Quotes from Big E

I really do believe that representation matters in'media. When you see people that look like you, especially as a kid, you can think, 'Oh, that's something I can do because there are people that look like me that have done it in the past.'

I was able to accomplish a lot as a tag team wrestler in one of the greatest factions of all time - The New Day - but I also want to see how much I can do as a singles competitor.

When I look around, I see so many incredible Black performers, inside and outside of our company. It feels like a really great time for Black wrestlers, and there are so many Black wrestling fans that I feel are starting to see themselves on screen.

I'm glad we're getting to this point where representation in WWE is becoming - especially among Black wrestlers, male or female - is becoming more common. And I hope that other Black men and women, boys and girls are inspired by them.

I know the first seven years of my career I thought I had to be this big tough guy. But in a world where you have guys taller and bigger, that role was already filled.

There are parts of me where during my initial ascent to the main roster, I thought I was ready. Not that I wasn't ready for the main roster, but maybe at times I wasn't as ready as I thought.

My trainers, from Dr. Tom Prichard to Norman Smiley to Joey Mercury, these are people that helped me along the way, not just to become good enough to be on WWE TV, but they also gave me the tools to help differentiate myself.

I've taken a lot of pride in that, and not feeling any pressure to yield or to bend to what someone else's imagination of who I should be is. I'm grateful for that, and I still want to continue to do that. It can sound cliche, 'be true to yourself,' but that does mean something.

That's the essence of pro wrestling to me, is the traveling, the road, going from Kalamazoo to the next random town.

I preach the gospel of meditation now to anyone who'll listen. It has helped me appreciate the small things. It helps me be present and stay grounded every day.

I never want to be the most experienced or the smartest person in the room.

And as much as I do believe in paying homage to those who have gone, let's give people their love while they're still here and they can smell those flowers.

One of the things that resonated with me is that 'Schoolhouse Rock' started in the 1970s, but there are so many people, regardless of age, who can still recite the jingles and know things about bills and laws because of that show.

I played youth football through the fifth grade and really enjoyed it, but Tampa Prep doesn't have a football program. Wrestling was the only hard physical contact sport there, so I tried it.

Titus O'Neil can mess you up! You gotta protect yourself with Titus!

It was my time with The New Day that allowed me to be free and to be uninhibited. I just learned to trust myself, trust my instincts, and be unafraid.

I tore both of my ACLs. I broke my right patella. I tore my left pec, all within about a 2 1/2-year span.

Anyone can look to someone like Ruby Bridges and be inspired. We wanted to emphasize that this really is all of our history and that Black history shouldn't just be segmented into one month and we just move on. This is a huge part of the fabric of our country.

After George Floyd's murder, we had a conversation on our podcast where the underlying message was about being empathetic. We wanted people just to truly listen. We're not here to point fingers or label people as racists. I'm here to tell you our experiences and how we feel.

You know you're the guy when you're working on top and closing the show. That's the spot, and you've got to put work in to get there. That's the spot I want.

I have a bit of a platform, I have a modicum of celebrity or fame, whatever you want to call it. I'm on TV. One of the things that I have really enjoyed with the New Day and with WWE is the ability to express myself and our interests as a group through our wrestling gear.

Even if you have a problem with me log-rolling down to the ring, I'm going to stay true to myself. I'd rather do it my way than follow someone else's blueprint.

For me at least, there's a need for normalcy when I get home. I've always been a homebody. When I get home, it's just a matter of doing the chores that I need to do to get back on the road and then just plopping down in front of some Netflix or college football. I love college football.

I will say - and not to sound arrogant - people would have been upset if I failed my cash-in. Yeah, it would not have been a good move. I didn't really think that was going to happen, but you never know. It's always a possibility.