WWE has an opportunity to cap off a compelling story with Big E

Over the weekend, Big E made headlines as the 2021 men’s Money in the Bank winner, immediately raising questions about his first world title pursuit.

To say many hardcore wrestling viewers have become jaded would be an understatement. Most of us clamor for our favorite stars to reach new heights and grow into a centerpiece of WWE programming only to have our hopes dashed when they lose and plummet down the card. Ask Cesaro fans how that feels.

However, the company does get it right every now and then. Big E’s Money in the Bank win is the latest example of how it can still dull out a gratifying plot development. To be fair, WWE has done a great job positioning The New Day’s resident powerhouse as a competent singles competitor since he remained on SmackDown alone following night one of the 2020 draft.

To that end, the Tampa native has his own theme song music now performed by Grammy-nominated rapper, Wale. He enjoyed a second reign as Intercontinental champion and his feud with Apollo Crews was a focal point for the blue brand. Still, Big E is due for a world title reign and it seems shortsighted to separate him from his stablemates if that wasn’t the goal.

So, it was rewarding to see him plant Seth Rollins, the man he defeated to become the second NXT champion, with a devastating Avalanche Big Ending this weekend. Then, the 35-year-old climbed the ladder to claim his prize and become the first Black Money in the Bank winner.

This poignant moment was even more significant because Kofi Kingston unsuccessfully challenged Bobby Lashley earlier that night. On the surface, it was highly disappointing to see Kingston fail to win the WWE Championship for a second time. To add insult to injury, The CEO of The Hurt Business annihilated the first African-born grand slam champion, seemingly humiliating him in front of the Dickies Arena crowd.

Hopefully, The New Day’s most accomplished member will have his day in the sun again but this could be just the second act of a brilliant storyline. After all, Kingston famously helped to put the Money in the Bank ladder match on the map. The Ghanaian American wrestler has delivered several unforgettable moments in the stipulation contest in his record-setting seven appearances, but he has never attained the coveted briefcase.

Nevertheless, Big E fittingly picked up his friend’s baton and made history on his first attempt. It was a great way to further set him apart from Kingston and strengthen their connection in the process.

See, The New Day’s philosophy is that a win for one member is a success for the trio as a collective. That’s why they always enacted the Freebird Rule whenever they defended the tag titles. When Kofimania granted their stablemate the opportunity to live out his childhood dream at WrestleMania 35, they all celebrated together.

This fundamental trait is what makes their bond so special. It’s also why it would be wildly out of character for The Purveyors of Positivity to turn on each other or split up. That leads us to the long-term storytelling in place on WWE Raw.

MVP has played the role of what the stable would usually call a wedge driver, someone who is trying to find a crack in the trio’s foundation and drive a wedge between them. For weeks, The Franchise Playa has been trying to convince Kingston that his friends were holding him back. In fact, this even plays into his and Lashley’s decision to kick Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin out of The Hurt Business.

They don’t value friendship as the 39-year-old does. Instead, they would rather focus on what’s best for business, which made Alexander and Benjamin expendable. This is important because it sets The Hurt Business up as the antithesis to The New Day. Highlighting this dynamic will make it all the more satisfying when Big E reunites with his friends to challenge Lashley.

Yes, it stung to see the reigning WWE champion beat down a perennial underdog like Kingston. But it was a necessary step to give Big E’s Money in the Bank win and eventual triumph over The Almighty more emotional weight. Moreover, this is a fantastic way to wrap up a plot that started back in October and put all three members on the same brand again.

It’s unclear if this is the plan for Big E but it makes too much sense given the story beats WWE has laid out. This would be the best way for the company to effectively use Kingston’s loss as a motivation for his stablemate’s Money in the Bank cash-in. Furthermore, it would continue to set The New Day apart from other iconic stables and cement their unbreakable bond.

It also wouldn’t be a terrible idea to use this as a way to give Big E his dream match with Goldberg, who just returned on this week’s episode of Raw. Big meaty men slapping meat has been a popular idiom online since he uttered the words on The New Day: Feel the Power. WWE should give the man, and the fans, what they want.