WWE’s Big E discusses engagement, life after wrestling and what he puts on his double steak burrito during Quincy visit

QUINCY — World Wrestling Entertainment star Ettore “Big E” Ewen has swapped out feisty takedowns for fresh tortillas.

Big E was at Quincy’s Pancheros Mexican Grill on Tuesday, meeting fans and signing autographs. The line of fans stretched around the restaurant and continued growing during the 90-minute event.

For those interested in the WWE world, Big E is a household name. Originally from Florida, he won a wrestling state championship in high school. He switched to football, playing at the University of Iowa. After graduation, Big E set records in powerlifting (squatting 711 pounds, bench pressing 529 pounds, and deadlifting 799 pounds).

He signed a contract with WWE in 2009 to return to wrestling. He was a fan favorite for years: a member of The New Day trio, a preacher of The Power of Positivity and the WWE champion in 2021.

A broken neck in 2022 took him out of the ring. Following doctor’s orders, Big E doesn’t plan to fight anytime soon, but he isn’t far from the sport. Now he works as a host or guest on a variety of WWE shows.

Muddy River News’s Annie C. Reller chatted with Big E before his fan meet-and-greet. The interview is edited for length and clarity.

MRN: First of all, you got engaged a week ago. Congratulations!

BIG E: Well, I got engaged about three weeks ago, but I didn’t announce it.

MRN: You went Instagram Live a week ago. So, how did you guys meet? I know that Kris’s sister is a wrestler. Did that play into it?

BIG E: Yes, in a way. So she, Kristen would come on the road from time to time. She’s a big wrestling fan, too. So she would come to like Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania, so I would see her from time to time. She would be backstage or at the hotel, and we were always kind of friendly until we hugged at the JW Marriott in (Los Angeles) when WrestleMania was in LA a couple years ago, and she told her friend that she thinks she has a crush. From then, we like DM’d, and we were just kind of friendly until I decided, like, what am I doing here? Let me see if she wants to get together. We got together in St. Petersburg in the beginning of 2024 for the Royal Rumble, and then sparks flew.

MRN: Wow, that’s beautiful. Do you think that she’ll get into wrestling ever?

BIG E: No. She’s very cool, doing her own thing. Wrestling is not in her bag. She’s a fan, not getting into the ring.

MRN: So I recently graduated (from Stanford), and I don’t know if it was like this for you at Iowa, but for us, you were either an athlete or a NARP — a non-athletic regular person. You haven’t been in the ring for a while, so do you still identify with being an athlete or are you embracing the NARP lifestyle?

BIG E: I have yet to embrace the NARP lifestyle. I still work out. I’m still, like, fairly strong. I still feel like I present as an athlete.

MRN: You have a build. Actually, I’ve been doing some CrossFit lately. Actually squatted like 30 pounds today, plus the bar, so …

BIG E: I see those muscles. Look at you!

MRN: Thank you, thank you. Have you watched the video of yourself being injured?

BIG E: Actually, I had to do it for something that I’m working on, a little secret project. So I watched it recently. It’s interesting. It’s a little odd to see because in pro wrestling, you’re supposed to be this larger than life character, but the idea of that’s my neck being shattered, and, I’m just on the ground now, it’s a little odd. A lot of people choose to skip it, and I think that’s OK.

MRN: Do you feel like you’ve mentally processed the injury?

BIG E: I can go on and on … I am very big into mindfulness and meditation, and it’s something I really got into during the start of the pandemic. People ask: Were those tough days? Honestly, they weren’t. And I was very fortunate. I had a lot of great support from family, from friends, so many people reached out. I was just honestly in a good place with it all. I was really lucky, because I didn’t have any issues with pain. I didn’t have headaches, I didn’t lose any muscle, no atrophy, so it wasn’t that bad. I wouldn’t suggest you do it, but …

MRN: I wasn’t planning on breaking my neck.

BIG E: Don’t do it.

MRN: So why Pancheros? Tell us about this partnership.

BIG E: Pancheros was started in Iowa City. I went to the University of Iowa. As soon as I got to Iowa, I’m telling you, we were at Pancheros, the downtown location, the Mecca, three to four times a week. I just fell in love with this burrito chain. When I left Iowa and started traveling with WWE, anytime I was in Iowa, the first stop was Pancheros. I’ve been obsessed with this burrito chain since college, and now getting to work with Pancheros …

MRN: You’re an official burrito partner.

BIG E: I am an official burrito partner. It is so incredibly full circle. I just truly believe in the brand. Such lovely people behind the brand as well. There are other bigger-name burrito chains. But if you get a chance, stop at Pancheros. Compare it to the big names and see how fresh the tortilla is. See how incredible that queso is. The fresh veggies I’m telling you, ain’t no chain beating Pancheros.

MRN: I don’t even go to that other burrito chain …

BIG E: We don’t even say the name. In my house, that other name is a slur. No ma’am.

MRN: So what is your order?

BIG E: My order. If I go with an actual burrito, I’m going rice, I’m going black beans. I don’t like to eat a lot of red meat, but that steak is special. So I go double steak, I’ll go queso, fresh veggies, pico de gallo, corn, trying to get off dairy a little bit, but I do like the cheese. And then you take the Bob, the special tool, to mix it all in. So all every bite you get is filled with all the ingredients, and that’s it. You wrap it up!

MRN: Perfect. And you said, double steak. What’s your protein intake these days?

BIG E: I like to do a gram per pound of body weight, and I’m about 265 right now, so eating about 265 grams a day. I do about six meals a day.

MRN: So how many eggs is that in the morning?

BIG E: Well, I try to do about six eggs in the morning, that’s about 36 grams of protein.

MRN: Oh, so you’re eating a lot of eggs.

BIG E: A lot of eggs. Yeah. You know these egg prices, they’re high.

MRN: My last question is, in your personal life, are you more of a good guy or a heel?

BIG E: I am a good guy. I have a baby face in my personal life. I’m very soft Zen, let’s all love each other. Life is hard. I don’t need to add any more more hardness to it. You know, I like to love on my woman, love on my people, love on my family and friends that’s who I am.

MRN: And you give them burritos to do that.

BIG E: I give them burritos as well, and I tell them to bring their cheeks to Pancheros, bring your behind here.

MRN: Perfect. Thank you so much.

Annie C. Reller is a Seattle native and a recent Stanford graduate serving as an intern for Muddy River News this spring.