Big E Langston
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Ettore Ewen (born March 1, 1986) is an American former
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
and
powerlifter Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...
. He is signed to
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
, where he performs under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Big E. He appears only in non-wrestling capacities due to a
cervical fracture A cervical fracture, commonly called a broken neck, is a fracture of any of the seven cervical vertebrae in the neck. Examples of common causes in humans are traffic collisions and diving into shallow water. Abnormal movement of neck bones or pie ...
he suffered in March 2022. Ewen was a collegiate football player at the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
and later became a powerlifter and a USA Powerlifting champion. He also won a state championship in high-school wrestling. Upon signing with WWE in 2009, Ewen was assigned to its developmental brand
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...
(FCW) under the ring name Big E Langston. After FCW was rebranded to NXT, he became the second NXT Champion. He was promoted to WWE's main roster in December 2012, and found his greatest success as a part of The New Day with
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
and
Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is part of The New Day and is one-half of the current World ...
, with whom he has become a two-time Raw Tag Team Champion and a six-time SmackDown Tag Team Champion. As a part of The New Day, he holds the tandem record for the longest Raw Tag Team Championship reign at 483 days. In 2020, Ewen resumed his singles career and was eventually separated from his New Day teammates in the
2020 WWE Draft The 2020 WWE Draft was the 15th WWE Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw (WWE brand), Raw and SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand divisions. The two-night event began on the ...
. He won the men's
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...
in 2021, before successfully cashing it in later that year to win the
WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...
once Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...
, becoming the 33rd Triple Crown Champion in the company's history. Additionally, he is a two-time Intercontinental Champion.


Early life

Ettore Ewen was born in
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, on March 1, 1986, the son of Margaret and Ettore Ewen. He is of Jamaican and
Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...
ian descent. Ewen attended middle school starting in 7th grade and High School at Tampa Preparatory School in Tampa, where he won a number of athletic honors, including a state championship in wrestling. After his junior year of high school he transferred to Wharton High School in order to play football and was named Hillsborough County's "Ironman of the Year". Upon graduating, Ewen attended the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
, where he played
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
as a
defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...
for the
Iowa Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 20 sports, 7 for men and 13 for women; The teams participate in Division I of the Nati ...
. He
redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
in 2004 and missed the 2005 season due to an injury sustained in preseason camp, playing a single season as a
sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...
in 2006. He graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree. After college, Ewen turned his attention to the sport of
powerlifting Powerlifting is a competitive strength athletics, strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: Squat (exercise), squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athle ...
.


Powerlifting career

Ewen competed in his first USA Powerlifting (USAPL) meet on July 11 at the 2010 United States Open Championships at
Nova Southeastern University Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a Private university, private research university in Florida with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida, Davie, Florida, United States. The university consists of 14 colleges, offering over ...
in
Davie, Florida Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately north of Miami. The town's population was 110,320 at the 2020 census, making it the largest town in Florida by population. Davie is a principal town of the Miami metropol ...
. He became the top heavyweight lifter, breaking all four Florida state raw powerlifting records in the 275-pound class and besting raw national records in the
deadlift The deadlift is a strength training exercise in which a weight-loaded barbell is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, with the torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting ...
and total. His lifts included a 611-pound squat, a 490-pound
bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...
, and a 749-pound deadlift for a 1,850 pound raw total. Ewen also won the 2011 USAPL Raw Nationals in
Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...
. This time, he competed in the super heavyweight division (275+lbs) and broke the raw American and national records in the deadlift (799 lbs) and total (2,039 lbs). All of his national and American raw records have since been broken.


