Big E Is Thankful King Kong Bundy Approved Of Him Using The Five Count Gimmick

Big E was a dominant star in NXT. During his time in the Black and Gold brand, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion had a special gimmick. To prove his dominance, he would pin his opponents for a five count as opposed to the traditional three count. It was a gimmick that was previously used by wrestling legend King Kong Bundy.

During his most recent interview with Sarah O’Connell, the Muscle of New Day shared his thoughts on the gimmick and King Kong Bundy. While Big E was unable to discuss it with the legend, he was happy that Bundy saw it as a sign of respect.

“No. I never did, unfortunately [Never met with King Kong Bundy to talk about the Five Count Pinfalls], before he passed. We followed each other on Twitter for a little while. So there was some interactions there. But no. I never got a chance to meet him, unfortunately. But yeah. He’s someone that I definitely had a lot of respect for. And I was very thankful that he was gracious about me borrowing his gimmick. He’s… It was his.

“He’s the one that made it famous and it is always, especially as a young talent as a young wrestler when you get to co-sign from legends or the OGs that came before you or even just a thumbs up, you know it really means a lot. You know, to have the respect of guys that you grew up watching. And that was always my hope, is that he took it as a sign of respect and homage as opposed to just me stealing it. So yeah, unfortunately, I never got the chance but salute to the legend King Kong Bundy,” Big E said.