Big E’s Side-Eye Makes Him A Contender

With the McMahon’s promising new changes on the WWE Main Roster; is Big E in line for more than just a sandwich?

I’d like to make one thing perfectly clear: I’m a big supporter of The New Day. Every wrestling promotion should be so lucky as to have a trio like Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods & Big E on their cards. They’re good workers, they’re extremely popular, sell a ton of merchandise and make everybody they’re in the ring with look like a million bucks. They’re a shining example of a concept that can flop at the beginning, but given time can turn into something bigger than originally imagined.

Heck, most of us have probably forgotten the awkward debut. They were going to be Nation of Domination 2.0 for a second. Then they did the over-the-top Power of Positivity gimmick as faces that were actually heels, and once they became heels they were golden. Eventually they became the beloved New Day that nobody could imagine booing.

Which has kind of led to a problem. It’s not the worst problem in the world, but it’s still a problem. The New Day has run out of things to do in the tag team division. Honestly, they ran out of things to do in the tag team division a long time ago. How many times have they feuded with the Usos and then re-instituted the Uce Truce? There isn’t much new for them to do, but they’re New Day so they need to be doing something.

It’s hamstrung a number of SD tag teams lower on the pecking order. Gallows & Anderson are Good Brothers that can’t get on TV. I didn’t know Sanity was still on the roster until they brought Nikki Cross out for a match with Becky Lynch. I saw Epico & Primo on TV, which made me think I was in a weird dream. It’s tough for these guys to break through the Bar/Usos/New Day triumvirate, as there’s only so much time on SmackDown Live for tag teams. Or anything else, for that matter.

I’m not suggesting that the New Day break up. Absolutely not. We don’t need one of them turning heel on the others, leading into a long term feud. It probably wouldn’t get over, and it would kill off the potential for more silly New Day merchandise that people buy because it’s silly & it’s New Day. I mean, who else in WWE can be the inspiration for Booty-Os, or the Book of Booty? These are three creative cats, and if they were on the indies they could probably book a better show than Cody Rhodes & the Young Bucks. I said it.

What should they do?

If I was on the WWE creative team, I would be pushing for the New Day to pursue singles careers while still together. This helps ease the logjam in SD’s tag team division & creates new contenders in the singles divisions. My first move would be to send Kofi Kingston after the United States Championship, as he’s a three-time US Champion. Ric Flair has the record at six, so it should be relatively easy for Kofi to break that record.

Xavier Woods is listed at 205 pounds, which puts him at the limit for the Cruiserweight Championship. I’m told that 205 Live viewership isn’t great, so adding 1/3rd of New Day to the show could only help. Woods has received rave reviews from everybody for his tag team work, and I feel like he could be the Heart of 205 Live that left when Mustafa Ali got bumped up to the SmackDown roster.

This leaves Big E, who I’m pretty sure is the New Day member that most people have been requesting a singles push for. He’s built like a spark plug. He might not be six feet tall, but he’s as strong as an ox. Big E has an interesting charisma about him. I don’t know if he can cut that main event promo, but he’s one of the most entertaining WWE Superstars on Twitter.

Lot of our fans yearn to sit on yall’s faces. https://t.co/cGn3drOgML

— Florida Man (@WWEBigE) December 16, 2018

So not only is he a beast in the weight room, he’s a beast on the social media. Sounds like the perfect combination for a WWE Champion to me. The New Daniel Bryan obviously holds that title right now, and from what I saw on Tuesday night, Big E might have his eyes on it.

👀 @WWEBigE pic.twitter.com/eQY6gXatvb

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) December 19, 2018

The man is eating a sandwich and giving Bryan the ol’ side eye. No doubt there was a message being sent there while Shane McMahon was going on about whatever. Heck, I wasn’t paying attention either. But I damn sure noticed that side eye from Big E whilst eating his sammich, and Bryan averting his gaze. Part of that might have been Bryan trying not to break character & laugh at E’s facial expression. I also feel like part of it was Bryan was recognizing that change was afoot, and he might actually have to deal with a meat-eating Big E.

Big problems

Bryan is one of the smartest people in the game, which is quite the accomplishment considering the head injuries. He surely knows that if he signed on the dotted line to wrestle Big E, his championship would be in jeopardy. That’s one of the hidden aspects that could make this NEW ERA interesting. Brock Lesnar can avoid this mess by not showing up, but Bryan’s the kind of guy that insists on being on every show and being a fighting champion. New matchups means more chances to lose a championship. We’ve already seen Bryan in multiple matches with Mustafa Ali, and even get pinned by the man. He’s open to giving new people a chance, but I believe that Bryan does know his limits.

Big E could be a nightmare for Bryan in the ring. E’s got the height & weight advantage. He’s got the people behind him. The one category I wonder about is stamina, as E has been in tag matches for most of his WWE career. Does E have enough wind to hang in there with a champion that can wrestle as long as is necessary? We have no such about Bryan’s durability. Can E bring enough force to end it before stamina becomes a question?

If nothing else, Daniel Bryan vs. Big E for the WWE Championship would be a fantastic SmackDown Live main event. I believe that within two hours WWE could sell people on the idea of E winning. I believe the people would get behind it. After the first match happens, I believe people will want more. I think E’s got all the tools to make a viable WWE Champion.

If you let Big E out of his cage, he’ll pile the bodies to the sky. I saw that look from him on Tuesday night. Whether he was just ribbing Bryan or not does not matter. It was the look of a man that knew that he had the upper hand on another man, while eating a sammich.

Daniel Bryan better hope that the New Day keeps dedicating themselves to tag team business. If they realize they’re better off diversifying their portfolio, his standing as WWE Champion will be in serious jeopardy.

Was the side eye the beginning of Big E’s singles push? Let us know on social media @theCHAIRSHOTcom and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!