Big E Reflects On Early WWE Main Roster Team With With AJ Lee & Dolph Ziggler

In the midst of his reign as NXT Champion, Big E made his presence known on WWE's main roster by attacking John Cena and aligning himself with AJ Lee on the December 17, 2012 edition of "WWE Raw." For several months, Big E then found himself pulling double duty, with his "Raw" and "WWE SmackDown" work positioning him alongside Lee and her on-screen boyfriend Dolph Ziggler.

Looking back on his early main roster days, Big E remains immensely grateful for his pairing with the dynamic duo, especially given their status as veterans in the pro wrestling space. "To be able to come up attacking John Cena to close the show and mind you, Dolph Ziggler is red hot at the time as a heel. He's one of those guys that people have just been clamoring for to get more opportunities. AJ, also red-hot, beloved, probably the most popular woman in WWE at the time. I'm not sure it was even that close. So to come up that way, what an honor," Big E said on "Notsam Wrestling."

"The great thing too was for me, although in many ways I felt like I was ready, it's like once you get to the main roster and you're in the ring with those guys, you realize, oh no, I'm not as ready as I thought, especially because most of that NXT five-count run was squash matches."

During their run a trio, Ziggler briefly reigned as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Meanwhile, Lee wreaked havoc on the WWE women's division and Ziggler's opponents. Big E served as the couple's enforcer while also teaming with Ziggler in the ring on occasion.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Notsam Wrestling" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.