This is an accepted version of this page
 Big E in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ettore Ewen (1986-03-01)March 1, 1986 (age 39) |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Big E[1] Big E Langston[2][3] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[4] |
| Billed weight | 285 lb (129 kg)[4] |
| Billed from | Tampa, Florida[4] |
| Trained by | Florida Championship Wrestling[2] NXT[2] |
| Debut | December 17, 2009[2] |
| Retired | October 9, 2025 |
Ettore Ewen (born March 1, 1986) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler andpowerlifter. He is signed toWWE, where he performs under thering nameBig E. Since 2022, he appears in non-wrestling capacities after suffering acervical fracture.
Ewen was acollegiate football player at theUniversity of Iowa and later became a powerlifter and aUSA Powerlifting champion. He also won a state championship inhigh-school wrestling. Upon signing with WWE in 2009, Ewen was assigned to itsdevelopmental brandFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) under the ring name Big E Langston. After FCW was rebranded toNXT, he became the secondNXT Champion. He was promoted to WWE's main roster in December 2012, and found his greatest success as a part ofThe New Day withKofi Kingston andXavier Woods, with whom he has become atwo-timeRaw Tag Team Champion and a six-timeSmackDown Tag Team Champion. As a part of The New Day, he holds the tandem record for the longest Raw Tag Team Championship reign at 483 days.
In 2020, Ewen resumed his singles career and was eventually separated from his New Day teammates in the2020 WWE Draft. He won the men'sMoney in the Bank ladder match in 2021, before successfully cashing it in later that year to win theWWE Championshiponce, becoming the 33rdTriple Crown Champion in the company's history. Additionally, he is atwo-timeIntercontinental Champion.
Ettore Ewen[2] was born inTampa, Florida,[5] on March 1, 1986,[2][5] the son of Margaret and Ettore Ewen. He is ofJamaican andMontserratian descent.[6] Ewen attended middle school starting in 7th grade and High School atTampa Preparatory School in Tampa, where he won a number of athletic honors, including a state championship in wrestling.[7] After his junior year of high school he transferred to Wharton High School in order to play football and was namedHillsborough County's "Ironman of the Year".[8][5] Upon graduating, Ewen attended theUniversity of Iowa, where he playedAmerican football as adefensive lineman for theIowa Hawkeyes. Heredshirted in 2004 and missed the 2005 season due to an injury sustained in preseason camp, playing a single season as asophomore in 2006.[5] He graduated with aBachelor of Arts degree.[2] After college, Ewen turned his attention to the sport ofpowerlifting.
| Competition record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Powerlifting | ||
Representing United States | ||
| USAPL U.S. Open Powerlifting Championships[9] | ||
| 1st | 2010 | 125kg |
| USAPL RAW National Powerlifting Championships[10] | ||
| 1st | 2011 | +125kg |
Ewen competed in his firstUSA Powerlifting (USAPL) meet on July 11 at the 2010 United States Open Championships atNova Southeastern University inDavie, Florida. He became the top heavyweight lifter, breaking all four Florida state raw powerlifting records in the 275-pound class[11] and besting raw national records in thedeadlift and total. His lifts included a 611-poundsquat, a 490-poundbench press, and a 749-pound deadlift for a 1,850 pound raw total. Ewen also won the 2011 USAPL Raw Nationals inScranton, Pennsylvania. This time, he competed in the super heavyweight division (275+lbs) and broke the raw American and national records in the deadlift (799 lbs) and total (2,039 lbs).[10][11] All of his national and American raw records have since been broken.[11][12][13]
After injuries ended Ewen's dreams of being a professional footballer, he was introduced to professional wrestling by someone who knewJim Ross. At the suggestion of said person, Ewen was given a tryout inFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW), adevelopmental territory ofWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He became convinced that he could be good at it and do wrestling for a living, and WWE signed a developmental contract with him in 2009.[14][15]According to Ewen, although he had been a wrestling fan as a child, he had "never thought this [was] something you could do for a living, and I would never have. ... Thankfully I was in the right place and the right time, and it's something that I have developed a passion for."[14]
