Ranking WWE's First Ever NXT Class - From Worst To Best
4. Big E Langston
Alongside Xavier Woods and fellow longstanding WWE star Kofi Kingston, Big E is woven into the fabric of company history thanks to the phenomenally fruitful New Day act.
For a performer regarded as one of the warmest in a cut-throat game, there’s perhaps nobody more deserving.
It could have all been very different. E starting life as a throwback muscle guy on NXT wasn’t a case of him being miscast exactly, but it didn’t promise much in terms of progression or character development. He beat people down for a count of five and even became only the second ever NXT Champion, but the something missing wasn’t found when he joined up with Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee as their heater in a main roster debut devoid of flavour.
The New Day was transformative for all three members. Woods got the vehicle he needed to take himself and his friends to the promised land. Kingston got a new lease on a life he was getting closer and closer to leaving behind after several years plugging away on the undercard. And E was given license to smile, laugh and emote in a way the old gimmick couldn’t have permitted. The rest was easy. Or at least their bond made it look so.As a solo star in his later years, E’s WWE Championship win was one of the most universally-beloved in the history of the organisation. His career getting cut short by a neck injury in 2022 would typically be what clouds such a positive story but again Big E bucks trends - he’s approached the situation with pragmatism and balance, and appears content to take on other projects pending whatever choices he makes about his athletic future.