WWE received complaints due to Big E's act
Big E recently revealed that WWE received emails from people who wanted him to be removed from television due to his gyrating.
The current WWE Champion debuted on the main roster in 2012 as Dolph Ziggler's bodyguard. In 2014, the 35-year-old's character drastically changed when he joined forces with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to form The New Day.
Speaking on the Jim and Sam Show, Big E said he used to thrust against the floor during untelevised New Day matches to amuse himself. When he introduced that part of his act to television, WWE started to receive complaints.
“People are allowing me to do this, so I just kept doing stuff. And people enjoy it, or didn’t yell at me, so I was like, ‘Let’s keep going.’ I was told there were a couple of times where the company got some emails, I don’t know if it’s like FCC [Federal Communications Commission], something where people complained and wanted me off TV because the gyrations were too much. Me, Elvis [Presley], there’s no real difference there!” he said.
@WWE @ANewDayWWE Can we get some closed captions on Xavier Woods during the match? Big E don't stop dancing! http://t.co/7wPfRyZSSU
Interviewer Jim Norton pointed out that Elvis Presley also received complaints about his gyrating on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. Sullivan allowed Presley to appear on his show again in 1957, but cameras only showed the singer’s dance moves from the waist up.
Big E is set to face Roman Reigns at WWE Survivor Series
Two very different champion energies.
#SmackDown @WWEBigE @HeymanHustle @WWERomanReigns https://t.co/41mICB5rS2
WWE has listened to viewers’ complaints in the past, notably when The Godfather became The Goodfather in 2000 due to concerns about his pimp character. Fortunately for Big E, the company allowed him to continue dancing when he appeared on television.
On Sunday, the WWE Champion will face Universal Champion Roman Reigns in what is arguably the highest-profile singles match of his career. Reigns and Big E have participated in the same multi-man matches in recent years, but they have never gone one-on-one on WWE programming.
Please credit the Jim and Sam Show and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.