10 Things Fans Should Know About Big E's Life Outside WWE

The WWE Universe is eagerly awaiting the return of former WWE Champion Big E, who is currently out of action after sustaining a career-threatening neck injury. He's been with the WWE since 2009 and patiently waited for his opportunity all these years until he finally got his hands on the WWE Championship.RELATED:8 Things Fans Don't Know About MJF's Life Outside WrestlingHe's one of the most respected members of the WWE roster and those who are close to the New Day member had nothing but nice things to say about him. With that said, let's take a look at a few things the fans should know about Big E's life outside WWE.

10 Has Jamaican Parents

While WWE initially booked Big E's New Day partner Kofi Kingston as a superstar of Jamaican origin, it's actually Big E who comes from that heritage as his parents are of Jamaican and Montserratian descent.

Big E was born in Tampa, Florida, and spent his entire childhood in the same area. He was a model student during his high school days and Big E excelled in sports activities, which gave him the natural aptitude to become a professional wrestler, as he broke his way into the business in 2009.

9 Why Is He Called Big E?

Wrestling fans might wonder why the former WWE Champion is called Big E, and especially about what the "E" stands for? His real name is Ettore Ewen, and it's natural for people to give the prefix "Big" to someone with a physical stature similar to Big E.

Since he couldn't use Ettore Ewen as his on-screen name, he incorporated Big E as his stage name as a minor representation of his real name and Jamaican heritage. Big E Langston was the first in-ring name he used when he made his debut, but WWE shortened it to Big E in 2014.

8 Pro Football Aspirations

After finishing high school, Big E enrolled in the University of Iowa, where he played football as a defensive lineman for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He redshirted in 2004 and missed the entire 2005 series due to an injury but played the 2006 season as a sophomore.

He had aspirations to pursue a career in professional football, but the various injuries he sustained over the years played spoilsport on his wishes as he had to forgo his pro football dreams and take up powerlifting instead.

7 His Academics

Big E in WWE and during his college football days

While already having his mind fixed on a career in sports, Big E enrolled at the University of Iowa and tried his luck in football, as mentioned above. However, he also had to excel in academics to support his sports endeavors.

He managed to balance his studies with sports and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the university. But since his football career didn't turn out as planned, he had to venture into powerlifting.

6 His Power-Lifting Career

He had quite an impactful career as a powerlifter and went on to break all four Florida state raw powerlifting records in the 275-pound class when he competed in the USA Powerlifting meet in 2010.

His personal best records include a 711 lbs squat, 529 lbs bench press, and a 799 lbs deadlift. However, when the opportunity for him to venture into the pro wrestling industry came to him in 2009, he took it with open hands after some careful consideration. He signed with WWE the same year, and the rest they say is history.

5 Didn't Consider Wrestling As A Full-Time At First

Much like most of the members of the current WWE roster, Big E also grew up as a fan of professional wrestling. It could be one of the reasons he chose to compete in Amateur Wrestling in his high school days, during which time he won a state championship and the title of Hillsborough County's "Ironman of the Year."

However, despite being a fan, Big E revealed that he never thought he could make a living out of being a full-time pro wrestler when the opportunity first revealed itself to him in 2009. But some reassuring led to him attending a tryout in FCW and eventually finding his way to WWE.

4 Acting Career

The professional wrestling business eventually opens up the doors for wrestlers to pursue an acting career. Big E also received such an opportunity back in 2016 when he appeared in the WWE studio's film Countdown and the 2021 interactive WWE-themed special Escape The Undertaker.

He also appeared in reality television series like Total Divas, Let's Make A Deal, and lent his voice to the animated series Lazor Wulf between 2015 and 2021. These might not be monumental opportunities, but he had to start somewhere, in order to gradually make some progress.

3 Charitable Acts

As mentioned earlier, Big E has earned the reputation of being an extremely nice guy among his friends and peers. He has proved on multiple occasions that he does indeed have a golden heart by involving himself in various charitable activities with his employers.

He once again earned the respect of his friends, fans, and peers when he auctioned off his WrestleMania 37 gear, which consisted of his jacket, his vest, and boots, with the entire proceeds going to the Feeding Tampa Bay charity.

2 Keeps His Personal Life A Secret

Big E might be a pretty outspoken and cheerful guy spreading the power of positivity in his on-screen character, but behind the scenes, he's quite selective when it comes to who he trusts enough to reveal his personal details.

Big E has never stated anything about his family or love life and only shared it with a selective bunch of people who are very close to him, so common fans have no means of digging into the former WWE Champion's relationship status. While there were reports of him still being single, he hasn't either confirmed or denied anything.

1 He Is An Ordained Pastor

During their infamous rap battle segment, The Usos would mention Big E knows what good before ripping the soul out of Xavier Woods with the next line. It was a subtle dig at the fact that Big E is a certified and ordained pastor, and has the power to officiate weddings. Big E confirmed the rumors himself through a tweet stating that he would be officiating some weddings.

He credited former Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore for giving him the idea in the first place. Since then, Big E has officiated several weddings, including the ceremonies of hardcore WWE fans as well. So if you want to avail Big E's services, you know where to find him.