After 12 years in WWE, Big E reached the top of the mountain on WWE Raw, defeating Bobby Lashley to become the WWE Champion.
Big E cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase following Lashley's successful title defense against Orton on Raw and finished off "The All Mighty" with the Big Ending.
Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Big E reflected on the moment.
“It was a spiritual experience,” he said of the crowd reaction. “I connected with this massive group of people that all wanted the same thing. To have that support and the people behind me, it’s a moment I’ll never forget. At first, I couldn’t find the hard camera. I lost where I was in space when Bobby grabbed me for the Dominator. This is the single biggest night of my career, so I wanted to get that moment right. Then, as I was going for the Big Ending, I had a very big man in my hands so I was only focused on the task at hand. After that, all I could hear was that reaction from the crowd.
Following Big E's victory, he was joined by Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in the ring embarking on a New Day celebration. Though New Day was split in the 2020 WWE Draft, the group never wavered in their support of each other.
“It still would have been meaningful if I had won the title on SmackDown, but to me, this was the way to do it,” he said. “They had to be here. I don’t get here without them. With us, it’s a brotherhood. We hurt together, we smile together, this is real. All the toughest times have brought us closer together. I’m grateful for all the valleys and lows with them, because we got to experience all of this together. I’m so grateful for everything I have done in WWE, because I had the time to grow. I needed those years of seasoning. I think back to all the times I was so scared to do the right thing, but now it is so comfortable, and so much of that is because of Woods and Kofi. I had no business even getting to WWE, but I’ve been blessed along the way to get to this point, and I’m so thankful.”
Big E also thanked Michael Tarver, who helped him in FCW and Curt Hawkins, who gave him the Big Ending finisher.
The new WWE Champion concluded by saying, "This is only the beginning. I’m still going to be myself. I’m still going to be fun. I’m going to put my own spin on this run, and I’m here with purpose and drive. I can’t wait to show everyone what I’ve got.”
The wrestling world came together to celebrate Big E's title victory with wrestlers from every company congratulating him. You can find their reaction by clicking here.
If you missed anything from WWE Raw, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here.
