Big E has shared the story behind one of WWE’s most recognizable catchphrases, “Don’t you dare be sour. Feel the power.”
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the former WWE Champion explained that the line grew out of The New Day’s effort to craft an instantly recognizable entrance, working alongside legendary composer Jim Johnston. “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.”
After landing on the “It’s a New Day, yes it is” intro, Big E said the office wanted something more, and his first attempts were town-specific rhymes that quickly proved impractical. “My first one was something like, all Fort Lauderdale, you feel it in your body,” he recalled of a night in the city. “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 on the road.
Big E eventually worked backward from “feel the power” to arrive at the now-iconic phrasing. “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.
The built-in catchphrase has since opened doors well beyond WWE. Big E noted he has used it for NASCAR introductions and boxing walkouts, including ring entrances for Shawn Porter. “Now having this built-in thing that I can kind of tinker with,” he said, he also puts it to use on the personalized video platform Cameo.
Notably, Big E revealed that he donates his Cameo proceeds to charity. After previously raising more than $30,000 for Feeding America, he now directs the money to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “I do all that just for charity,” he said.