Personal records

: ''Set in official competition'' * Squat – 711 lbs (322.5 kg)USAPL Raw Nationals (results)
(click "Mens Results" tab on bottom, defaults to Women's)
''raw without knee wraps'' *
Bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...
– 529 lbs (240 kg) ''raw'' *
Deadlift The deadlift is a strength training exercise in which a weight-loaded barbell is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, with the torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting ...
– 799 lbs (362.5 kg) ''raw'' * Powerlifting total – 2,039 lbs 925 kg (322.5-240-362.5) ''raw without knee wraps''


Professional wrestling career


World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE (2009-present)


Florida Championship Wrestling (2009–2012)

After injuries ended Ewen's dreams of being a professional footballer, he was introduced to professional wrestling by someone who knew
Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster, better known by the ring name Jim Ross (often shortened to JR). He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he ...
. At the suggestion of said person, Ewen was given a tryout in
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...
(FCW), a
developmental territory Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitos ...
of
World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
(WWE). He became convinced that he could be good at it and do wrestling for a living, and WWE signed a developmental contract with him in 2009. According to Ewen, although he had been a wrestling fan as a child, he had "never thought this assomething you could do for a living, and I would never have. ... Thankfully I was in the right place and the right time, and it's something that I have developed a passion for." Ewen was assigned to FCW, where he debuted on December 17, 2009, under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Big E Langston. On May 12, 2011, Langston and Calvin Raines defeated Richie Steamboat and
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
to win the
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The c ...
, but they lost the championship to CJ Parker and Donny Marlow on July 21, 2011. During the
WrestleMania Axxess WWE World at WrestleMania, formerly known as WrestleMania Axxess, is a professional wrestling fan convention held by WWE during the week of WrestleMania. The event typically runs for four to five days—from Thursday to Sunday or Monday—and fea ...
event in April 2012, Langston defeated
Antonio Cesaro Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW World Trios Championship, AEW World Trios Champion. He also per ...
.


NXT Champion (2012–2013)

When WWE
rebranded Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
FCW into NXT, Langston made his '' NXT'' debut on August 1, 2012, defeating Adam Mercer. This marked the start of a
winning streak A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least three wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties. In sports, it can be applied to te ...
for Langston, who from September started repeatedly performing his finisher on his opponents and demanding that referees count to five (rather than the usual three) before awarding him pinfalls. After Langston rejected
Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968), better known as Vickie Guerrero, is an American former professional wrestling personality ...
's
managerial Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
services, Guerrero promised a $5,000 bounty to anyone who could put Langston "on the shelf"; but attempts to claim the bounty by Chad Baxter and Camacho were firmly squashed by Langston. The bounty was ultimately declared void by NXT Commissioner
Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance ...
. Langston then began to feud with
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...
, and on the January 9, 2013 episode of ''NXT'', Langston defeated The Shield member Seth Rollins in a
No Disqualification match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
to win the NXT Championship. After successful title defenses against Conor O'Brian,
Corey Graves Matthew Polinsky (born February 24, 1984) is an American wrestling color commentator and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Corey Graves as the color commentator on th ...
, Brad Maddox, and
Damien Sandow Aron Steven Haddad (born August 3, 1982) is an American retired professional wrestler working as a manager in the National Wrestling Alliance under the name Aron Stevens. He is best known for wrestling with WWE under the ring name Damien Sandow ...
, Langston eventually lost the NXT Championship to Bo Dallas on the June 12 episode of ''NXT'', ending his title reign at 168 days, although WWE recognizes his reign at 153 days due to the episode airing on tape delay. On the December 17, 2012 episode of '' Raw'', Langston made his main roster debut by attacking
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
and aligning with
AJ Lee April Jeanette Mendez (born March 19, 1987) is an American author, screenwriter and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE under the ring name AJ Lee. Mendez began her professional wrestling career in 2007 in New ...
, thus establishing himself as a
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
. Langston went on to act as an enforcer for AJ's boyfriend,
Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth, where he is one-half of the TNA World Tag ...
. On April 7, 2013, at
WrestleMania 29 WrestleMania 29, also promoted as WrestleMania NY/NJ, was a 2013 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It was the 29th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 7, 2013, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New J ...
, Langston and Ziggler unsuccessfully challenged Team Hell No ( Daniel Bryan and Kane) for the
WWE Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE ...
. Langston wrestled his first singles match on ''Raw'' the following night, defeating Daniel Bryan. After Ziggler suffered a
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...
in May, Langston competed in a best-of-five series against Ziggler's opponent for the World Heavyweight Championship,
Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where h ...
, which Del Rio won 3–2. On the June 10 episode of ''Raw'', Langston was revealed as the
secret admirer A secret admirer is an individual who feels adoration, fondness or love for another person without disclosing their identity to that person, and who might send gifts or love letters to their Puppy love, crush. Grade school The goal of a secret a ...
of Divas Champion Kaitlyn; this in turn was revealed to be a ploy by AJ Lee, the number one contender to Kaitlyn's title, to humiliate Kaitlyn. Langston and AJ continued to mock Kaitlyn over the following weeks, with AJ ultimately winning the title at Payback on June 16. On the July 15 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler ended his relationship with AJ, which led to Langston attacking him later in the evening. On the July 29 episode of ''Raw'', Langston lost to Ziggler by disqualification after AJ interfered and attacked Ziggler. In a rematch on the following week's ''Raw'', Langston defeated Ziggler following a distraction by AJ. On August 18 at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
, Langston and AJ were defeated by Ziggler and Kaitlyn in a
mixed tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ...
, effectively ending their feud.


