Big E Talks Importance Of Black Representation In WWE
In a new interview with SportsNet, WWE Champion Big E went into detail about his experience so far at the top of the red brand, WWE RAW. "The New Day" member explained how with his new role in the company, he has been receiving more opportunities outside of pro wrestling.
"I'm an established talent. I've been around, so I'm not new. I didn't think there would be a vast difference but there really is," E said. "I mean, just as far as the amount of people reaching out, the amount of opportunities. I don't know if I would have had the opportunity to be a part of Fury–Wilder, a small part but a really cool part. Also, to go back to Iowa City for one of the biggest home wins in Iowa football history. These are perks that you get with the title and that's pretty cool.
"Yeah, things have really, really picked up for me. But man, I feel so fortunate to be able to do all these things, especially things that I love. College football was my first love as a kid, and getting back to my alma mater (with) the same head coach that I played for 17 years ago is really, really cool. Things have been busy, but things have been very, very good."
Although there have been black WWE and world champions in the past, WWE has seen a recent influx in the past 5 years of their top champions being people of color. This includes former WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley, former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion, Bianca Belair, and of course, Big E, himself. E believes that shifting the success for all people, regardless of race, creed, or beliefs is making a big impact on the WWE audience.
"I think it's really cool. When you look around at the landscape of our industry, in WWE and outside of WWE, it just feels like a really good time to be a black professional wrestler, whether you're a man or a woman. I look around and I see so many stars. And what I love, too, is when I look at our roster, I don't see a bunch of people who were given these opportunities and these positions merely because of the color of their skin, as some kind of a quota system," E explained. "You look at a Bianca, you look at a Sasha (Banks) and they're undeniable to me. They are clearly unique. Same thing with Kofi (Kingston) and (Xavier) Woods, and Bobby Lashley, and you can go on and on. There are just so many really, really talented black wrestlers.
"I love seeing what Hit Row's been doing, too. I love seeing them move to SmackDown, it's exciting. It's just a great time for us. I was a young black kid who was a professional wrestling fan, and some of my favorites were Goldberg and Scott Steiner, but I also loved Ron Simmons as well. I think when you can see people who look like you or resemble you as a young fan, it makes you think, 'Oh yeah, this industry speaks to me. It's not ignoring my fandom.' If this is something that you might want to do one day, it makes it seem more plausible that, 'Yeah, this is something I can do because look at all look at all the other people who look like me who've done this before.'
"So I think it's a beautiful thing and I hope that our company continues to reflect the world around us as far as our roster resembling the world we live in, and I think that's the goal," E said. "With black talent, with Hispanic talent, with the amount of Japanese talent; I hope we continue to move in this direction and let people be themselves, let people be unique. I'm proud to be one of many talented black wrestlers in WWE and around the world."