Big E Praises Several WWE Stars, Reveals How The Rock Influenced The New Day

Big E was recently a guest on The Illuminerdi, where he spoke highly of NXT 2.0's Bron Breakker.

“There’s been a lot of talk for people who are plugged into NXT with Bron Breakker. Seeing him do the things he does. And what I love is he’s a guy of this era who’s only been training for about seven months. When he said he’s only been training for seven months, it kinda blew my mind. He’s been playing football. I think he dabbled in the NFL for a little bit. But I love that he feels like a part of this modern era but he reminds everyone so much of his dad (Rick Steiner) and uncle (Scott Steiner). And the singlet? Man! You get that Steiner Brother nostalgia! One of the greatest tag teams of all time.”

Big E also spoke about Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley.

“For so long it was the Four Horsewomen who really reigned atop the women’s division. But now, I feel like Bianca is…right there with all of those established stars.”

“Rhea Ripley is definitely already a star. Already a name. But I really think that she has another level that she’s on the cusp of really getting to. I think Rhea definitely has the talent. She has the look – like, everything. All the tools she needs to be on that very same level where you’re seeing her main event live events. You’re seeing her possibly main eventing pay-per-views too. So I feel like she really has that ability to push through and I think 2022 should be her year.”

Finally, Big E spoke about how The New Day was influenced by The Rock.

“I’m not gonna say we’re like The Rock or we’re chasing The Rock. But I will say…we really drew inspiration from the turnaround because in much the same way he comes out as this…white-meat babyface [in his debut match 25 years ago at Survivor Series] and people didn’t like it. They rejected him, and it reminds me too of us coming out, doing that happy-go-lucky, preacher-inspired, gospel-singing gimmick with The New Day in 2014 and it did not work. And people rejected it. And the beautiful thing is The Rock was so just undeniable that he found a way to push through that to become the absolute megastar and icon that he became and still is, and we were able to turn it around as well.”