Intercontinental Champion (2013–2014)

On the October 18 episode of '' SmackDown'', Langston faced off against
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
in a match, where he lost. Afterwards,
Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE as the on-screen manager of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, and is widely regard ...
came down to the ring and began downplaying Punk's victory over Langston by calling Langston a "marginal at best rookie", and then sent
Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, styliz ...
and Ryback to the ring to attack Punk. Langston, having taken offense towards Heyman's words then aided Punk in fending off Axel and Ryback, turning
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
in the process. Three days later, on the October 21 episode of ''Raw'', Langston teamed up with Punk to defeat Axel and Ryback, with Langston pinning Axel. He was set to receive an Intercontinental Championship match against Axel at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
on October 27, but Axel was pulled from the match shortly before the pay-per-view due to a legitimate hip injury. Langston instead challenged for the United States Championship against
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...
, winning by
countout Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
. The following night on ''Raw'', he was granted a rematch for the title, winning the match by disqualification after
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...
and Seth Rollins interfered. On the November 18 episode of ''Raw'', Langston received his postponed championship match with Axel and won the Intercontinental Championship, his first singles championship on the main roster. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 24, Langston successfully retained his title against Axel. Langston then successfully retained his championship against Damien Sandow on December 15 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. On January 26, 2014, at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, Langston participated in the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
match, but was eliminated by
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
. At
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
on February 23, with his ring name now shortened to Big E, he successfully defended the title against
Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently performs on the independent circ ...
. At
WrestleMania XXX WrestleMania XXX was a 2014 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 30th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This ...
on April 6, Big E competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which was won by Cesaro. On May 4, at Extreme Rules, Big E lost the title to Bad News Barrett, and failed to regain it the following night on ''Raw'', ending his reign at 167 days. Big E later became involved in a feud with Rusev, which led to consecutive bouts at Payback on June 1 and Money in the Bank on June 29, both of which Big E lost. At
Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...
on July 20, Big E competed in a battle royal for the Intercontinental Championship, which was won by
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
.


Formation of The New Day (2014–2020)

