WWE Wrestlemania

Only an elite few can lay claim to having their entrance song performed live on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Intercontinental champion Big E will join that select group when Grammy-nominated rapper Wale sings him to the ring before his bout with Apollo Crews on Night 2 of WWE WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.

The Powerhouse of Positivity has been entering to the tune of "Feel the Power" by Wale since December 4. And three weeks later, he defeated Sami Zayn on the Christmas Day edition of SmackDown to claim his second Intercontinental Championship.

Sunday will mark the first live musical 'Mania performance since Joan Jett performed "Bad Reputation" for Ronda Rousey in the main event of WrestleMania 35. Given Big E's ties to this year's host city, Tampa, Florida, no one made more sense to receive that treatment than the former New Day man.

"He's one of my favorite rappers there is, but also to have my friend and someone who's a huge wrestling fan, I was geeked just to be able to get him to perform," Big E told Bleacher Report. "To have him perform for me at home—Tampa's my home—is incredible. I'm so stoked about it. We've been trying to get Wale for years. We tried to get him at a 'Mania a couple of years ago, but things didn't work out. I'm so excited about it and I know he is, too, because as a big fan, it's a dream come true."

Wale has long been a part of the WWE family. In addition to hosting his own star-studded WrestleMania weekend get-togethers over the years, he's done commentary for 205 Live and appeared on SmackDown as the host for the New Day-Usos rap battle in July 2017.

Meanwhile, Big E has never had a one-on-one WrestleMania match, so Sunday will be special for both him and his close friend. A request was made to get Wale involved in the event, and both parties accepted immediately.

Big E discussed how he doesn't think Wale gets enough credit for the work he's put into building a bridge between the sports-entertainment world and hip-hop.

"One of the things that I realized years ago is that so many of the rappers as a hip-hop head that I really enjoyed were big, massive wrestling fans," he said. "I thought, 'Man, we should be doing so much more to connect those two bridges.' I love that and that's what he's been doing: bringing the culture to WWE and I think it's so dope."

The intercontinental champion revealed that Wale found out about the possibility of performing live for him at WrestleMania before him. When the idea was brought up to Big E via text soon after, he responded with a resounding "yes."

Wale is usually busy over WrestleMania weekend hosting WaleMania, but this year will be different due to the current circumstances. Instead, other than singing for Big E at The Show of Shows, he'll be focusing his efforts on promoting his newly announced exclusive apparel collection in collaboration with FootLocker.

The line of clothing honors Black wrestling world champions of the past and present, including Kofi Kingston, Sasha Banks, Booker T and others, and is already available for purchase.

Being back in front of fans will be a surreal experience for them both. WrestleMania will be WWE's first major gathering of fans since early March 2020, so having a live performance on top of everything else planned is merely the icing on the cake.

"It's almost like a reunion," Big E said. "We're all back together! On top of that, this is home for me. This is my city. Born and raised here, still live here, so that's incredible. We're just excited to get back to doing what we do. I think that's the beauty of our business: just that live, almost unpredictability with the fans. I love that they have the ability to tell you whether something is good, whether something is bad, I love that organic response. I love that we're getting the opportunity to get back to it."

Not only does Big E call Tampa home, Raymond James Stadium is also where he played his high school all-star football game in 2003. He went on to train at Florida Championship Wrestling, which was WWE's developmental territory from 2007 to 2012, located right down the street from the stadium.

His main roster run has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. Despite winning his first IC title within a year of his arrival, his reign was largely forgettable and he was relegated to the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal that year while champion.

Everything happens for a reason, though, and now he's come full circle with a championship defense against Crews in what is being billed as a Nigerian Drum Fight.

WrestleMania has hosted a slew of stellar intercontinental title matches over the years from Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage to Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon. It can be argued that Big E vs. Crews is the most meaningful IC clash in recent WrestleMania history because of the bad blood that's been brewing between them for months.

He hopes to further cement his legacy as a champion by walking in and out of The Granddaddy of Them All on Sunday night with the gold in his grasp.

"The lineage is incredible," Big E said. "My hope is to be worthy of some of the best to ever do it and that's something I don't take flippantly. I always want to remember that, what this championship means and the legends who have held it. I want to be worthy as being spoken in the same breath as them. It's constant, constant work. It's never resting on your laurels and never thinking it's time to coast. That's always something I try to remember. So many greats have held this, and when all is said and done, I want to be considered one of them."

History has taught us that almost anyone who has had their entrance theme performed live at WrestleMania has less likelier chance of coming out on top, but with WWE superfan and hip-hop star Wale in his corner, Big E may just prove to be the exception.

