When EC3 was released from WWE in 2020, it seemingly lit a five under Dixie Carter’s Kayfabe nephew’s behind to really make something of himself in professional wrestling.
Now sure, Ethan Carter III had accomplished a good bit in his professional wrestling career up to that point, earning three different title reigns during his run in TNA/Impact – aka the family business – winning the Impact World Championship on two occasions and following that up with an Impact Grand Championship win in 2017, but his time in WWE was marred by misfires and under-appreciation, with just four 24/7 Championship runs to his name.
Asked about how his second run in WWE came to an end, EC3 admitted that it “sucked” before explaining his biggest regret from that run with the company.
“It was horrible; it sucked from a business and a personal standpoint. But I’ve never been bitter or resentful or angry, because everything that happens to you has to happen to you, for reasons that either pan out or they don’t,” EC3 told Under The Ring via Wrestling Inc.
“Did I do everything I possibly could to make sure they knew who the ‘F’ I was? Probably not. If I have a regret, my regret is I didn’t go all in, to either get fired or get what I thought I deserved. I kind of just let it lay, because it’s very easy to kind of just, ‘Well, I’m getting paid a bunch of money. If I speak up, I could take that risk and make more and get what I really feel like I should have, or I could get fired and have nothing.’ So it’s kind of a tough situation.”
Could EC3 have done more to get himself over in WWE? You bet; his initial time in NXT was promising, but much of that promise disappeared when he was called up to the main roster. Still, in the end, EC3 has fully come into his own on the indies during this current run, and while he may not be for everyone, there’s a reason he’s one of the top guys in NWA.
Free from WWE, EC3 reveals why he feels he’s a perfect fit in NWA.
Speaking of NWA, after attempting to run his own promotion, Control Your Narrative, EC3 has settled into a main event spot in Billy Corgan’s promotion, where he currently sits pretty as the NWA National Heavyweight Champion.
Discussing his current run in NWA on Under the Ring, EC3 revealed why he feels as though he’s found a home in the legacy promotion.
“A lot can change in a year, and that was a tough year. Physically, mentally, spiritually, in all aspects. Coming into NWA, it gave me a little stability and something to kind of fight for while I was trying to build, and I still am building. What I’m building is what my intention was, CYN, to be a platform and an ideal and a mindset for, not only the aspiring professional wrestler but any person that finds inspiration and aspiration to become who they’re supposed to be,” EC3 said via Fightful.
“But through NWA, through one year, physically too, I went through it. Coming into NWA, I was in tip-top shape, but I had an injury that was undiagnosable. I had something that was wrong with me that couldn’t be cured. You could see it in my body. I had atrophy develop on my right side, and trained through that, worked through that. Fortunately I never had to have surgery, beaten that. That physical aspect took place. It was a hard year, but it was a necessary year because only through the hard, only through the suffering, can you become who you’re supposed to be, can you come out of it on the other side. To have the top spot at NWA 75, to have an opportunity to become the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, it’s a great honor I do not take lightly. It is a great honor to be the future NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. The title has a prestige, it has a legacy. You can look at any company and world champions, and they’re all champions in their own right. But the history and the linage of the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, it’s the one.”
Will EC3 secure the 10 pounds of gold at NWA 75, ending the reign of Tyrus and finally giving fans a Worlds Heavyweight Champion who can actually go in the ring? Maybe yes, maybe no, but in the end, it’s clear EC3 is having a much better time in NWA than WWE, which, in the end, is all that really matters.
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