During the summer of 2014, Big E was put in a team with
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
, and on the July 21 episode of ''Raw'', they lost a tag team match against Ryback and
Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, styliz ...
(known as RybAxel) in what had been a recent losing streak.
Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is part of The New Day and is one-half of the current World ...
then came down to the ring to address them by stating that they could not "get ahead by kissing babies, shaking hands, and singing and dancing like a puppet", and that now is "their time to shine", and that they "do not ask any longer", but "take", and offered to form a
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
. The duo accepted Woods' offer, and on the next day's ''Main Event'', Woods managed Big E and Kingston to a decisive victory over
Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Heath Slater. He also performed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Impact Wrestling ...
and
Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is signed to WWE as a Global Ambassador. Described by the company as "one of the most philanthropic superstars in WWE hist ...
(Slater-Gator). The trio then temporarily separated as on the August 8 episode of ''SmackDown'', both Big E and Kingston reverted to wrestling singles matches with no sign or mention of the other two members of the group. Despite being separated on WWE television, Big E, Kingston and Woods continued their alliance at
house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...
s. In November, WWE began airing vignettes for Big E, Kingston and Woods, with the stable now being billed as The New Day, and presented as overly-positive-minded babyface characters. The New Day made their in-ring debut on the November 28 episode of ''SmackDown'' in a winning effort against Curtis Axel,
Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Heath Slater. He also performed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Impact Wrestling ...
and
Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is signed to WWE as a Global Ambassador. Described by the company as "one of the most philanthropic superstars in WWE hist ...
. They started a brief feud with Gold and Stardust, which Big E and Kingston defeated Gold and Stardust at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14. On January 25, 2015, at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, The New Day lost to
Tyson Kidd and Cesaro Tyson Kidd and Claudio Castagnoli, Cesaro were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They are former WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Champions. They formed a tag team in December 2014, and were valet (professional wrestling), accom ...
, ending their winning streak. Later that night, Big E participated in the Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by Rusev. At
WrestleMania 31 WrestleMania 31 was a 2015 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 31st annual WrestleMania and took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's S ...
on March 29, they failed to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in a fatal four-way match, as well as being eliminated by
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. On the April 6 episode of ''Raw'', The New Day turned heel, after fans responded negatively to the group. At Extreme Rules on April 26, Big E and Kingston defeated
Tyson Kidd and Cesaro Tyson Kidd and Claudio Castagnoli, Cesaro were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They are former WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Champions. They formed a tag team in December 2014, and were valet (professional wrestling), accom ...
to win the WWE Tag Team Championships. On May 17, at Payback, The New Day defeated Kidd and Cesaro to retain their titles. At
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
on May 31, The New Day retained the titles in the first ever tag team Elimination Chamber match, and all three members were allowed to compete in a pre-match stipulation. On June 14, they lost the titles at Money in the Bank against
The Prime Time Players The Prime Time Players were an American professional wrestling tag team performing in the WWE, composed of Darren Young and Titus O'Neil. The two initially competed on ''WWE NXT'', debuting as a team in January 2012 and were later promoted to the ...
( Darren Young and Titus O'Neil), but they would regain the titles at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 23. The following night on ''Raw'', they started a feud with
The Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley Brothers, Dudley family members, notably ...
(
Bubba Ray Dudley Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971), known by his ring name Bubba Ray Dudley (also spelled Buh-Buh Ray Dudley), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for being ...
and
D-Von Dudley Devon Hughes ( ; born August 1, 1972) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, under a legends contract. He is best known for performing in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 a ...
), setting up a title match at Night of Champions on September 20, where they lost by disqualification. At
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
on October 25, they defeated The Dudley Boyz to retain their titles, ending their feud. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, The New Day retained the title against
The Usos The Usos were a Samoan-American professional wrestling tag team which consisted of twin brothers Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are signed to WWE, where Jey performs on the WWE Raw, Raw brand while Jimmy performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), Sma ...
(Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and The Lucha Dragons ( Kalisto and Sin Cara) in a triple threat
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
. On January 24, 2016, at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, they retained the title against The Usos. At Fastlane on February 21, The New Day turned face by mocking The League of Nations (Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, and King Barrett), starting a feud. They retained their titles at
Roadblock A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be: * Roadworks *Temporary road closure during special events * Police chase *Robbery * Sobriety checkpoint * Protests In peaceful ...
on March 12 against The League of Nations. On April 3, at
WrestleMania 32 WrestleMania 32 was a 2016 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 32nd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2016, at the AT&T ...
, The New Day were defeated by The League of Nations in a six-man tag team match. The following night on ''Raw'', they successfully retained their title against The League of Nations, ending their feud. After WrestleMania, they retained their title at Extreme Rules on May 22 against
The Vaudevillains The Vaudevillains were an American professional wrestling tag team in WWE, composed of Aiden English and Simon Gotch. Their gimmick was a pair of Vaudeville-era throwbacks. They also formerly wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where ...
(
Aiden English Matthew Thomas Rehwoldt (born October 7, 1987) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as a color commentator, alongside Tom Hannifan. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he p ...
and Simon Gotch), and at Money in the Bank on June 19 against The Vaudevillains, Enzo Amore and Big Cass, and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a fatal-four-way match. On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Big E, along with his fellow New Day teammates, was drafted to the Raw
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
. Three days later, on July 22, The New Day became the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, breaking the record of 331 days previously set by Paul London and Brian Kendrick. After SmackDown established the
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's ...
s due to the brand split, the titles held by the New Day were renamed the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships. On the August 1 episode of ''Raw'', Big E suffered a storyline contusion to the groin area after an attack by Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 21, Big E returned from injury by attacking Gallows and Anderson during their match against Kingston and Woods, resulting in Gallows and Anderson winning by disqualification. At Clash of Champions on September 25, The New Day retained the titles against Gallows and Anderson. On October 30, at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