Ewen was assigned to FCW, where he debuted on December 17, 2009, under thering nameBig E Langston.[15] On May 12, 2011, Langston and Calvin Raines defeatedRichie Steamboat andSeth Rollins to win theFCW Florida Tag Team Championship, but they lost the championship toCJ Parker andDonny Marlow on July 21, 2011.[16] During theWrestleMania Axxess event in April 2012, Langston defeatedAntonio Cesaro.[15]
When WWErebranded FCW intoNXT,[17] Langston made hisNXT debut on August 1, 2012, defeating Adam Mercer.[18] This marked the start of awinning streak for Langston, who from September started repeatedly performing hisfinisher on his opponents and demanding that referees count to five (rather than the usual three) before awarding himpinfalls.[19][20] After Langston rejectedVickie Guerrero'smanagerial services,[21] Guerrero promised a $5,000bounty to anyone who could put Langston "on the shelf"; but attempts to claim the bounty by Chad Baxter andCamacho were firmlysquashed by Langston.[22][23] The bounty was ultimately declared void by NXT CommissionerDusty Rhodes.[24] Langston then began to feud withThe Shield, and on the January 9, 2013 episode ofNXT,[25] Langston defeated The Shield member Seth Rollins in aNo Disqualification match to win the NXT Championship.[26] After successful title defenses againstConor O'Brian,Corey Graves,Brad Maddox, andDamien Sandow,[27][28][29] Langston eventually lost the NXT Championship toBo Dallas on the June 12 episode ofNXT, ending his title reign at 168 days, although WWE recognizes his reign at 153 days due to the episode airing ontape delay.[30]
On the December 17, 2012 episode ofRaw, Langston made his main roster debut by attackingJohn Cena and aligning withAJ Lee, thus establishing himself as aheel.[31] Langston went on to act as anenforcer for AJ's boyfriend,Dolph Ziggler.[32][33] On April 7, 2013, atWrestleMania 29, Langston and Ziggler unsuccessfully challengedTeam Hell No (Daniel Bryan andKane) for theWWE Tag Team Championship.[34] Langston wrestled his first singles match onRaw the following night, defeating Daniel Bryan.[35] After Ziggler suffered aconcussion in May, Langston competed in a best-of-five series against Ziggler's opponent for theWorld Heavyweight Championship,Alberto Del Rio, which Del Rio won 3–2.[36] On the June 10 episode ofRaw, Langston was revealed as thesecret admirer ofDivas ChampionKaitlyn; this in turn was revealed to be a ploy by AJ Lee, the number one contender to Kaitlyn's title, to humiliate Kaitlyn.[37] Langston and AJ continued to mock Kaitlyn over the following weeks, with AJ ultimately winning the title atPayback on June 16.[38]
On the July 15 episode ofRaw, Ziggler ended his relationship with AJ, which led to Langston attacking him later in the evening.[39] On the July 29 episode ofRaw, Langston lost to Ziggler bydisqualification after AJ interfered and attacked Ziggler.[40] In a rematch on the following week'sRaw, Langston defeated Ziggler following a distraction by AJ.[41] On August 18 atSummerSlam, Langston and AJ were defeated by Ziggler and Kaitlyn in amixed tag team match, effectively ending their feud.[42]
On the October 18 episode ofSmackDown, Langston faced off againstCM Punk in a match, where he lost. Afterwards,Paul Heyman came down to the ring and began downplaying Punk's victory over Langston by calling Langston a "marginal at best rookie", and then sentCurtis Axel andRyback to the ring to attack Punk. Langston, having taken offense towards Heyman's words then aided Punk in fending off Axel and Ryback, turningface in the process.[43] Three days later, on the October 21 episode ofRaw, Langston teamed up with Punk to defeat Axel and Ryback, with Langston pinning Axel.[44] He was set to receive anIntercontinental Championship match against Axel atHell in a Cell on October 27, but Axel was pulled from the match shortly before the pay-per-view due to alegitimate hip injury.[45] Langston instead challenged for theUnited States Championship againstDean Ambrose, winning bycountout.[46] The following night onRaw, he was granted a rematch for the title, winning the match by disqualification afterRoman Reigns and Seth Rollins interfered.[47]
