Big E (wrestler) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big E |
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Big E in 2018
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| Birth name | Ettore Ewen |
| Born | March 1, 1986 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Big E Big E Langston |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Billed weight | 285 lb (129 kg) |
| Billed from | Tampa, Florida |
| Trained by | Florida Championship Wrestling NXT |
| Debut | December 17, 2009 |
Ettore Ewen (born March 1, 1986), known in the wrestling world as Big E, is an American former professional wrestler and powerlifter. He is signed with WWE, but he no longer wrestles due to a serious neck injury he got in March 2022.
Before wrestling, Ettore was a talented football player at the University of Iowa. He also became a champion in powerlifting, which is a sport where people lift very heavy weights. He even won a state championship in high school wrestling!
Big E joined WWE in 2009. He started in their training program, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), using the name Big E Langston. When FCW changed to NXT, he became the second-ever NXT Champion.
In December 2012, Big E moved up to WWE's main shows. He became super famous as part of a team called The New Day with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Together, they won the Raw Tag Team Championship twice and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship six times! They even hold the record for the longest Raw Tag Team Championship reign, lasting 483 days.
In 2020, Big E started wrestling by himself again. He won the men's Money in the Bank ladder match in 2021. This allowed him to challenge for any championship whenever he wanted. He used it later that year to win the WWE Championship once. This made him the 33rd Triple Crown Champion in WWE history. He has also been the Intercontinental Champion two times.
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Early Life and Sports Achievements
Ettore Ewen was born in Tampa, Florida, on March 1, 1986. His parents are Margaret and Ettore Ewen. He has family roots from Jamaica and Montserrat.
He went to middle school and high school in Tampa. There, he won many awards for his sports skills, including a state championship in wrestling. After his junior year, he moved to Wharton High School to play football. He was even named "Ironman of the Year" for his county.
After high school, Ettore went to the University of Iowa. He played American football as a defensive lineman for the Iowa Hawkeyes team. He later earned a college degree. After college, Ettore focused on powerlifting, a sport where athletes lift heavy weights.
Powerlifting Success
Ettore Ewen started competing in powerlifting in 2010. He quickly became a top heavyweight lifter. He broke several state records in Florida. He also set national records in the deadlift and for his total weight lifted.
His lifts included a 611-pound squat, a 490-pound bench press, and a 749-pound deadlift. This added up to an amazing 1,850 pounds! In 2011, he won the USAPL Raw Nationals. He broke more records, including a 799-pound deadlift and a total of 2,039 pounds. These records show how incredibly strong he was.
Becoming a WWE Superstar
After injuries stopped his football dreams, Ettore Ewen was introduced to professional wrestling. He got a tryout with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2009. He realized he loved wrestling and could make it his career. WWE then signed him to a contract.
Ettore said that even though he was a wrestling fan as a kid, he never thought he could do it for a living. He felt lucky to be in the right place at the right time. He soon developed a real passion for the sport.
Starting in FCW and NXT
Ewen began his wrestling journey in WWE's training program, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He debuted on December 17, 2009, using the name Big E Langston.
In May 2011, Big E Langston and Calvin Raines won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles a couple of months later. When FCW became NXT, Langston made his debut there in August 2012. He started a winning streak, often asking referees to count to five instead of the usual three after he pinned an opponent.
On January 9, 2013, Big E Langston defeated Seth Rollins to win the NXT Championship. He successfully defended his title several times. However, he eventually lost the NXT Championship to Bo Dallas on June 12, 2013.
Joining the Main Roster
Big E Langston made his debut on WWE's main show, Raw, on December 17, 2012. He attacked John Cena and teamed up with AJ Lee, becoming a "heel" (a bad guy in wrestling). He acted as a bodyguard for AJ's boyfriend, Dolph Ziggler.
At WrestleMania 29 in April 2013, Langston and Ziggler tried to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship but didn't succeed. Later, his partnership with AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler ended. He then started wrestling on his own.
Becoming Intercontinental Champion
In October 2013, Big E Langston helped CM Punk against other wrestlers. This made him a "face" (a good guy in wrestling). He then got a chance to compete for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
On November 18, 2013, Big E Langston won the Intercontinental Championship. This was his first singles championship on the main roster. He successfully defended his title against several opponents. In 2014, his ring name was shortened to just Big E. He lost the Intercontinental Championship to Bad News Barrett on May 4, 2014, after holding it for 167 days.
The New Day Era
In the summer of 2014, Big E teamed up with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. They formed a new group called The New Day. WWE started showing videos about them in November.
The New Day had their first match together on November 28, 2014, and won. At first, fans didn't like them much, so The New Day became "heels" (bad guys) in April 2015.
Tag Team Champions
At Extreme Rules on April 26, 2015, Big E and Kofi Kingston won the WWE Tag Team Championships. They held onto the titles for a while, even winning a special Elimination Chamber match.
They lost the titles in June but quickly won them back at SummerSlam in August. The New Day then had many successful title defenses against teams like The Dudley Boyz and The Usos.
In February 2016, The New Day became "faces" (good guys) again. They continued to defend their titles. On July 22, 2016, The New Day became the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions ever, holding the titles for 331 days! Their titles were renamed the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships.
