WWE's Big E Talks 'Special Bond' With Former New Day Members Kofi & Austin Creed

The New Day were a fan-favorite stable for years in WWE, and while fans enjoyed watching them onscreen, the three men were also good friends behind the scenes. Now that Austin Creed and Kofi are no longer in WWE, it seems like the friendship hasn't waned even though the two men are competing in AEW while Big E remains contracted to WWE as an occasional broadcaster.

Big E recently opened up about his friendship with Creed and Kofi during an appearance on the "HaangEmHiigh" podcast. "Those two were my groomsmen, just a couple weeks ago. Those guys are family," he stated. Big E then explained that he has no blood-related brothers, so Creed and Kofi were two of the men to fill that gap with him. 

Prior to their onscreen debut as The New Day, the trio first became close working live events together in WWE. "We just built such a special bond, and man, I don't think people truly understand how much time and — the schedule's definitely changed, but at that time, we spent so much time around each other," he recalled. "We pretty much spent every waking moment that we were on the road [together], five days a week."

Their interactions didn't end once they went home, as they'd all consistently communicate over the phone. "One of the greatest honors of my career and my life was getting to be next to two guys, to two men, that I have so much respect for."

Austin Creed has also made a name for himself in the video game community, often bringing talent from opposing promotions together. According to Big E, this was something that he also did within the locker room. "There are so many people who got to have incredible experiences, who got to make thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, playing video games, having fun!" he said. "He brought such a spirit to the locker room."

Big E also had positive things to say about Kofi, highlighting his character as a human being. "If you meet anyone who ever has a cross word to say about Kofi in this industry, besides him being a sore loser when it comes to video games!" he laughingly recalled. "Beyond that? One of the best human beings you will ever meet is Kofi."

The last segment Big E had with The New Day saw Creed and Kofi turn on him and kick him out of the group. "As much as it hurt people to see us break up, I think just getting to do something that just hit people in the chest? I had so many grown men come up to me and say, 'Look, I know it's pro wrestling, but you broke my heart; y'all broke my heart!" he recalled.

"Our bond is truly — it runs so deep and it has so many levels to it because I think the world of those two, not only as pro wrestlers, as I said, but also as human beings," he also expressed.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "HaaangEmHiigh," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.