On the November 18 episode ofRaw, Langston received his postponed championship match with Axel and won the Intercontinental Championship, his first singles championship on the main roster.[48] AtSurvivor Series on November 24, Langston successfully retained his title against Axel.[49] Langston then successfully retained his championship against Damien Sandow on December 15 atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.[50] On January 26, 2014, at theRoyal Rumble, Langston participated in theRoyal Rumble match, but was eliminated bySheamus.[51] AtElimination Chamber on February 23, with his ring name now shortened to Big E, he successfully defended the title againstJack Swagger.[52] AtWrestleMania XXX on April 6, Big E competed in theAndre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which was won by Cesaro.[53] On May 4, atExtreme Rules, Big E lost the title toBad News Barrett, and failed to regain it the following night onRaw, ending his reign at 167 days.[54] Big E later became involved in a feud withRusev, which led to consecutive bouts atPayback on June 1 andMoney in the Bank on June 29, both of which Big E lost.[55][56] AtBattleground on July 20, Big E competed in a battle royal for the Intercontinental Championship, which was won byThe Miz.[57]
During the summer of 2014, Big E was put in a team withKofi Kingston, and on the July 21 episode ofRaw, they lost a tag team match againstRyback andCurtis Axel (known as RybAxel) in what had been a recent losing streak.Xavier Woods then came down to the ring to address them by stating that they could not "move ahead by kissing babies, shaking hands, and singing and dancing like a puppet", and that now is "their time to shine", and that they "do not ask any longer", but "take", and offered to form astable. The duo accepted Woods' offer,[58] and on the next day'sMain Event, Woods managed Big E and Kingston to a decisive victory overHeath Slater andTitus O'Neil (Slater-Gator).[59] The trio then temporarily separated as on the August 8 episode ofSmackDown, both Big E and Kingston reverted to wrestling singles matches with no sign or mention of the other two members of the group.[60] Despite being separated on WWE television, Big E, Kingston and Woods continued their alliance athouse shows.[61][62]
In November, WWE began airing vignettes for Big E, Kingston and Woods, with the stable now being billed as The New Day, and presented as overly-positive-minded babyface characters.[63] The New Day made their in-ring debut on the November 28 episode ofSmackDown in a winning effort against Curtis Axel,Heath Slater andTitus O'Neil.[64] They started a brief feud withGold and Stardust, which Big E and Kingston defeated Gold and Stardust at theTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14.[65] On January 25, 2015, at theRoyal Rumble, The New Day lost toTyson Kidd and Cesaro, ending their winning streak.[66] Later that night, Big E participated in the Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by Rusev.[67][68] AtWrestleMania 31 on March 29, they failed to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in afatal four-way match, as well as being eliminated byBig Show in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.[69]
On the April 6 episode ofRaw, The New Day turned heel, after fans responded negatively to the group.[70] AtExtreme Rules on April 26, Big E and Kingston defeatedTyson Kidd and Cesaro to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.[71] On May 17, atPayback, The New Day defeated Kidd and Cesaro to retain their titles.[72] AtElimination Chamber on May 31, The New Day retained the titles in the first ever tag teamElimination Chamber match, and all three members were allowed to compete in a pre-match stipulation.[73] On June 14, they lost the titles atMoney in the Bank againstThe Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil),[74] but they would regain the titles atSummerSlam on August 23.[75] The following night onRaw, they started a feud withThe Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley), setting up a title match atNight of Champions on September 20, where they lost by disqualification.[76] AtHell in a Cell on October 25, they defeated The Dudley Boyz to retain their titles, ending their feud.[77] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, The New Day retained the title againstThe Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) andThe Lucha Dragons (Kalisto andSin Cara) in atriple threattag teamladder match.[78] On January 24, 2016, at theRoyal Rumble, they retained the title against The Usos.[79]