, The New Day lost to the team of Cesaro and Sheamus by disqualification but retained the titles. The next night on ''Raw'', The New Day revealed that they were made captain of Team Raw for the 10–on–10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination match at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 20, 2016, which Team Raw won after defeating Team SmackDown. The New Day had two successful title defenses on the November 21 and 28 editions of ''Raw'' against Cesaro and Sheamus and Gallows and Anderson, respectively. On the December 12 episode of ''Raw'', The New Day retained the titles in two triple threat tag team matches, first involving Gallows and Anderson and Cesaro and Sheamus and the second involving
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
and
Kevin Owens Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of April 2025, he is on hiatus due to a neck injury. Steen began his ...
and the team of
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...
and
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
. At Roadblock: End of the Line on December 18, The New Day lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to Cesaro and
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
, ending their record-breaking championship reign at 483 days. On January 29, all members were in the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
match but were eliminated by Sheamus and Cesaro. On February 20, 2017, they were announced as the hosts of
WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was a 2017 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 33rd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2017, at Camping Wo ...
. On April 11, 2017, Big E and The New Day were moved to the SmackDown brand as part of the Superstar Shake-up. At
Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...
on July 23, Kingston and Woods, representing The New Day, defeated The Usos to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships for the first time. Though Big E did not wrestle himself, due to The New Day defending the titles under the Freebird Rule, Big E is also recognized as a champion. The New Day lost the tag titles back to The Usos at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 20. The Usos held the titles for about a month before The New Day won them back on ''SmackDown Live'' that September. At
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
on October 8, Big E and Woods took on The Usos in the namesake match but lost the championships. On the October 23 edition of ''Raw'', The New Day along with other talents of ''SmackDown'' ambushed the ''Raw'' wrestlers. They again appeared on the November 6 episode of ''Raw'' in the crowd, which led to the distraction of
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
and
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...
and costing them the tag titles. On the November 14 edition of ''SmackDown'',
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...
led an attack with ''Raw'' Superstars and invaded ''SmackDown'' similar to the one led by SmackDown and attacked everyone including New Day. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 19, The New Day lost to The Shield. The New Day failed to regain the titles from The Usos at Clash of Champions on December 17 in a fatal four-way tag team match also involving the team of Rusev and
Aiden English Matthew Thomas Rehwoldt (born October 7, 1987) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as a color commentator, alongside Tom Hannifan. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he p ...
, and
Chad Gable Charles Edward Betts (born March 8, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. He has been signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Chad Gable and also portrays the masked luchador El G ...
and
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champ ...
. On January 28, Big E entered the 2018 Royal Rumble match as the ninth entrant but failed to win the match after being eliminated by Jinder Mahal. At Fastlane on March 11, The New Day faced The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, but the match went to a no-contest after interference from The Bludgeon Brothers. On April 8, at
WrestleMania 34 WrestleMania 34 was a 2018 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 34th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, held for ...
, The New Day faced the Usos and the Bludgeon Brothers in a triple threat tag team match for the titles, which were won by The Bludgeon Brothers. On July 15, The New Day were defeated by
SAnitY Sanity (from ) refers to the soundness, rationality, and health of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational. In modern society, the term has become exclusively synonymous with ''compos mentis'' ( and ). The ...
in a six-man tables match at the Extreme Rules pre-show. The New Day then competed in a tag team title tournament, defeating SAnitY in the first round, while
Cesaro and Sheamus The Bar, originally simply known as Cesaro and Sheamus, was a villainous professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They were record setting four-time Raw Tag Team Champions and former SmackDown Tag Team Champions, making their team overall ...
defeated the Usos. The New Day then defeated Cesaro and Sheamus the following week on ''SmackDown'' to earn the right to face The Bludgeon Brothers at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 19, where they won the match by disqualification, meaning the Bludgeon Brothers retained their titles. Two days later on ''SmackDown'', however, The New Day defeated The Bludgeon Brothers in a No Disqualification match to capture the titles for the third time. Big E and Woods then represented the New Day when they unsuccessfully defended their tag titles against The Bar on '' SmackDown 1000''. On January 27, Big E entered the 2019
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, but was eliminated by
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
. In the lead-up to
WrestleMania 35 WrestleMania 35 was a 2019 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 35th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 7, 2019, at MetLife ...
, Big E's New Day teammate Kofi Kingston was attempting to earn a shot at the
WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...
and after many attempts, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon granted him the title shot after Big E and Xavier Woods defeated Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev, The Bar, The Usos, and Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan in a tag team gauntlet match. Shortly after WrestleMania, Big E suffered a legitimate knee injury which sidelined him for weeks. He later returned and earned another SmackDown tag team title opportunity at Extreme Rules on July 14, where Big E and Xavier Woods defeated Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan, and Heavy Machinery to win the titles (during this reign, Kingston was not recognized as champion as he was the reigning WWE Champion). On September 15, they lost the titles to The Revival at Clash of Champions, but regained it on the November 8 episode of ''SmackDown'', becoming record five-time champions as a team, and a record fifth reign for Big E individually (Woods is not recognized for this reign due to an injury). At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, Big E and Kingston successfully defended the titles against The Revival in a ladder match. On January 26, 2020, at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, Big E participated in the Royal Rumble match but was eliminated by Brock Lesnar. At Super ShowDown on February 27, Big E and Kingston lost the championships against John Morrison and the Miz and failed to regain the titles at
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
on March 8. On the April 17 episode of ''SmackDown'', Big E, who represented The New Day, won the titles back from Miz, who represented himself and Morrison, in a triple threat match, also involving Jey Uso, who represented The Usos, making The New Day six-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions. At
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules The Horror Show at Extreme Rules was a 2020 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 12th annual Extreme Rules and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisi ...
on July 19, The New Day would lose the championships to Cesaro and
Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former 3-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his first rei ...
in a Tables match after Cesaro and Nakamura put Kingston through two tables.


