Big E made history at WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view by becoming the first Black superstar to ever win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. In a new interview with Bleacher Report, the fan-favorite superstar spoke about the win, and why it matters outside the context of the wrestling ring. He noted how WWE is changing for the better with its representation, and he used the WrestleMania 37 match between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair as an example.
“I really think we’re in a good position as far as seeing more diverse faces,” Big E said when asked about the growing diversity in WWE. “What I love, too, is when you watch Bianca and Sasha, when I watched that match, I didn’t think, ‘Oh, they thought it was time to have two Black women in a world title match at WrestleMania, so they picked two they thought could do a decent job and put them in there.’ No! To me, it felt very clear: These are two of the best women in the world at what they do and they are beyond deserving. They just so happen to be Black women. That is my hope and that’s where we’re at.”
When it comes to making diversity a necessity, Big E said that for him, it feels like it’s a great time to be a Black wrestler and performer. He described how the prominence of Black wrestlers is translating to the audience, as now Black wrestling fans can see people who look like them on the screen. Big E also discussed the importance of having Black members of the staff backstage.
“When I look around, I see so many incredible Black performers, inside and outside of our company,” he said. “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 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.
“We’re starting to get on a good path as far as seeing diverse faces and even beyond that. Backstage, we have so many… there are at least four or five Black women who are writers, working in positions backstage and just in the office. On screen and off screen in WWE, seeing people reflect what our world looks like, that’s the goal, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”
As far as his Money in the Bank victory, Big E said he hasn’t decided just yet when he’ll cash in the briefcase, or who he’ll try to cash in on. Still, he doubled down on his previous comments that Roman Reigns might be his preferred option.
“We’re in a bit of a wait-and-see approach,” he said. “This is all extremely new, but both Roman and Bobby [Lashley] make a lot of sense. I’ve been talking about Roman for a long time, the interactions with Paul [Heyman]. He is the guy. If you ask me, and people may have different opinions about who sits atop the heap of our industry across all brands and across all companies, it’s Roman. He’s hit a stride that is very, very rare to see. He’s been killing it. That makes a ton of sense.”
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