Big E has reflected on his WWE Championship reign, a run he is grateful for even if it did not unfold the way he hoped.
Big E captured the title in September 2021 by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Bobby Lashley, holding the championship for 110 days before dropping it to Brock Lesnar at WWE Day One in January 2022. Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the former champion recalled how that title match ballooned in the days beforehand from what was meant to be a one-on-one encounter.
“We had that Day One PLE in Atlanta, losing to Brock, which initially that was supposed to be me and Seth. It’s supposed to be a singles match, but then Kevin Owens got added to it to become a triple threat,” Big E said. “Then Vince, at the time, loved Bobby, so Bobby gets added to it.”
The final piece, according to Big E, fell into place when Roman Reigns was pulled from the card.
“Roman gets COVID, allegedly, who knows? But that was the rumor, so he couldn’t be there. So Brock needed a match, so he gets added to our match, and what was supposed to be a singles between me and Seth becomes a five-way, where Brock beats me for the title,” he said. Even so, Big E expressed gratitude. “The fact alone that I got to be world champion, a guy like me, is pretty incredible. It wasn’t the run that I wanted by any means, but I’m grateful that I got it.”
Big E was more honest about what came next, describing his return to tag team competition as a letdown after being featured so heavily as a singles star.
“To go from having certain Raws where I felt like I was probably in five or six segments, and then I would have to do the dark match, I’m doing pre-tapes, to immediately be thrust back into” the tag division was difficult, he said. “The idea of you even trying to fight back or get another opportunity, we’re not doing that. Get back to the tag team. It was demoralizing.”
Big E framed it as part of the unpredictable nature of the industry. “The wrestling business is filled with ups and downs and ebbs and flows, and I think a lot of talent get too caught up in the ebbs and flows. You have to be able to ride that wave,” he said. Not long after, his in-ring career ended when he suffered a broken neck on a suplex from Ridge Holland in March 2022. “A lot of life changes in a couple of months, but more than anything, I’m just so grateful that I had the tools with meditation to be able to deal with it all,” he said.
