Representation is essential to Big E.
Big E held the Money in the Bank briefcase for 57 days before cashing it on the September 13 episode of WWE Raw to win the WWE Title from Bobby Lashley.
Speaking with The Undefeated, Big E commented on a Talking Smack appearance he made one year ago, in which he pushed back at The Miz after being told that he wasn't being serious enough. E said that he's happy to have been given the platform to express his feelings and wanted to lean into what makes him unique, and that's being himself.
He continued on to comment on the significance of his Championship victory and how he hope it inspires everyone, especially young black men and women.
“Representation is essential to me … I really hope that my [championship] win allows everyone to be inspired, but specifically young Black men and women who enjoy wrestling,” Big E said. “To think, ‘This is something that I can do and there won’t be obstacles in my way simply because I don’t look a certain way.’ Whether they want to wrestle or not, I just hope it allows people to say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be put into a box, I’m not going to have to change who I am to get to where I want in life.’ If I can be that for people, I think that’s really beautiful and humbling.”
Big E shared that the reaction from the crowd made the moment even more special and notes that everyone has been overwhelmingly positive towards him.
“When that Wale tune hit that I come out to and people lost it, that was really beautiful,” he said. “That’s what makes that moment special to me. That pop, that reaction. One of the biggest things to me is just getting back to everyone, all of the missed texts. I had 144 missed texts. … Not to mention all the DMs. Everyone has just been so overwhelmingly positive and kind.”
Although the list of Black WWE Champions is short, Big E is encouraged by the number of Black wrestlers both in and out of WWE and hopes we can eventually reach a point where Championship victories are a normal occurrence.
“I love that we can look around inside of WWE and outside of WWE and see this real depth of Black wrestlers that are really dope, and there’s so many of us,” he said. “And I hope we get to a point where it’s just normal.”
Big E successfully defended the WWE Championship on Raw, defeating Bobby Lashley.
On the October 1 episode of SmackDown, WWE kicked off their 2021 Draft. Big E was selected in the first round by Raw, ensuring that he will remain on Monday nights for the foreseeable future.
If you missed anything from WWE SmackDown, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here. You can also check out the post-show podcast for a full review of WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage by clicking here.
