Big E on Money in the Bank, New Day as greatest tag team | 'Out of Character'

By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst

The newest episode of "Out of Character" is big.

WWE Superstar Big E joined the podcast this week for a nearly hour-long conversation covering his recent Intercontinental Title run, Apollo Crews, meditation and New Day being named by WWE as the greatest tag team of all time.

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WWE made this honor official for New Day during a recent special listing their "50 Greatest Tag Teams of All Time."

As you'd expect, this sparked a debate among fans as to whether E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods deserved the number one spot ahead of teams such as The Legion of Doom, The Hart Foundation, Edge & Christian, DX and The Hardy Boyz, to name just a few.

Being a wrestling fan himself, though, "The Powerhouse of Positivity" had no issue with everyone having an opinion on the matter. In fact, he too would’ve placed a different team at the top.

BIG E: "I know people will have their differing opinions, and rightfully so, about who the greatest tag team of all time is and the fact that someone officially said, ‘Hey, let’s put New Day at number one.’

"Of course, I have nothing to do with the process, I don’t know how it works. I would even argue that if it was up to me, I wouldn’t put us at one, but I’m also loathe to compliment myself in that regard. So I don’t know.

"I’m really proud of our achievements. I’m proud of what we’ve done. Just the fact that we were three guys who were just trying to get booked on TV, that’s all it was. We were just trying to get regularly booked and used because we were all floundering in our careers.

"I think if you look at The Shield, it’s weird for me to even compare us to The Shield – because I feel like The Shield were always meant to be the guys they became.

"Like, you saw those three together and, sure, if you hadn’t watched NXT or FCW or much of the indies, maybe you didn’t know who they were when they first were on-screen in 2012, but they were clearly positioned.

"They were a super-group, and we weren’t (in my opinion).

"We were just three guys hoping to get together as a faction."

When asked later in the conversation which team he would’ve placed at the top, E hesitantly answered The Road Warriors aka LOD, but said any of the top teams could’ve taken the honor from them. Check out his response in this video:

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Looking ahead to the future, the former Intercontinental champion is preparing to take part in his first Money in the Bank ladder match on Sunday, and making the event even more special is the fact that fans will be there in person.

In case you forgot, WWE resumes touring in front of people again this week – starting in Texas with Friday Night SmackDown at the Houston Toyota Center and continuing on Sunday at the Dickies Arena in Forth Worth for Money in the Bank.

At the same event, Kofi Kingston is set to challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, meaning it could turn out to be a momentous night for New Day. Big E addressed his thoughts and feelings on all these particular topics at once.

RS: Since your singles run has happened during the pandemic, it should be interesting to hear how fans react to you and what you’ve been doing this whole time now that they’ll be back.

BIG E: "It’s a little unsettling, because what if you’re not as over as you think you are? There’s a good chance that you go out there thinking, ‘Ah, I’m the man,’ and it’s crickets. That could be me!

"So, there’s a part of me–not that I’m worried about it, but it’ll be interesting, because I think there are people who believe they’re over and who won’t be.

"I think there are people who will be pleasant surprises as well, who we don’t really expect to get great reactions, but the fans have seen them putting the time in and have appreciated what they’ve done. 

"So I’m really intrigued to see what the reactions are for talent on a week-to-week basis, and they might not always be what you think they’d be."

RS: I’m looking forward to that, though. That unpredictability factor is something I’ve really missed from the audience.

Different towns reacting to different people, and all that comes along with having a live audience, so I can’t wait to see the changes that come to television because of it.

BIG E: "I was telling Kofi and Woods that as well. That is something that I’m looking forward to. And yeah, we’ll see how that is. 

"Because that barometer, to me, is really beautiful. It changes plans. It buoys certain guys. Kofi-Mania doesn’t have the same feel, it doesn’t have the same momentum at all, it’s not even close, if it wasn’t for fans.

"In fact, if all that stuff happened during the pandemic era, there’s a good chance we never get that Kofi World title run. There’s a good chance that people like [Daniel] Bryan – imagine Bryan’s run without a crowd.

"That probably doesn’t happen either.

"There are so many of these really organic, really beautiful moments. To me, the most beautiful moments in wrestling are those stories of the guys who are probably going to be passed over – at least the ones I think of in the last 5 to 10 years – the Kofis and the Bryans and guys who are buoyed by that fan reaction.

