When Big E won the WWE Championship in September of 2021, it was one of the rare feel-good moments WWE only gives to fans from time to time.

Sure, his title reign wasn't long, lasting just 110 days – the exact same length of time as his Intercontinental Championship reign, funny enough – he only defended his strap successfully four times, and the way his run came to an end was truly embarrassing, taking part in a match that ballooned up to a five-way for the title at Day 1 that was eventually won by Brock Lesnar, but for the widest member of the New Day, it didn't really matter; like Kofi Kingston before him, he got to hold up the strap, and the WWE Universe was better off for it.

So, with Big E's in-ring career very much in jeopardy following his 2022 neck injury and surgery, Big E has let it be known to Steve Fall of Ten Count that he would love to see the rest of his faction shine, especially Xavier Woods, who is the lone member New Day without a singles championship.

“That's something that, obviously, he's so talented and something that we've been pushing for,” Big E told Steve Fall of Ten Count via Fightful. “He is a guy who, people know how talented he is, but I still feel in many ways he's one of the most underrated guys on the roster. He's still so incredible and so worthy and deserving. I always want the best things for both of partners. Woods is definitely a guy, I'd love to see him get a real run at a singles title. I know he's been talking about the IC Title as of late and going from there. I'd love to see him be a World Champion. He's deserving.”

As crazy as it may sound, Woods has only actually wrestled for a singles championship three times in WWE, taking on John Cena for the United States Championship in 2015, Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship – kind of – in 2021, and the Intercontinental Championship back in April, when he unsuccessfully challenged Gunther for the strap on SmackDown. While folks shouldn't feel too bad for Woods, as he's held 10 different titles across RAW, SmackDown, and NXT since making his debut in 2015, it would be nice to see the PHD add “singles champion” to his resume, too.

Big E is happy to see WWE fans still remember him.

Elsewhere on Ten Count, Big E was asked about his time away from WWE and how it feel to be off the road for the first time since joining WWE in 2009. Despite the decision to slow down being out of his control, Big E has embraced the challenge, as it's opened up time for him to pursue other opportunities outside of the ring.

“Your life changes fairly drastically. I’ve been on the road, especially since I’ve been out of the neck brace, but in a different capacity. Whether it’s RAW or SmackDown every week, we have live events and you’re used to that, that ‘hamster wheel’. This has been different. I’ve been with the company since I’ve been 23 years old,” Big E said via WrestleZone. “It’s been 14 years of being with the company. Even when I was with FCW and not on TV, we were still doing shows on the weekends. So to have Saturdays and Sundays free and see friends, it’s different. Although I wouldn’t have prayed to break my neck in three places, it’s not something I’m necessarily excited about. But it’s opened up some opportunities for me in different ways that I’ve been able to appreciate.”

Asked if he was worried that fans would forget about him in his absence, Big E admitted he was, but so far, that hasn't been the case.

“Honestly, I am surprised. With kids too, I would think if you’re 5-6 years old, I’ve been out for a year and a half, there’s a good chance you might have never seen me wrestle, or maybe you just don’t remember me,” Big E noted. “So you always think with what we do, and just in entertainment in general and sports, the machine keeps going,” Big E said. “There are new athletes, new talent that come in and out, but the wheel will keep running. That’s something that we all know, and you have to prepare yourself for,” he stated. “But it’s really been humbling after a year and a half, people still asking about me, and they want me to return. It’s been cool to see people haven’t forgotten, so thank you for not forgetting.”

Honestly, good on Big E for not only being so gosh darn positive but for crafting a character that has so much staying power it has transcended a year and a half off of television. If he does transition over to commentary full-time, WWE won't have to spend much time re-introducing fans to the third member of New Day.