Return to singles career (2020–2021)

On the July 24 episode of ''SmackDown'', Kingston revealed that he would be out of action for six weeks and gave Big E the blessing to go on a solo run. Big E would then embark on his singles run as he entered a feud with
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
, whom he defeated on August 30 at Payback and on the October 9 episode of ''SmackDown'' in a
Falls Count Anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. As part of the 2020 Draft in October, Kingston and Woods were drafted to the Raw
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
while Big E remained on the SmackDown brand, starting a singles career which included a new theme by Wale and titantron separate from The New Day. On the December 25 episode of ''SmackDown'' (taped on December 22), Big E defeated
Sami Zayn Rami Sebei (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Sami Zayn. Sebei made his professional wrestling debut in 2002 under the ring name Stevie McFly. Pr ...
in a lumberjack match to win the Intercontinental Championship for the second time. On the January 8, 2021 episode of ''SmackDown'', Big E defended the Intercontinental Championship against Apollo Crews, and the match ended in a double-pinfall draw, but after a match restart, Big E scored the victory. On the January 22 episode of ''SmackDown'', his match with Crews ended in a
no contest ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...
after Zayn interfered and attacked both of them. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 31, 2021, Big E entered the Royal Rumble match and eliminated Zayn,
Mustafa Ali Adeel Alam (born March 28, 1986) better known by his ring name Mustafa Ali ( ), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former TNA X Division Champion. He also makes appearances ...
, The Hurricane, and
Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...
, before being eliminated by
Omos Tolulope "Jordan" Omogbehin (born May 16, 1992) is a Nigerian professional wrestler and former college basketball player. He is currently signed to WWE as a free agent, where he performs under the ring name Omos. He is a former one-time Raw T ...
(who was not a part of the match). On the February 5 episode on ''SmackDown'', Big E retained his title against Crews and Zayn in a
triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. Following this, Crews would begin to target Big E to the point where Crews injured Big E, taking him out of action for several weeks. Big E returned on the March 12 episode of ''SmackDown'', accepting Crews' offer for a rematch at Fastlane on March 21, where Big E would once again retain the championship but would be attacked by Crews after the match. On the March 26 episode of ''SmackDown'', Big E was pinned by Crews in a six-man tag match, which gave Crews another opportunity for the championship at
WrestleMania 37 WrestleMania 37 was a 2021 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 37th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, 2021, at Raymond ...
. At Night 2 of WrestleMania on April 11, Big E lost the Intercontinental Championship to Crews in a Nigerian Drum Fight due to interference from Commander Azeez. He challenged Crews for the Intercontinental Championship on the May 21 episode of ''SmackDown'' in a fatal four-way which included
Kevin Owens Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of April 2025, he is on hiatus due to a neck injury. Steen began his ...
and Sami Zayn, but was unsuccessful when Aleister Black attacked him. He was set to feud with Black, but it was cancelled when Black was released from WWE.


