.jpg) EC3 in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Hutter (1983-03-18)March 18, 1983 (age 42) Willoughby,Ohio, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Agent D Derrick Bateman EC3[1] E-Singh-3 Ethan Carter III Michael Hutter Mike Hutter |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 231 lb (105 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Boca Raton, Florida[4] Cleveland, Ohio Palm Springs, Florida[2] Willoughby, Ohio[5] |
| Trained by | Florida Championship Wrestling Bryan Danielson |
| Debut | 2002[6] |
Michael Hutter[7] (born March 18, 1983)[8] is an Americanprofessional wrestler and promoter better known by thering nameEthan Carter III (or simplyEC3). He is signed to theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is a formerNWA World's Heavyweight Champion andNWA National Heavyweight Champion. He also performs on theindependent circuit. He is best known for his tenures withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) andWWE, where he performed both under his EC3 ring name and, earlier, asDerrick Bateman. He also appeared forOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he is a formerOVW National Heavyweight Champion.
Hutter began his professional wrestling career in 2002, and began wrestling for theOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW)promotion in 2007. In 2009, he signed a contract with WWE, where he competed as Derrick Bateman. He was assigned to WWE'sdevelopmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he won theFCW Florida Tag Team Championship withJohnny Curtis.[6] Also, he competed in thefourth andfifth seasons ofNXT,[9] a program where rookies were paired with Pros.
Hutter left WWE in May 2013 and then signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), working with the promotion as Ethan Carter III (often shortened as EC3), the storyline nephew of TNA's ownerDixie Carter. He won theTNA World Heavyweight Championshiptwice and theImpact Grand Championshiponce. He returned to WWE in January 2018 under the EC3 ring name, competing in NXT, before making his main roster debut in early 2019, where he held theWWE 24/7 Championshipfour times. His second tenure with WWE ended in April 2020, and then started his own promotion called Control Your Narrative, which would eventually merge with the NWA in 2022, leading to him signing with the promotion.
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Hutter began his career in Cleveland wrestling regularly for severalpromotions in the Ohio region after making his debut. He wrestled for Pro Wrestling Ohio, making his debut on episode nine of the television show, as an ally ofM-Dogg 20, under the name the "Deviant" Michael Hutter. He immediately beganfeuding with Josh Prohibition andJohnny Gargano and in themain event on episode 13 he teamed with Jason Bane to defeat Prohibition and Gargano. He made his final appearance for the promotion on episode 16, losing to Prohibition in a match to determine the participants in a match for the PWO Heavyweight Championship.[10]
On June 27, 2007, Hutter appeared at a Derby City Wrestling show inLouisville, Kentucky, where he teamed with Osiris to defeat The Belgian Brawler and Apocalypse in a dark match.[11] On December 9, 2007, Firestorm Pro Wrestling held its inaugural showDestroy Erase Improve, which saw the start of a six-man round robin tournament, in which Hutter competed. The tournament lasted nine months, before ending on September 12, 2008 atSomething to Die For. That same show, Hutter won asix-man elimination match to become the inaugural Firestorm Pro Heavyweight Champion.[12] Hutter made his last appearance with Firestorm Pro Wrestling on December 13, 2008, when he vacated the Firestorm Pro Heavyweight Championship, which he later awarded to John McChesney when McChesney won afour-way match for the vacant championship.
On April 14, 2003 Hutter appeared at theHeat tapings prior toRaw as Mike Hunter, where he was defeated byRodney Mack.[13]
On July 24, 2006 he appeared again atHeat, where he teamed with Chris Cronus in a loss toViscera andCharlie Haas.[6] He also appeared onRaw in August 2006, as a police officer withShane McMahon who were to arrestD-Generation X.