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They finally lost the Raw Tag Team Championship on December 18, 2016, ending their record-breaking reign at 483 days.
Moving to SmackDown
In April 2017, Big E and The New Day moved to the SmackDown brand. In July, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Even though Big E didn't wrestle in that specific match, he was also recognized as a champion because of a rule called the "Freebird Rule" that allows all members of a team to be champions.
The New Day lost and regained the SmackDown Tag Team titles several times. They had many exciting matches against teams like The Usos and The Bludgeon Brothers.
In July 2019, Big E suffered a knee injury, which kept him out of action for a few weeks. He returned and, with Xavier Woods, won the SmackDown Tag Team titles again. They became five-time champions as a team.
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The New Day lost their titles in February 2020 but won them back in April, becoming six-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions. They lost the titles again in July 2020.
Solo Career and WWE Champion
In July 2020, Kofi Kingston told Big E to go on a solo journey while Kofi was injured. Big E then started wrestling by himself. He had a feud with Sheamus and won against him in several matches.
In October 2020, during the WWE Draft, Kofi and Woods moved to the Raw brand, while Big E stayed on SmackDown. This officially started his solo career, and he even got new entrance music.
Winning the WWE Championship
On December 25, 2020, Big E defeated Sami Zayn to win the Intercontinental Championship for the second time. He successfully defended his title against Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn.
At Money in the Bank on July 18, 2021, Big E won the men's ladder match. This meant he had a contract that allowed him to challenge for any championship at any time. He was the first African-American wrestler to win this contract.
On September 13, Big E announced on Twitter that he would use his contract that night on Raw. After Bobby Lashley won a match, Big E immediately challenged him for the WWE Championship. Big E pinned Lashley and won the WWE Championship for the first time! He celebrated with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
Big E successfully defended his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre. However, on January 1, 2022, at the WWE Day 1 event, Big E lost his title to Brock Lesnar in a match that also included Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Lashley. His reign as champion lasted 110 days.
Injury and New Roles
In late January 2022, Big E moved back to SmackDown and reunited with Kofi Kingston as part of The New Day. On March 11, 2022, during a match, Big E landed badly on his head after a move. He suffered a serious neck injury, breaking two bones in his neck (C1 and C6 vertebrae). Luckily, he didn't have any damage to his spinal cord.
He had a reunion with Kofi and Woods in May 2022. However, he later said it was unclear if he would ever be able to wrestle again. After his recovery, Big E started working as a host, guest, or panelist on different WWE shows.
In August 2023, doctors told him it would be best if he never wrestled again. He said that at 37, he wanted to do other things with his life and not risk further injury. Two years after the accident, he shared that his neck had healed with fibrous tissue but hadn't built new bone. This means he is not medically cleared to wrestle and likely never will be.
On December 2, 2024, Big E reunited with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods on Raw for The New Day's 10-year anniversary. Big E announced he would return to manage them. However, Kofi and Woods were upset, saying Big E had "abandoned" them after his injury. They then kicked him out of the group, turning themselves into "heels" (bad guys) for the first time since 2016.
On Screen Appearances
Big E has appeared in various TV shows and movies, often playing himself.
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2015 | Total Divas | Himself | Guest star |
| 2016 | Swerved | Himself | |
| Ride Along | Himself | ||
| Let's Make a Deal | Himself | Guest star (with the New Day) | |
| 2019–2021 | Lazor Wulf | Canon Wulf (voice) | Main role |
| 2023 | Weakest Link | Himself | |
| Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge | Himself | Episode: "Mardi Gras Mania vs. The Reaper" | |
| 2024 | Laid | Stu Jackward | Episode: “FB to the T” |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Countdown | Himself | |
| 2021 | Escape the Undertaker | Himself | Main star |
Video Games
Big E has also been a character in many WWE video games.
| Year | Title | As | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 | Big E Langston | Downloadable content |
| 2014 | WWE 2K15 | Big E Langston | |
| 2015 | WWE 2K16 | Big E Langston | |
| 2016 | WWE 2K17 | Big E | |
| 2017 | WWE 2K18 | Big E | |
| 2018 | WWE 2K19 | Big E | |
| 2019 | WWE 2K20 | Big E | |
| 2020 | WWE 2K Battlegrounds | Big E | |
| 2020 | Gears 5 | Big E | Downloadable content |
| 2022 | WWE 2K22 | Big E | |
| 2023 | WWE 2K23 | Big E | |
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 | Big E |
Championships and Awards
Big E has won many championships and awards throughout his career:
- Florida Championship Wrestling
- FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Calvin Raines
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Tag Team of the Year (2015, 2016) with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
- Ranked No. 9 among the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2022
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 6 among the top 10 wrestlers in 2021
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Gimmick (2015) – The New Day
- WWE
- WWE Championship (1 time)
- NXT Championship (1 time)
- WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
- WWE (Raw) Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
- WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
- Men's Money in the Bank (2021)
- 33rd Triple Crown Champion
- WWE Year-End Award (1 time)
- Men's Tag Team of the Year (2019) – with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Ring Gear of the Year (2020) – with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
See also
In Spanish: Big E para niños