"Because I love that the fans can really dictate the show, in the sense that they can completely derail plans.

"When the reaction for Kofi was the way it was a couple of years ago, you just can’t go along the course that you had plotted and just shrug your shoulders and think, ‘All right, this is what we planned on doing, so we’re going to do it anyways.’

"That’s what I really love about that barometer.

"The fans are the best barometer and, in many ways, they saved us. Because if you think back to 2014, we were on a course to be these happy go lucky good guys and people rejected it and they were very vocal about that.

"If it wasn’t for that, we probably would’ve been doing that preacher gimmick for a few months, we probably would’ve broken up and who knows if I still even have a job. If Woods is around… We always joke that Kofi would’ve been fine. 

"But, yeah, that barometer. Nothing like it."

RS: Well is it going to be weird then, in talking about Kofi-Mania, for you to see Kofi challenging for the WWE Championship on Sunday at Money in the Bank knowing you won’t be ringside for the match like you have in the past?

BIG E: "The thing is, you never know. I’ll be at the show, so there’s a chance I could be. I didn’t think I was gonna be out there for WrestleMania for Kofi and Woods’ match briefly at the beginning.

"You never know, but assuming I won’t be there, I don’t think it’ll be weird. I feel like I’m there in spirit, even though it is a little bit odd to watch Mondays and see those guys doing their thing without me. But it’s deserved, man.

"Kofi is a guy who has been around so long, but has never really just rested on his laurels. He deserves that opportunity.

"Another guy that I want to beat the drum for is my man, Woods. He’s a guy who has been extremely entertaining. He’s done a ton with UpUpDownDown and G4, and I think has really kind of paved the way, in certain ways. It’s inspiring to see so much talent who are inspired by him and his work ethic and his hustle.

"But he’s not just all those things, he’s a great wrestler as well seeing the match he had about a month or so ago with Riddle and tearing it up.

"So he’s a guy I want to be seen given more opportunities. Be given that singles run and not just be a foil when Kofi has a singles push."

RS: It was great to see him in a Hell in a Cell match the other night. That was awesome. He killed it.

BIG E: "Yeah, man! And that was something they didn’t really know was going to happen until, I think, the day of.

"So, for him to pull something like that together and have ideas– he’s always been a guy who had a ton of ideas and he’s so enthusiastic and passionate about wrestling, and about what we do. I’m just glad he’s being given more of those opportunities, but he deserves much more, honestly."

RS: You have a big match on Sunday, too. You’ll be in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match for the first time. Which of the competitors who qualified so far do you think pose the biggest threat to you getting the briefcase?

BIG E: "If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say it’s probably Drew [McIntyre] right now. I think Drew, obviously, having had the run that he’s had during the pandemic.

"It’s a shame. He’s a guy who has really been humping during the pandemic and he has hadn’t the crowd there.

"I really expected at WrestleMania that that would be Drew’s moment in front of the people, but he succumbed to ‘The All Mighty' Bobby Lashley. So I would say Drew. Drew’s been cookin’ lately, but I’m not worried.

"Like you said, this is my first Money in the Bank, but I’ve had tag team ladder matches. I’ve done this before. I’m not worried about anyone. But it’s cool to look around and see a great crop of talent. There’s a lot of talented dudes in this match who have qualified.

"Even a guy like Ricochet, man. I think the really cool thing with Money in the Bank is you can have no steam, all year long, you qualify for that match, you have that briefcase, and you’re in prime position.

"So, I think there's a lot of guys who you might not think as World Champions right now, but all it takes is one great night. That’s all it really takes."

RS: Would getting that briefcase be the momentum that you think you need right now to kinda get going again on SmackDown?

BIG E: "Yeah, for sure. I think, obviously, I felt like I was really in a good position through WrestleMania. Then after WrestleMania, for me, things have definitely slowed down.

"I definitely have some momentum to regain and that’s my hope at Money in the Bank. All is forgiven when you have that briefcase. Everything else is forgotten about the last couple of months. So, that changes things."

Watch Big E compete this Friday night on SmackDown in a Fatal 4-Way match against Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and King Nakamura.

Money in the Bank takes place LIVE this Sunday on Peacock and WWE Network.

Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.