Hutter made hisOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW) debut on the March 27, 2007 television tapings, where he lost to Tony Braddock in adark match using his real name. The following week, he lost toMike Mondo in a dark match, before changing hisring name to Mike Hutter. He competed in several more dark matches before the television tapings, teaming withNick Nemeth andChris Cage in a loss to Mike Kruel,Vladimir Kozlov andBoris Alexiev in asix-man tag team match, before losing to Mondo again. On the April 25 television tapings, Hutter teamed with TJ Dalton andJamin Olivencia in defeat toPat Buck, Johnny Punch and Braddock, before losing to Del Electrico in a dark match on the May 2 tapings. Throughout May, he went on to lose to Anthony Polaski (a renamed Tony Braddock) in a dark match andDan Rodman, and on the May 23 tapings, he was attacked by Kruel, Kozlov, and Mr. Strongo. In his final OVW appearance in June, Hutter competed in agauntlet match to earn a match against thenUnited States Champion,Montel Vontavious Porter, but the match was won by Chet The Jet.[14]
Hutter made hisFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) debut on February 9, 2009, as Mike Hutter, when he lost toDrew McIntyre.[15] On February 19, he changed his ring name to Derrick Bateman, and gainedAbraham Washington as amanager as he teamed with Lennox McEnroe in a loss toScotty Goldman andDJ Gabriel.[15] On the February 26 television tapings, Hutter, Washington, and Tristan Delta lost a dark match toBrett DiBiase,Maverick Darsow, andTank Mulligan.[15] In March, he and Dylan Klein lost toKafu and Sweet Papi Sanchez. In April, he became known as Agent D, as part of Washington's Secret Servicestable, alongsideAgent T and Agent J.[15] He reverted to his Derrick Bateman name in June, in a loss to DJ Gabriel.[15]
After a hiatus, Bateman returned to FCW in 2010, teaming with Adam Henderson in a loss to The Rotundo Brothers (Bo andDuke).[16] In March, he lost toRichie Steamboat andJoe Hennig in singles competition, and toJohnny Prime,Orlando Colón, andIncognito as part of a six-man tag team match, before defeating Rudy Parker.[16] He went on to lose toSkip Sheffield,Percy Watson,Mason Ryan,Wes Brisco, and Eli Cottonwood over the next several months.[16] In mid-2010, he formed atag team known as The Handsome Man's Express withLeo Kruger, and the pair unsuccessfully challengedLos Aviadores (Hunico andEpico) for theFCW Florida Tag Team Championship on July 2.[16] The Handsome Man's Express disbanded as a team shortly afterward, with Kruger defeating Bateman in a singles match on July 29.[16] On August 12, 2010, Hutter teamed withJohnny Curtis to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship by defeating the team of Donny Marlow andBrodus Clay and the defending champions,Los Aviadores in athree-way tag team match.[17] They went on to successfully defend the championship againstLos Aviadores, Clay and Marlow, and The Dude Busters (Caylen Croft andTrent Barreta).[16] After a near three-month reign, Bateman and Curtis lost the championship toWes Brisco andXavier Woods on November 4.[18]
During the finale ofseason three ofNXT, it was announced that Bateman would be part of thefourth season, with Season 1 alumnusDaniel Bryan as his mentor.[9][19][20] He made his in-ring debut on the December 7 episode ofNXT, teaming with Daniel Bryan in a loss toConor O'Brian and his ProAlberto Del Rio.[21] He had his first singles match on the December 14 episode ofNXT, but lost to Alberto Del Rio viasubmission.[22] For the next months, he participated in various challenges. Bateman made it to the final three competitors, but was eliminated on the February 22 episode ofNXT.[23] He then returned on the March 1 episode ofNXT, competing in a tag team match with Conor O'Brian defeating the team ofByron Saxton and Jacob Novak.[24] While competing onNXT, Bateman appeared in pre-taped vignette onRaw as a scientist with the "Bateman Institute" advertising a fictionalMark Henrycologne. He also made hisSmackDown debut withDamien Sandow, who refused to fight him. Bateman got his debut match againstRyback and lost.[25]
After a period of absence from WWE programming, Bateman was inserted into thefifth season of NXT as a rookie midway into the competition, returning on the June 28, 2011 episode ofNXT Redemption and bringing back his Pro Daniel Bryan in the process.[26] Meanwhile, Bateman's character began to show morevillainous traits, eventually causing Bryan to abandon him after declaring that Bateman was making a fool out of himself.[27] In July, Bateman started a long feud withTitus O'Neil that lasted until November, as both of them frequently traded wins and losses in a series of matches.[27][28][29] In August,Maxine made her return toNXT as Bateman's girlfriend, and she started a concurrent feud with O'Neil's friendAJ.[29] Bateman and Maxine lost to O'Neil and AJ on the September 6 episode ofNXT Redemption.[30] On the October 26 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman proposed to Maxine, who accepted the proposal after slapping and kissing him.[31] On the November 2 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman and Maxine became known as "Beta-Max", and they participated in a six-person tag match along withJTG in a loss to O'Neil, AJ andPercy Watson.[32]
On the November 9 episode ofNXT Redemption, Maxine revealed to Bateman that she and his former friendJohnny Curtis went on a date, and they later tag teamed together in a winning effort against the team of Titus O' Neil and Percy Watson. On the December 7 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman defeated Johnny Curtis in singles competition, turningface once again, and afterwards broke up with Maxine thinking he flirted with her mother. After Bateman again defeated Johnny Curtis in a singles match on the December 28 episode ofNXT Redemption, Maxine again turned on Bateman, thinking he was trying to ruin her career, kissing Curtis and leaving with him.[33] The next week on the January 4 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman lost in singles competition toDarren Young after a distraction from Johnny Curtis and Maxine announcing that they're getting married inLas Vegas.[34] On the 100th episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman interrupted Johnny Curtis and Maxine'swedding ceremony by showing asecurity cameravideo clip in hislocker room of Johnny Curtis stealing Bateman'siPad and sending anemail toTheodore Long about getting rid of Maxine and going toSmackDown, and was later reunited with Maxine.
