BIG E has opened up on the pressures of being WWE Champion as he prepares for his toughest defence yet.
The 35-year-old side has successfully overcome all challenges since he won the title for the very first time back in September.
But the New Day star now has not one, not two, but THREE men attempting to snatch his most-coveted possession at the Day 1 pay-per-view on January 1.
He now takes on Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley in a match knowing that he could lose the championship without even being pinned himself.
However, speaking exclusively to SunSport as tickets went on sale for the two-night WrestleMania 38 on April 2 and 3 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas/Arlington, Texas, he insisted he was wasting no time worrying about the odds being stacked against him – although that was before Lashley got himself into the mix last night on Raw.
Big E, who has revealed he would love to face Tyson Fury at Mania, said: “When I won the WWE championship I realised that I had to be ready to face the best of the best at all times.
“Obviously, it makes it a little bit more difficult to walk out of Atlanta the WWE Champion when I don’t even have to be in the ring, I could be on the floor, and lose my title if Seth pins Kevin or Kevin pins Seth.
“That’s an element that’s out of my hands but I don’t worry about those things.
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“I know these guys are incredibly talented, I take my hat off to them, and they are both former World Champions and incredible at what they do.
“But that’s the nature of the beast when you are in this position – you have to be in position to face the very best and I don’t waste any effort or breath worrying about them.”
Big E recently showcased his talents away from the ring to star in a video package ahead of Fury’s brilliant trilogy fight victory over Deontay Wilder.
He then accompanied Shawn Porter to the ring for his brave defeat to Terence Crawford last month.
And as his star power continues to grow away from the ring since winning the big one, he opened up on the pressures of holding the biggest prize in wrestling – and the secret behind managing everything that comes with being the face of Monday Night Raw.
Big E said: “It hasn’t been tough but there have been some challenges. I’ve been very busy, and at this rate, I’m doing media about every other day.
“Before it might be media once a week or every other week, but now when I look at my calendar, we have red dots, and every day I have a red dot which means I’ve got a work obligation.
“I looked at November and it was just red dot day after day. I didn’t have my first full day off until the day before Thanksgiving.
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“As busy as I’ve been, and it can be tiring and you have sleepless nights, I’m having so much fun.
“Being able to be part of Fury vs Wilder, to walk out Shawn Porter in his last fight ever… doing all of these incredible things… the WWE Championship has been like a passport to me to open up all of these doors and I’m extremely grateful for that.
“But in the same vein, I think maybe if I had won the title a few years ago it maybe would have worn on me more mentally, but I’m someone who in every interview at some point I’m talking about meditation.
“That has been a godsend for me and I think that I’ve really learned to do a better job of being in the moment and present.
“I still think too much about the future and the past but I think one of the benefits of that is that I don’t spend time over thinking or worrying, it’s just kind of tackling what’s in front of me.
“I feel capable of going out there and having a great match with Roman Reigns and waking up at 5am to do a full day of media.
“I know within me that I’m ready for this and can do everything in front of me. In many ways, this year of being aged 35, has been the best year of my life.
“It’s been very busy and packed with a lot of things, but I’m ready to handle all of them.”