Big E has revealed how one of WWE’s most famous catchphrases came to life, explaining the origins of The New Day’s iconic “Don’t you dare be sour. Feel the power.”
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the former WWE Champion said the phrase was created as part of The New Day’s efforts to develop an entrance fans would instantly recognise, similar to other legendary WWE themes.
“I always think with wrestling themes, you always want that when you hear the glass break, you know it’s Austin in two seconds,” Big E said. “I always want to know exactly who it is.”
Working alongside longtime WWE composer Jim Johnston, the group first settled on the introduction, “It’s a New Day, yes it is.” However, Big E explained that WWE wanted something more to accompany it.
His initial idea was to create town-specific rhymes for every live event, but he quickly realised the concept wasn’t sustainable while touring.
“My first one was something like, all Fort Lauderdale, you feel it in your body,” he recalled. “This isn’t tenable. I’m not gonna be able to come up with something for every town,” especially while working five shows a week.
Instead, Big E said the group landed on “Feel the power” first before building the rest of the catchphrase around it.
“We decided fairly early that ‘feel the power’ was something that was going to be a good catchphrase, so we worked backwards from there with the ‘don’t you dare be sour,'” he said.
Big E added that the phrase has continued to benefit him long after his full-time in-ring career ended. He has used variations of the catchphrase while introducing NASCAR events and boxing ring walks, including those for Shawn Porter, as well as in personalised Cameo videos.
Big E Says All His Cameo Videos Support Charity
The former WWE Champion also revealed that every Cameo booking he completes supports charity. After previously raising more than $30,000 for Feeding America, he now donates the proceeds to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“I do all that just for charity,” Big E said.
