Big E Talks Kofi Kingston's Reaction To WWE Giving Him A Push
WWE SmackDown Superstar Big E recently spoke with Joe Brophy of The Sun and said he was not interested in a WWE Title shot back when Kofi Kingston was the champion. Big E, who is now on a singles push, talked about how The New Day has always stuck together.
"When we started this trio six years ago we had so many naysayers," he said. "We had so many people who didn't believe in us. Woods and I were definitely floundering in our careers, Kofi – he had done a lot but he was also floundering as well. And the reason we've gotten this far is because we dealt with all the nonsense and the outside noise and the people who laughed at us.
"We did it together. So for me to even have the audacity to say, 'Hey Kofi I know this is your moment, but let me make it about me', didn't even cross my mind. He worked for it and he sacrificed for me."
It was recently revealed in another interview that The New Day had a rotation policy before Kofi and Xavier Woods were put on the shelf with injuries. The policy was for TV and live events, to keep the match-ups fresh and to give each other a chance to shine. He talked again about how he and Kofi were to face The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at Hell In a Cell 2017, but Kofi let Wood take his spot so he could have a chance on a bigger stage – the Cell.
"I remember the Hell in a Cell match we had with The Usos. To me, maybe our best match, as a trio ever, or as a faction. The best New Day match ever," Big E recalled. "Kofi, we had a rotation and it was Kofi's turn to be in the match but he selflessly said: 'Hey Woods I know this is important to you. You're going to be in the match.'
He's done that so many times where he could have had an opportunity to shine big, and he decided to step away and not begrudgingly."
Big E also revealed what Kofi said to him when WWE decided on the current singles push. He reiterated why he would have never asked Kofi for a WWE Title shot.
"When I first found out that this was the route we're gonna go, he [Kofi] pulled me aside and he legitimately had a smile on his face and said, 'I'm so happy for you man this is your time.'
"He's one of the most selfless people I've ever met in this industry, one of the most likeable people, and I couldn't even fathom making that moment about me. If that opportunity came up and it made sense, that's a different consideration but at no point was I going to insert myself into this Kofi-Mania run.
"It never crossed my mind and never would because I really feel like what we bring to the table as far as a real-life bond is very different from any other faction that I can think of or that I've heard of. We genuinely ride for each other, When the time is needed for one of us to take a step back for the others to shine, we do what's best for the group, and that's been the key to our success."
Big E also revealed which piece of The New Day merchandise did he think was the dumbest – the Unicorn Horns. The New Day has had some of the wackiest WWE merchandise over the past few years but at the same time they have often been the top sellers. Big E talked about the Unicorn Horns that seemed to be a hit with fans.
"The Unicorn Horns! Merch came up to us around Halloween and I don't know why we wore them," he said. "They just made the horn with the headband for Kofi and I. I think Woods was out at the time, this was years ago. I thought, 'Alright, this is real stupid.' But I'll just do it, I guess.
"So we did that and then they said, 'People seem to like them, that one time, so we can make unicorn horns that light up, and there's a button in the headband.' I didn't say this to anyone but I thought this is the dumbest thing. But we've done a lot of dumb things so let's just do it.
"But the amount of popularity of those stupid unicorn horns, the amount of times that a fellow wrestler brought their kids backstage and the only thing they wanted was a light-up unicorn horn. Seeing them all across the arenas, I realized I had to take a step back and realize that this is dumb but people like it so it's cool."