"People were excited to see us" - Big E opens up about his canceled feud with Malakai Black in WWE
WWE Superstar Big E was prepared to engage in a feud with Aleister Black (now known as Malakai Black in AEW) before the company shockingly released the latter.
In Black's final appearance on WWE TV on May 21st, he interfered in the fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship between Big E, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and took out Big E with the Black Mass, costing him the match. Fans speculated that this would lead to a rivalry between the two, something even Black thought would happen, but his release changed everything.
In an interview with Give Me Sport, the New Day member recently opened up about the episode. He said he didn't know the details, but thought he was about to engage in an extended storyline with the returning superstar.
Thus, he was surprised when Black was released by WWE in June this year. Big E praised Black's talent, and he believes that fans were excited to see their feud unfold on SmackDown.
“I don’t know the plans. I had no idea. Obviously, we’d seen the vignettes for weeks and weeks, then he comes out at the end of the main event and kicks me in the face, so I think, ‘alright, it’s him and I. We’re going to run for a bit’. So I definitely was surprised [by his release]," Big E said.
The New Day member also said that given Black's talent, he would get plenty of offers from other promotions, but thinks their opposing personalities would've made for an intense rivalry.
"There’s such a difference in the way that we carry ourselves, in our characters, in many ways polar opposites. I think it could have made for a lot of fun," concluded Big E.
Aleister Black soon signed with AEW and beautifully transformed into a new character, Malakai Black. He released a video that subtly nodded to the events during his term in WWE.
Where will Big E go next in WWE?
After his potential feud with Malakai Black came to an abrupt end, Big E turned his attention to other things on WWE SmackDown. He fought for a spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder match, and went on to make the most of that opportunity.
Big E overcame Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Riddle, Ricochet, John Morrison, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew McIntyre to become Mr. Money in the Bank for the first time in his WWE career. He now has a guaranteed title shot at any of the two biggest championships in the company.
Do you think WWE missed out on a big opportunity by not capitalizing on a feud between Big E and Aleister Black? Let us know in the comments section below.