AtFastlane on February 21, The New Day turned face by mockingThe League of Nations (Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, and King Barrett), starting a feud.[80] They retained their titles atRoadblock on March 12 against The League of Nations.[81] On April 3, atWrestleMania 32, The New Day were defeated by The League of Nations in a six-man tag team match.[82] The following night onRaw, they successfully retained their title against The League of Nations, ending their feud.[83] After WrestleMania, they retained their title atExtreme Rules on May 22 againstThe Vaudevillains (Aiden English andSimon Gotch),[84] and atMoney in the Bank on June 19 against The Vaudevillains,Enzo Amore and Big Cass, andLuke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a fatal-four-way match.[85]
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On July 19 at the2016 WWE draft, Big E, along with his fellow New Day teammates, was drafted to theRawbrand. Three days later, on July 22, The New Day became the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, breaking the record of 331 days previously set byPaul London and Brian Kendrick. After SmackDown established theWWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships due to the brand split, the titles held by the New Day were renamed the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships. On the August 1 episode ofRaw, Big E suffered a storyline contusion to the groin area after an attack by Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.[86] AtSummerSlam on August 21, Big E returned from injury by attacking Gallows and Anderson during their match against Kingston and Woods, resulting in Gallows and Anderson winning by disqualification. AtClash of Champions on September 25, The New Day retained the titles against Gallows and Anderson. On October 30, atHell in a Cell, The New Day lost to the team of Cesaro and Sheamus by disqualification but retained the titles. The next night onRaw, The New Day revealed that they were made captain of Team Raw for the10–on–10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination match atSurvivor Series on November 20, 2016, which Team Raw won after defeating Team SmackDown.[87] The New Day had two successful title defenses on the November 21 and 28 editions ofRaw against Cesaro and Sheamus and Gallows and Anderson, respectively. On the December 12 episode ofRaw, The New Day retained the titles in two triple threat tag team matches, first involving Gallows and Anderson and Cesaro and Sheamus and the second involvingChris Jericho andKevin Owens and the team ofRoman Reigns andSeth Rollins. AtRoadblock: End of the Line on December 18, The New Day lost the Raw Tag Team Championship toCesaroandSheamus, ending their record-breaking championship reign at 483 days. On January 29, all members were in theRoyal Rumble match but were eliminated by Sheamus and Cesaro. On February 20, 2017, they were announced as the hosts ofWrestleMania 33.
On April 11, 2017, Big E and The New Day were moved to theSmackDown brand as part of theSuperstar Shake-up.[88] AtBattleground on July 23, Kingston and Woods, representing The New Day, defeated The Usos to win theSmackDown Tag Team Championships for the first time. Though Big E did not wrestle himself, due to The New Day defending the titles under the Freebird Rule, Big E is also recognized as a champion. The New Day lost the tag titles back to The Usos atSummerSlam on August 20. The Usos held the titles for about a month before The New Day won them back onSmackDown Live that September. AtHell in a Cell on October 8, Big E and Woods took on The Usos in the namesake match but lost the championships. On the October 23 edition ofRaw, The New Day along with other talents ofSmackDown ambushed theRaw wrestlers. They again appeared on the November 6 episode ofRaw in the crowd, which led to the distraction ofSeth Rollins andDean Ambrose and costing them the tag titles. On the November 14 edition ofSmackDown,The Shield led an attack withRaw Superstars and invadedSmackDown similar to the one led by SmackDown and attacked everyone including New Day. AtSurvivor Series on November 19, The New Day lost to The Shield. The New Day failed to regain the titles from The Usos atClash of Champions on December 17 in a fatal four-way tag team match also involving the team ofRusev andAiden English, andChad Gable andShelton Benjamin. On January 28, Big E entered the2018 Royal Rumble match as the ninth entrant but failed to win the match after being eliminated byJinder Mahal.
