Why Big E Needs to Be Drafted to Raw and Stay Solo Away from The New Day

Big E is the name who can right many wrongs for WWE.

And here's what is probably the controversial part for some fans: He needs to do it away from New Day.

That Big E is the next big thing as a solo act for WWE isn't all that uncommon of a belief. His run in NXT, spearheaded by the "I need five" mantra, was a classic. He had a nice solo run on the main roster too, albeit while looking a bit green, before joining the Hall of Fame-bound group.

It sure doesn't hurt that rumors have hinted this is what WWE might be thinking too.

WrestleVotes reported Big E is a candidate to move from SmackDown to Raw during the draft and that such a move would likely keep him in the singles scene despite obvious interactions with New Day members too.

Call Big E the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency button.

WWE has bungled the main event scene so hard on Raw that it's a wonder it doesn't just combine titles again and keep the main belt on Roman Reigns over on the blue brand.

The derailment of that main event scene started before WrestleMania when WWE yanked the title off Drew McIntyre after a stellar pandemic-era run. Instead of giving him his crowning moment, he went into 'Mania as a challenger, got dropped and has since mostly sparred unsuccessfully with Bobby Lashley.

To top it all off, Lashley then beat McIntyre one last time at the recent Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. This was for all the marbles, as they say—the stipulation was that McIntyre would never be allowed to challenge Lashley again so long as he held the title. It even took place in the legendary steel structure in the main event of the show.

And it ended on a rollup.

As if things weren't bad enough for Raw's main event scene while being directly compared to Reigns' amazing run on SmackDown, it almost felt like WWE was trying to convince fans to look away. There hasn't been a big push for an up-and-comer like Keith Lee. Nor has there been the return of a big part-timer like a Brock Lesnar.

Despite all this, and even if WWE doesn't deserve it, Big E could represent something of a get-out-of-jail-free card.

The fan adoration and goodwill that Big E garnered over the years as a member of New Day isn't just going to fade away. And fans are likely so sour on Lashley (never mind the illogical nature of his being a dominant-looking character who needs to cheat to win) that they will get behind somebody like Big E in a big way.

Through his unique character work and imposing in-ring presence, Big E just feels like the right guy at the right time. Despite his size, it would be easy to see him getting an almost Daniel Bryan level of underdog support before a big payoff at a major event. And over the long term, he's got the skill we have seen in the past to shift to a major heel role if needed.

But that's if WWE uses him properly, which as one can tell from the midcard-feeling top title scene on Raw, isn't anything close to a guarantee. But with Lesnar presumably earmarked for a clash with Reigns and Paul Heyman, WWE would be foolish to simply throw Big E into the tag division after bringing him over to the red brand.

That tag division, after all, is part of the problem for the main event scene. Talents capable of carrying the company, such as Randy Orton and AJ Styles, have been sidelined as tag acts for the foreseeable future. Throwing Big E into that mix while nobody credible can challenge Lashley would just make matters worse.

At this point in his career—and for the sake of fans—Big E needs to be a solo act. Following this path would have big benefits from a story-telling perspective. After his big ascension, having him shun his former teammates could be used as an angle for a gradual final-boss heel turn swing. Along the way, that would beef up the main event scene with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods too.

It doesn't hurt that Big E is a believable threat in the ring opposite a part-timer like Lesnar too, and he's got plenty of past chemistry established with someone like John Cena. Mixing in other rising stars like Keith Lee couldn't hurt, either.

On top of that, remaining on SmackDown does Big E a disservice. Reigns is too hot to derail, as he seems to only be in the early stages of what is already a legendary run as the headline act WWE always wanted him to be. If Big E takes a ton of losses to Reigns in the process, it hurts everyone involved.

It all fits naturally for Big E to land on Raw. It's a shame it took WWE this long to get the ball rolling on this considering it has been obvious to fans for a long time. But it will be better later than never, especially if Big E gets the green light to become the headline act he's always seemed capable of becoming.