Catch Wale's live musical performance for Big E on Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 this Sunday, streaming exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. and WWE Network everywhere else.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.

When Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley clash for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania on Saturday, they do so as rivals. But at the same time, they are journeymen whose paths to the top of the sports-entertainment industry are far more similar than you may realize.

From heightened expectations to early departures, Impact Wrestling to WWE's top prize, they have traveled the same roads ahead of their titanic battle on wrestling's grandest stage and, in doing so, have taught WWE that sometimes it's best play is the long game.

Chosen Ones

Bobby Lashley exploded on to the scene in WWE in 2005, and within a year and a half, he was a focal point in the WrestleMania 23 main event. Donald Trump's hand-picked representative, he defeated Vince McMahon's Umaga before joining the future President of the United States and special referee "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in shaving McMahon's head.

On that night, in the midst of a major mainstream moment, it appeared as though Lashley was on the fast track to sports-entertainment dominance. Within 10 months, he would be gone from the company.

Two years later, Drew McIntyre was introduced to the WWE Universe as Vince McMahon's chosen one. He was a can't-miss prospect with all the potential in the world to one day be the face of the company.

Early success gave way to utter disappointment, though, as McIntyre fell out of favor, descending from prized young star to undercard comedy act as one-third of 3MB. While he was still on the show every week, it became clear his future was not as bright as it once was. And by 2014, he was released from his contract and left at a career crossroads.

Both competitors were groomed for excellence early but their stars burned out before they had the chance to shine, with WWE management's inability to play the long game and a lack of patience on its part to properly develop them leading to their departures.

Making an Impact

For Lashley and McIntyre, the only way to grow and evolve into the performers they needed to be in order to achieve their goals, they needed to go away. They needed to get far away from the overproduced nature of WWE and the lofty expectations set by its management and develop.

McIntyre traveled the world and competed against the best independent talent around, many of whom are now under contract with WWE. Lashley would turn to MMA, competing for Bellator, where he amassed a 5-0 record between 2014 and 2016.

It was not until they arrived in Impact Wrestling at roughly the same time that the world had the opportunity to see the wrestlers they had become.

McIntyre had expanded the skill set that earned him the Chosen One label, and Lashley had discovered his in-ring confidence while battling in the cages of Bellator. Both men were more polished than they were in WWE, and their star power from having competed in McMahon's promotion allowed them to achieve immediate success.

Within a year of his Impact debut, McIntyre had defeated Matt Hardy for the world title. Lashley needed less time, winning his first title with the company within two months of his debut. Their paths would intersect for the first time with the company, with Lashley getting the best of McIntyre to win his third title.

For all the success they had with the promotion and the confidence and exposure they acquired, though, it was always a launching pad for bigger and better things. Those things would be achieved in the company they once called home under much different circumstances.

Homecoming

McIntyre and Lashley returned to WWE after signing major free-agent deals with the company. The former put in time as part of the NXT brand before a main roster call-up in 2018 as part of the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw. Apropos, Lashley debuted the same night.

Both arrived with heightened expectations, this time on the part of the fans who were familiar with what they accomplished elsewhere and expected them to emerge as prominent forces in WWE right off the bat.

They did to varying degrees, but both endured stumbling blocks. McIntyre became a sidekick for Shane McMahon, while Lashley found himself stuck in the midcard and overshadowed by mouthpiece Lio Rush.

But things would get better.

McIntyre won the 2020 men's Royal Rumble and embarked on a Road to WrestleMania that would see him emerge as the heavy favorite in his WWE Championship feud with Brock Lesnar. Lashley overcame horrendous booking and a potentially career-derailing storyline with Lana to find rejuvenation as the CEO of The Hurt Business.

The Scot's title win propelled him to the top of the industry, while Lashley's slower rise earned him respect. His title win over The Miz, whom he helped defeat McIntyre, set the familiar foes on a collision course for WrestleMania 37.

Their battle may be one of the marquee matches on the card, but it is also a representation of the grind that it takes to achieve excellence in WWE. Some emerge from developmental, and management has grand plans for them that, come hell or high water, manifest in a major push and multiple title wins.

Others take longer to develop and grow into their roles. For every John Cena, Batista or Randy Orton there is a Lashley or a McIntyre, who had major expectations heaped on them but needed to break free of the WWE machine to find themselves as performers.

They did, working different styles against a variety of opponents before finally achieving what so many expected of them earlier in their careers.

Both men arrive at WrestleMania as titans in their field, the success stories they were meant to be, with the spotlight shining brightly on them as they compete for the top prize in the industry. After a long and arduous journey, it is up to them to thrive on the grandest stage they will ever compete on.