AtFastlane on March 11, The New Day faced The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, but the match went to a no-contest after interference fromThe Bludgeon Brothers.[89] On April 8, atWrestleMania 34, The New Day faced the Usos and the Bludgeon Brothers in a triple threat tag team match for the titles, which were won by The Bludgeon Brothers. On July 15, The New Day were defeated bySAnitY in a six-man tables match at theExtreme Rules pre-show. The New Day then competed in a tag team title tournament, defeating SAnitY in the first round, whileCesaro and Sheamus defeated the Usos. The New Day then defeated Cesaro and Sheamus the following week onSmackDown to earn the right to face The Bludgeon Brothers atSummerSlam on August 19, where they won the match by disqualification, meaning the Bludgeon Brothers retained their titles. Two days later onSmackDown, however, The New Day defeated The Bludgeon Brothers in a No Disqualification match to capture the titles for the third time.[90] Big E and Woods then represented the New Day when they unsuccessfully defended their tag titles against The Bar onSmackDown 1000.[91]
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On January 27, Big E entered the 2019Royal Rumble, but was eliminated bySamoa Joe.[92] In the lead-up toWrestleMania 35, Big E's New Day teammate Kofi Kingston was attempting to earn a shot at theWWE Championship and after many attempts, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon granted him the title shot after Big E and Xavier Woods defeated Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev, The Bar, The Usos, and Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan in a tag team gauntlet match.[93] Shortly after WrestleMania, Big E suffered a legitimate knee injury which sidelined him for weeks.[94] He later returned and earned another SmackDown tag team title opportunity atExtreme Rules on July 14, where Big E and Xavier Woods defeated Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan, and Heavy Machinery to win the titles (during this reign, Kingston was not recognized as champion as he was the reigning WWE Champion).[95] On September 15, they lost the titles toThe Revival atClash of Champions,[96] but regained it on the November 8 episode ofSmackDown, becoming record five-time champions as a team, and a record fifth reign for Big E individually (Woods is not recognized for this reign due to an injury).[97] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, Big E and Kingston successfully defended the titles against The Revival in a ladder match.[98] On January 26, 2020, at theRoyal Rumble, Big E participated in the Royal Rumble match but was eliminated by Brock Lesnar.[99]
AtSuper ShowDown on February 27, Big E and Kingston lost the championships againstJohn Morrison and the Miz[100] and failed to regain the titles atElimination Chamber on March 8.[101] On the April 17 episode ofSmackDown, Big E, who represented The New Day, won the titles back from Miz, who represented himself and Morrison, in a triple threat match, also involving Jey Uso, who represented The Usos, making The New Day six-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions.[102] AtThe Horror Show at Extreme Rules on July 19, The New Day would lose the championships toCesaro andShinsuke Nakamura in a Tables match after Cesaro and Nakamura put Kingston through two tables.
On the July 24 episode ofSmackDown, Kingston revealed that he would be out of action for six weeks and gave Big E the blessing to go on a solo run.[103][104] Big E would then embark on his singles run as he entered a feud withSheamus, whom he defeated on August 30 atPayback[105][106] and on the October 9 episode ofSmackDown in aFalls Count Anywhere match.[107] As part of the2020 Draft in October, Kingston and Woods were drafted to theRawbrand while Big E remained on the SmackDown brand,[108][109] starting a singles career which included a new theme byWale and titantron separate from The New Day.[110]
On the December 25 episode ofSmackDown (taped on December 22), Big E defeatedSami Zayn in alumberjack match to win the Intercontinental Championship for the second time.[111][112][113] On the January 8, 2021 episode ofSmackDown, Big E defended the Intercontinental Championship againstApollo Crews, and the match ended in a double-pinfall draw, but after a match restart, Big E scored the victory.[114] On the January 22 episode ofSmackDown, his match with Crews ended in ano contest after Zayn interfered and attacked both of them. At theRoyal Rumble on January 31, 2021, Big E entered the Royal Rumble match and eliminated Zayn,Mustafa Ali,The Hurricane, andBobby Lashley, before being eliminated byOmos (who was not a part of the match).[115]
On the February 5 episode onSmackDown, Big E retained his title against Crews and Zayn in atriple threat match. Following this, Crews would begin to target Big E to the point where Crews injured Big E, taking him out of action for several weeks. Big E returned on the March 12 episode ofSmackDown, accepting Crews' offer for a rematch atFastlane on March 21, where Big E would once again retain the championship but would be attacked by Crews after the match. On the March 26 episode ofSmackDown, Big E was pinned by Crews in a six-man tag match, which gave Crews another opportunity for the championship atWrestleMania 37. At Night 2 of WrestleMania on April 11, Big E lost the Intercontinental Championship to Crews in aNigerian Drum Fight due to interference fromCommander Azeez.[116] He challenged Crews for the Intercontinental Championship on the May 21 episode ofSmackDown in a fatal four-way which includedKevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but was unsuccessful whenAleister Black attacked him.[117] He was set to feud with Black, but it was cancelled when Black was released from WWE.
