5 interesting facts about EC3

Ethan Carter III (EC3) made his return to NXT this year and has finally found his home. After his initial run in the company as Derrick Bateman, EC3 was quite disheartened by the gimmick he was awarded and the way he was being used.

After some time away from the WWE, he returned to the now developmental brand NXT and has found a lot of fame and success in very little time.

So much so that he is already in line for a main roster move and probably a decent push on RAW and SmackDown Live which can open up a lot of opportunities for him in the future.

Wrestling alongside Fandango initially during his time in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship, EC3 is destined for much more success than his former tag team championship partner.

You may have seen EC3 battle in the ring a few times now, but how much do you know about his former acts and achievements? Check out 5 fascinating facts about EC3 before he makes his main roster debut!

#5 He has beaten three legends of the sport

EC3 has been wrestling for a significant amount of time now. He has wrestled for over 16 years and has just reached a new peak in his career.

It might come as a surprise to many, but EC3 has actually beaten 3 of the biggest legends in the world of wrestling. All three men have wrestled for multiple wrestling promotions, especially the WWE and TNA.

He faced Sting in Impact Wrestling on December 26, 2013, where he teamed up with Rockstar Spud and The BroMans (Robbie E and Jessie Godderz) in a four-on-two handicap match against Sting and Jeff Hardy, where Carter pinned Sting.

He went on to beat Sting again on January 2, 2014, after some help from the special guest referees Magnus and Rockstar Spud.

Soon after this rivalry, he got into a rivalry with Kurt Angle and beat him on the May 8, 2014, episode of Impact Wrestling. EC3 also injured Angle’s knee in the process and capitalized on the injury.

Finally, he got into a rivalry with Bubba Ray Dudley who threatened to put his aunt, Dixie Carter, through a table after the match. This resulted in a Texas Death match at Slammiversary XII, which EC3 won with help from Dixie Carter and Rockstar Spud.

These three wins have helped him earn the nickname- Hardcore American Icon.

#4 Daniel Bryan was his mentor

In 2010, EC3 featured on NXT under his former ring name Derrick Bateman. During the finale of season three of NXT, it was announced that Bateman would be part of the fourth season, with Season 1 alumnus Daniel Bryan as his mentor.

Not just that, but he even made his in-ring debut alongside Daniel Bryan on the December 7 episode of NXT, in a losing effort against Conor O'Brian and his Pro Alberto Del Rio.

His first singles match on NXT was against Alberto Del Rio which he lost too.

The most notable segment of theirs was a hilarious "Mr. and Mrs." segment where the pair were tasked with providing similar answers to personal questions.

EC3 spent a long time in NXT before he made his way to Impact Wrestling where he found a lot of success and became known as EC3.

However, not only was Bryan his mentor, but he even made his in-ring debut with the superstar. We hope he can find as much success as his mentor when he makes his main roster debut.

#3 He advertised The World’s Strongest Man cologne

In January 2011, Derrick Bateman aka EC3 made an impact of a different nature on Raw. In a pre-taped video segment, where he played the part of a scientist at the ‘Bateman-Institute’, he advertised a Mark Henry brand cologne which was supposedly developed at his science lab.

The reason for this was unknown at the time as the gimmick was never followed up by any match with or against Mark Henry in the future. It seemed like the creatives had planned something but pulled out later.

Later on, a report by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed that the skit was an internal joke.

The reason behind it was that Henry had a reputation for smelling the worst while sweating as compared to anyone else in the company.

It was so much that many wrestlers even brought up the issue while working with him. Due to that, the ‘cologne’ was used as a joke on Raw where Bateman was the star.

#2 He’s improved on his win-loss record

When EC3 started off with the WWE as Derrick Bateman, he had a rather poor record in NXT. In his initial stint which lasted from 2010-2013, he won only 19 of the 54 matches he competed in, losing the other 35.

Since his return to NXT this year, he has won 50 of the 73 matches he has battled in, losing the other 23.

The reason for this could simply be the growth of the yellow brand, which changed from the weak third brand of the WWE to the strong developmental brand it is today which has some of the best wrestlers in the industry. EC3 has become one of the biggest wrestlers on NXT today and is definitely a much more sought after wrestler today as compared to his initial run.

His work in TNA where he won almost 63% of his matches, which included some big names, has also bolstered his reputation and his value which has significantly helped him develop into one of the best acts today.

#1 He’s a Hollywood star!

Well not a big star, but EC3 has actually featured in a movie. Maybe it was his work in the movie which got him the role in Mark Henry’s cologne ad, or maybe it was just the way he looks, but he was actually cast in a movie.

In the movie The House of the Devil which was released in 2009, EC3 is listed as a ‘Background Talent” under his real name Michael Hunter.

If you search for the movie on IMDb, it has the following story:

In 1983, financially struggling college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger.

Even though it wasn’t a big role or anything, but it’s nice to see him do something outside wrestling where we can all go back and watch the movie and look for the spot where he shows up.

EC3 will soon be making it big in the WWE, and who knows maybe he will actually start starring in movies just like Dwayne Johnson, The Miz, and John Cena!