Appearing on the premiere episode of Grit and Glory with Samoa Joe, Big E has discussed how his early time in WWE helped him learn to trust his instincts and how he viewed The New Day as his last chance in WWE.
The show, which appears on WWE’s The Bump, sees WWE Superstars reflect on their journey from the beginning of their careers to where they are now.
Speaking to RAW commentator Samoa Joe, Big E opened up about his early time in WWE and how those formative years taught him to be unafraid.
“For me, it was a matter of finding my voice and what’s authentic for me… I know the first seven years of my career I thought I had to be this big tough guy. But in a world where you have guys taller and bigger, that role was already filled. It was my time with The New Day that allowed me to be free and to be uninhibited. I just learned to trust myself, trust my instincts, and be unafraid. That’s what allowed me to be here and to have my career still.”
The former Intercontinental Champion went on to detail how he saw the creation of The New Day as his last chance in WWE, but knew that it “was something special.”
“Well, for anyone who ended up watching during our early years, you know it was not easy at all. It was a rough start, for sure,” he admitted. “We realized from an early period and our time together that we had a special chemistry and a special bond. A lot of that bond was forged through the tough times. We had that mentality of we either gotta sink or swim on our own merits. I viewed it as this could be my last opportunity, so I gotta give it my all.
“I didn’t want my career to dissolve based on me passively accepting anything I was given if it didn’t feel right. So I knew this was it. I knew this was something special.”
Elsewhere in the episode Big E also described how he felt losing his first Intercontinental Championship, describing the experience as “hard and frustrating.”