On the June 25 episode ofSmackDown, Big E defeated Crews to qualify for the men'sMoney in the Bank ladder match. AtMoney in the Bank on July 18, he won the men's ladder match, becoming the first African-American competitor to hold the contract.[118] On the August 13 episode ofSmackDown,Baron Corbin stole his briefcase during a backstage interview.[119] At theSummerSlam pre-show on August 21, Big E defeated Corbin to regain the briefcase.[120]
On September 13, Big E declared onTwitter that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract for aWWE Championship match on that night'sRaw, which already had a WWE Championship match scheduled between champion Bobby Lashley and challenger Randy Orton.[121] After Lashley won, Big E cashed in for an immediate title match and pinned Lashley, winning the WWE Championship for the first time in his career, and celebrating with the rest of the New Day.[122] On the September 27 episode ofRaw, Big E defended the WWE Championship against Lashley, which ended in a disqualification after a brawl between the New Day andCedric Alexander andShelton Benjamin. The match was rescheduled as acage match later that night, where Big E defeated Lashley to retain the title.[123] As part of the2021 WWE Draft, Big E was officially drafted toRaw, while Kingston and Woods were drafted toSmackDown.[124] On October 21, Big E successfully defended the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre atCrown Jewel.[125] AtSurvivor Series on November 21, Big E suffered a clean loss toWWE Universal ChampionRoman Reigns in a non-title match.[126] On the November 22 episode ofRaw, Big E had a successful title defense againstAustin Theory.[127]
Big E was originally scheduled to defend his WWE Championship at theWWE Day 1 event against Seth Rollins. On the November 29 episode ofRaw, Big E lost to Kevin Owens in a non-title match via disqualification after Rollins interfered, so Owens was added to Big E's Day 1 title match.[128] On the December 13 episode ofRaw, Big E was pinned by Bobby Lashley in a non-titleno disqualification match after Rollins, Owens and MVP interfered, so Lashley was added to the title match.[129] Hours before Day 1, due to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns contracting COVID-19, Reigns' scheduled opponentBrock Lesnar was also added to Big E's title match.[130] In thefatal five-way match on January 1, 2022, Big E lost his title when he was cleanly pinned by Lesnar, ending Big E's reign at 110 days.[131][132] On the January 3 episode ofRaw, Big E wrestled Lashley, Owens, and Rollins for a WWE Championship shot against Lesnar, but Lashley won.[133] On the following episode ofRaw, Big E challenged Rollins to an immediate match and suffered a clean loss.[134]
In an interview published in March 2022, Ewen gave his views on his WWE Championship reign, stating that if it were up to him, he would choose a "longer" reign so that he could "do some more dynamic things". Ewen further stated that it was "difficult [for people] to really latch onto a new champion" when "within their first month, [the champion has] multiple losses on TV".[135][136] Ewen then compared his world title reign and how it ended to Kofi Kingston's, suggesting that both of them had a "falling off of a cliff feeling at the hands of one Brock Lesnar and then suddenly, it feels like you woke up a year prior and you're back to doing what you were doing before."[136]
In late January 2022, Big E was officially moved back to SmackDown, reuniting withKofi Kingston as part of The New Day.[137][138] On the March 11 episode ofSmackDown, during a match against Ridge Holland and Sheamus, Holland delivered anoverhead belly-to-belly suplex to Big E at ringside, resulting in Big E accidentally landing on the top of his head;[139][140] suffering abroken neck, with fractures to hisC1 andC6 vertebrae, but no ligament orspinal cord injury, so he did not require surgery.[140] He had an onscreen reunion with Kingston and Woods on May 20, but stated in an interview one month later that it is unclear if he will ever be able to wrestle again.[141] Following his recovery, Big E mostly serves as a host, guest or panelist on various WWE shows.