WWE Champion (2021–2022)

On the June 25 episode of ''SmackDown'', Big E defeated Crews to qualify for the men's
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...
. At Money in the Bank on July 18, he won the men's ladder match, becoming the first African-American competitor to hold the contract. On the August 13 episode of ''SmackDown'',
Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 14, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, former professional football player and former amateur boxer. He is wrestling as a freelancer under the ring name Bishop Dyer, appea ...
stole his briefcase during a backstage interview. At the
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
pre-show on August 21, Big E defeated Corbin to regain the briefcase. On September 13, Big E declared on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract for a
WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...
match on that night's ''Raw'', which already had a WWE Championship match scheduled between champion Bobby Lashley and challenger Randy Orton. After Lashley won, Big E cashed in for an immediate title match and pinned Lashley, winning the WWE Championship for the first time in his career, and celebrating with the rest of the New Day. On the September 27 episode of ''Raw'', Big E defended the WWE Championship against Lashley, which ended in a disqualification after a brawl between the New Day and
Cedric Alexander Cedric Alexander Johnson (born August 16, 1989) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is performing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). Alexander worked for ROH ...
and
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champ ...
. The match was rescheduled as a cage match later that night, where Big E defeated Lashley to retain the title. As part of the
2021 WWE Draft The 2021 WWE Draft was the 16th WWE Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The two-night event began with the October 1 episode of '' Friday Night SmackDown'' (in B ...
, Big E was officially drafted to Raw, while Kingston and Woods were drafted to SmackDown. On October 21, Big E successfully defended the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 21, Big E suffered a clean loss to WWE Universal Champion
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...
in a non-title match. On the November 22 episode of ''Raw'', Big E had a successful title defense against
Austin Theory Austin Tyler White (born August 2, 1997) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Bodybuilding, bodybuilder. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring nam ...
. Big E was originally scheduled to defend his WWE Championship at the WWE Day 1 event against Seth Rollins. On the November 29 episode of ''Raw'', Big E lost to Kevin Owens in a non-title match via disqualification after Rollins interfered, so Owens was added to Big E's Day 1 title match. On the December 13 episode of ''Raw'', Big E was pinned by Bobby Lashley in a non-title
no disqualification match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
after Rollins, Owens and MVP interfered, so Lashley was added to the title match. Hours before Day 1, due to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns contracting COVID-19, Reigns' scheduled opponent
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...
was also added to Big E's title match. In the
fatal five-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
on January 1, 2022, Big E lost his title when he was cleanly pinned by Lesnar, ending Big E's reign at 110 days. On the January 3 episode of ''Raw'', Big E wrestled Lashley, Owens, and Rollins for a WWE Championship shot against Lesnar, but Lashley won. On the following episode of ''Raw'', Big E challenged Rollins to an immediate match and suffered a clean loss. In an interview published in March 2022, Ewen gave his views on his WWE Championship reign, stating that if it were up to him, he would choose a "longer" reign so that he could "do some more dynamic things". Ewen further stated that it was "difficult or peopleto really latch onto a new champion" when "within their first month, he champion hasmultiple losses on TV". Ewen then compared his world title reign and how it ended to Kofi Kingston's, suggesting that both of them had a "falling off of a cliff feeling at the hands of one Brock Lesnar and then suddenly, it feels like you woke up a year prior and you're back to doing what you were doing before."


