Whether intentionally or not, when Michael Cole, Big E, CM Punk, and Pat McAfee closed out the WrestleMania 40 Kickoff event in Las Vegas by discussing The Rock's controversial decision to slap Cody Rhodes in the face, they verbally solidified the newest feud that has since swept the WWE Universe: the workmen versus the special attractions.

Now granted, it's not like WWE hasn't been known to push performers who don't show up on weekly television or work the house show scene regularly, as Brock Lesnar's second run with the company was borderline defined by long periods of hibernation between big money bouts but after watching Roman Reigns negotiate a lighter and lighter schedule with each subsequent year as champion, seeing The Rock return to a main event spot after nearly a decade away from the ring left more than a few boys in the back upset to say the least.

I mean, need I say more than Seth Rollins?

Discussing the backlash against The Bloodline by the top performer on RAW in an interview on The Bump, Big E revealed the very real tension in the back between full-time performers like Rollins and part-timers like Reigns, as everyone wants to become that level of a main event star but few appreciate seeing big opportunities set aside for the same “attraction” acts PLE after PLE.

“I think he speaks for, in many ways, the locker room of guys who are there week in and week out, who are there on a nightly basis. That grind, it really builds a certain camaraderie and a certain respect for each other,” Big E told The Bump via Fightful. “Even if you don't see eye-to-eye, ‘I respect that you're here every single night.' Look, on the same hand, the goal is really, in many ways, to become a Roman, to become a Rock, to be in a position where you're not there every single night, where you're an attraction, where you're special. It's really this dichotomy, is back and forth, which I really love, this push-pull, because who could ever blame a Roman or The Rock for being in a position like that? For us as hungry guys who are really there on a nightly basis, really pushing the product forward with what we're doing on a weekly basis, it's special. So I love that push-pull because look, we all want to be in that Rock/Roman position, too, but you also have a certain love for the guys with you who are grinding.”

While there are a few legit main eventers who are happy to work every show on the WWE calendar, with Rollins and Rhodes both working over 100 matches for the promotion in 2023 alone, the precedent set by Reigns has created a bit of a disconnect, where some performers now strive to become less involved to instead commit some free time to acting in films and pursuing other opportunities. If Reigns retains at Mania, it's safe to say this dichotomy will only continue to grow.

Big E is happy to see Jey Uso wrestle with New Day.

One of the other questions Big E was asked on The Bump might just be the most interesting: how does he feel about Jey Uso joining forces with the other two members of the New Day, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods? Does Big E feel down on being quasi-replaced by his former in-ring rival? Or is he excited to see the three men working together, as they are all rallied together against a new, heelish trio in Imperium?

Unsurprisingly, Big E has no ill feelings toward “New Jey,” as they all came up together within the WWE system.

“You would think, but look, man, when you have those knockdown, drag-out fights, time is coming in with guys like that. You build a certain level of respect. We all have to remember the moment where, on The Road to WrestleMania/KofiMania, where we had the Gauntlet Match, and The Usos came out and said, ‘You know what, we forfeit,' so, you know what? Things are good. I feel like we smoked the peace pipe, we buried the hatchet, all those things. Jey has been on one incredible run,” Big E explained via WrestleTalk.

“Man, we go back so far. I think back to you, FCW, when I used to pick him up. He didn't have a car to go to practice and train. We're talking about 12-13 years ago. To see him where he's at right now in his run, all the respect to Jey.”

You know, if someone has to replace Big E for a match or two against New Day, there really aren't many options better than a babyface Jey Uso, as his tag team has shared the ring with the faction hundreds of times – literally – over the years and have wrestled some incredibly important matches together, including the bout that made Jimmy and Jey the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions of all time and the first-ever SmackDown Tag Team Championship win by New Day back in 2017. All things considered, the pairing is a solid way to keep everyone's legacies alive and kicking.