster. He was always a guy that had to proverbially scratch and claw to get into position. And even as much as we’ve done with The New Day, I feel like he never really got the acclaim and respect that he deserved.
“That man is incredible in-ring. I think people are still — as long as he’s been wrestling, about two decades now, he’ll still have singles matches, and people who’ve watched wrestling for years and years are still blown away by all he can do. He hasn’t had the same opportunities to show what he can do. But that man is truly incredible in the ring. I know he brings so much passion to everything he does. I’m so excited. I hope he gets more opportunities to do singles stuff.
“Right now, obviously, Kofi’s out with an injury. I’m out with an injury, so that’s been kind of the reason why he’s been given more of an opportunity, but I think when, regardless of our health, when Kofi’s back and we’re back whatever, I’d love to see Woods get more of those opportunities in the ring really kill it.
“Because you know, when he won King of the Ring, he came back, we got to embrace, and he was emotional, just teary-eyed because I know how much it meant to him. And he went out there; he had an incredible match with Finn [Balor]. And just to have that opportunity. I’m so proud of him.
“He’s a guy who has never rested on his laurels. He never thought like, oh, he was too good. He can coast; he’s a guy who was always fighting to be better and better and to have bigger matches and to be in bigger spots. So he’s a guy that I always root for because that passion, that fire, has never dwindled.”
When asked what he wants his legacy to be, Big E believes that’s out of his hands, and it’s up to the WWE Universe, but for him, the biggest takeaway from his career was the time he got to spend with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
“I guess when it comes to like legacy questions, I feel like that it’s kind of out of the hands of the performer that’s up to the viewer and the audience to decide how I’ll be remembered and how I’ll be defined,” Big E said. “But man, honestly, for me, as corny and cliche as it may sound, what I most take away from my career is just being able to have the best of times with two of my very closest friends.
“Getting to travel the world with Kofi and Woods. In wrestling, what we do is a selfish business. You have to be selfish, to be on the road as much as we are to invest as much time in. To be successful, there is a level of selfishness, and I cannot tell you how much, man, next year will be a decade since we started together. And the fact that we don’t bicker, we tell each other I love you in a very real way.
“Like, I just saw those guys. We shot Family Feud a couple of days ago, and we had the best amazing time. But afterward, it’s not like alright; so many tag teams I’ve seen they’re kind of sick of each other after all this time. But afterward, back at the hotel, we have a meal. We sit down, and we eat together for about an hour and just catch up. Then after that, we go up and play video games together, just the three of us.
“And I love, for me, that’s the one thing on screen — there’s so many things that I’m incredibly proud of, winning Money in the Bank, all the Tag Team titles being WWE Champion, all these really incredible things. But so much of what we do, man, we spend so much time on the road away from our families. Dealing with barely sleeping, doing media at 5 am. There’s so many things that are asked of you; we’re being pushed and pulled in so many directions.
“But the one thing that I always treasure is being able to lean on Kofi and Woods and our brotherhood and knowing that I was always in the ring with two incredibly talented guys. And we always pushed for each other. No one tried to supplant themselves as the top guy or the leader in the group. The reason for our success is because we truly love each other and always love each other, and always want the best for the group.
“It was always about the family. It’s always about the group. It’s always about each other, and it’s always about putting others first. So that for me is something that — there are people who’ve had more success in their careers, and God bless them. But I feel incredibly blessed to have two of the best partners a man could ever dream.”
READ MORE: Big E Reveals He Had New Scans Done On His Neck Following WrestleMania 39
What do you make of Big E’s comments? What do you think his legacy will be in the world of professional wrestling? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
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