Cervical spine injury and non-wrestling roles (2022–present)

In late January 2022, Big E was officially moved back to SmackDown, reuniting with
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
as part of The New Day. On the March 11 episode of ''SmackDown'', during a match against Ridge Holland and Sheamus, Holland delivered an overhead belly-to-belly suplex to Big E at ringside, resulting in Big E accidentally landing on the top of his head; suffering a broken neck, with fractures to his C1 and C6 vertebrae, but no ligament or
spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of ...
and that he would not require surgery. He had an onscreen reunion with Kingston and Woods on May 20, but stated in an interview one month later that it is unclear if he will ever be able to wrestle again. Following his recovery, Big E mostly serves as a host, guest or panelist on various WWE shows. In August 2023, he revealed that he had been advised by doctors never to wrestle again despite having no nerve damage or strength issues. He said, "They said like, 'Hey, I would not wrestle again if I were you.' So, for me, at 37, these are things that I think about. ... I started this job at 23 years old, and probably had a bit of a death wish and was okay dying in the ring ... I now, at 37, would like to not die in the ring; I would like to do other things with my life." Two years after the incident, he revealed on X that his neck had healed fibrously but failed to build new bone structure and concluded that due to this, he was not medically cleared and unlikely to ever be cleared. On the December 2, 2024 episode of ''Raw'' during the 10-year anniversary celebration of the formation of The New Day, Big E made an in-ring reunion with Kingston and Woods for the first time since his injury. Due to the dissension between the two throughout the year, Big E announced that he will return to manage them. However, the duo lashed out at Big E for supposedly "abandoning" them after his injury and kicked him out of the stable, turning Woods and Kingston heel for the first time since 2016.


Professional wrestling style

Ewen's finisher move is the ''Big Ending'', which he described as a RKO to the body. The move was suggested by Curt Hawkins in 2009.


Personal life

On May 5, 2025, Ewen announced his engagement to Kris Yim, the sister of fellow professional wrestler
Mia Yim Stephanie Hym Lee (née Bell; born April 16, 1989), better known by the ring name Mia Yim, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Michin ( , ). Bell is also kno ...
.


Filmography


Television


Film


Video games


Championships and accomplishments

*
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...
**
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The c ...
( 1 time) – with Calvin Raines * ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' ** Tag Team of the Year (2015, 2016) ** Ranked No. 9 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''
PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' in 2022 ** Ranked No. 8 of the top 50 tag teams in the '' PWI Tag Team 50'' in 2020 * ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' ** Ranked No. 6 of the top 10 wrestlers in 2021 * ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
'' ** Best Gimmick (2015) ** Shad Gaspard/Jon Huber Memorial Award (2020) *
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
**
WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...
( 1 time) **
NXT Championship The NXT Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended as the top men's championship of NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, de ...
( 1 time) **
WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, alo ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...
) ** WWE (Raw) Tag Team Championship (
2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...
) – with
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
and
Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is part of The New Day and is one-half of the current World ...
**
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's ...
( 6 times) – with
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
and
Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is part of The New Day and is one-half of the current World ...
** WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament (2018) ** Men's Money in the Bank (
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
) ** 33rd Triple Crown Champion **
WWE Year-End Award The WWE Year-End Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers at the end of the year who have performed on Raw and SmackDown. Introduced in 2018, there have been two ...
(1 time) ***
WWE Year-End Award The WWE Year-End Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers at the end of the year who have performed on Raw and SmackDown. Introduced in 2018, there have been two ...
for Men's Tag Team of the Year (
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
) – with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods **
Slammy Award The Slammy Awards, also known as the Slammys, is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced i ...
( 1 time) *** Ring Gear of the Year (
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
) – with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:E, Big 1986 births 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers African-American professional wrestlers American football defensive linemen American male professional wrestlers American male sport wrestlers American people of Montserratian descent American powerlifters Iowa Hawkeyes football players Living people NXT Champions Players of American football from Florida Professional wrestlers from Tampa, Florida University of Iowa alumni WWE Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American sportspeople of Jamaican descent FCW Florida Tag Team Champions Money in the Bank winners WWE Tag Team Champions World Tag Team Champions (WWE)