In August 2023, he revealed that he had been advised by doctors never to wrestle again despite having no nerve damage or strength issues.[142] He said, "I started this job at 23 years old, and probably had a bit of a death wish and was okay dying in the ring ... I now, at 37, would like to not die in the ring; I would like to do other things with my life." Two years after the incident, he revealed on X that his neck had healed fibrously but failed to build new bone structure and concluded that due to this, he was not medically cleared and unlikely to ever be cleared.[143]
On the December 2, 2024 episode ofRaw during the 10-year anniversary celebration of the formation of The New Day, Big E made an in-ring reunion with Kingston and Woods for the first time since his injury. Due to the dissension between the two throughout the year, Big E announced that he will return to manage them. However, the duo lashed out at Big E for supposedly "abandoning" them after his injury and kicked him out of the stable, turning Woods and Kingston heel for the first time since 2016.[144] On October 9, 2025, Big E formally announced his retirement from in-ring competition.[145]
Ewen's finisher move is theBig Ending, which he described as an RKO to the body. The move was suggested byCurt Hawkins in 2009.[146]
On May 5, 2025, Ewen announced his engagement to Kris Yim, the sister of fellow professional wrestlerMia Yim.[147][148]
On October 9, 2025, in an interview onWhat’s Your Story? withStephanie McMahon, Ewen discussed his long-term struggle with severedepression, which began inchildhood. He recalled experiencing depressive thoughts as early as age nine, stating that he "was not comfortable in [his] skin." His condition worsened during hiscollege football career following a series of injuries, and he was later diagnosed with major depression withpsychotic features. Ewen underwent therapy and was prescribedantidepressant andantipsychotic medications, and at one point was hospitalized in apsychiatric ward at theUniversity of Iowa. Despite achieving professional success withThe New Day inWWE, he continued to experiencesuicidal thoughts. Ewen credited therapy, meditation, and mindfulness with helping him manage hismental health, describing daily meditation during theCOVID-19 pandemic as a significant turning point in his recovery.[149]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Total Divas | Himself | Guest star[150] |
| 2016 | Swerved | ||
| Ride Along | |||
| Let's Make a Deal | Guest star (with the New Day) | ||
| 2019–2021 | Lazor Wulf | Canon Wulf (voice) | Main role |
| 2023 | Weakest Link | Himself | |
| Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge | Episode: "Mardi Gras Mania vs. The Reaper" | ||
| 2024 | Laid | Stu Jackward | Episode: “FB to the T” |
| 2025 | Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man | Bulldozer[151] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Countdown | Himself | |
| 2021 | Escape the Undertaker | Main star[152] |
| Year | Title | As | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 | Big E Langston | Downloadable content[153] |
| 2014 | WWE 2K15 | [154] | |
| 2015 | WWE 2K16 | [155] | |
| 2016 | WWE 2K17 | Big E | [156] |
| 2017 | WWE 2K18 | [157] | |
| 2018 | WWE 2K19 | [158] | |
| 2019 | WWE 2K20 | ||
| 2020 | WWE 2K Battlegrounds | ||
| 2020 | Gears 5 | Downloadable content[159] | |
| 2022 | WWE 2K22 | ||
| 2023 | WWE 2K23 | ||
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 | ||
| 2025 | WWE 2K25 |
Langston gets angry because the ref only counts to three before calling for the bell, so the ref gives another two counts. The crowd is chanting "one more time!" Post-match, Langston hit his finisher again and gives himself a five count, to the delight of the crowd.
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