On the February 15 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman teamed withJustin Gabriel to defeat the team ofHeath Slater and Johnny Curtis, and afterwards saved his friendKaitlyn from Maxine.[35] Two weeks later, Kaitlyn confessed her love for Bateman, kissing him during anintervention also involving Justin Gabriel andAlicia Fox, until Maxine came out and again attacked Kaitlyn.[36] On the March 7 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman was backstage with Johnny Curtis and Maxine, who revealed to Bateman that they are no longer dating after Kaitlyn kissed Bateman, leading to Bateman and Kaitlyn defeating Curtis and Maxine in a mixed tag team match. On the March 14 episode ofNXT Redemption, he confessed his love for Kaitlyn and kissed her, solidifying their relationship.[37][38] On the March 21 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman and Kaitlyn were backstage withTamina talking about his and Kaitlyn's newfound relationship, and later encountered Maxine and Johnny Curtis, who accused them of being involved withMatt Striker's disappearance.[39] Bateman was accompanied by Kaitlyn in singles competition on the March 28 episode ofNXT Redemption, losing toHunico.[40] Bateman and Kaitlyn discovered Matt Striker in a janitor's closet hidden byCurt Hawkins andTyler Reks on the April 11 episode ofNXT Redemption. On the April 25 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman was attacked by JTG, but later went on to defeat him in singles competition. Bateman made his televised return on the May 4 episode ofSmackDown where he once again faced Ryback, but was defeated. On the May 9 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman was attacked backstage by an unknown person.[41] On the May 30 episode ofNXT Redemption, Bateman competed in a tag team match with Percy Watson and Justin Gabriel in a winning effort against Johnny Curtis,Michael McGillicutty, and JTG.[42] Bateman competed on the June 8 episode ofSmackDown againstBrodus Clay in a losing effort.[43] On the final episode of the fifth season ofNXT on June 13, Bateman teamed with Percy Watson in a losing effort against Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks.[44]
After the conclusion ofNXT Redemption, NXT transitioned into the renamed FCW developmental territory.[45] Bateman then continued to appear onNXT, where he defeated rival Johnny Curtis on the June 27 episode ofNXT.[46] On the October 27 episode ofSaturday Morning Slam, Bateman lost toUnited States ChampionAntonio Cesaro in a non-title match.[47] In January 2013, Bateman entered theNXT Tag Team Championship tournament along withAlex Riley, but they were eliminated in the first round after a loss toKassius Ohno andLeo Kruger.[48] On May 17, 2013, Bateman was released from his contract, ending his four-year tenure with the company.[49] His final match prior to his release was a non-title match againstNXT ChampionBig E Langston on the May 29tapings ofNXT, which he lost.[50]
Hutter worked a dark match on August 29, 2013 before theImpact Wrestling television tapings in Cleveland, Ohio, losing toJay Bradley. On September 26, TNA aired a vignette about a new talent, Ethan. The following week, another vignette aired as it was later reported that Hutter had signed withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and would be debuting with the new character asDixie Carter's spoiled nephew.[51] The following week, another vignette aired revealing Hutter's new ring name as Ethan Carter III (EC3).[52]
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On October 20, Carter made his TNA debut atBound for Glory as aheel, defeating jobberNorv Fernum.[53] Carter defeated another jobber Dewey Barnes on the October 24 episode ofImpact Wrestling.[54] On November 21 at theImpact Wrestling: Turning Point special episode, Carter took a step up in competition defeatingShark Boy. Since then, Carter had matches with other jobbers, billed as TNA Legends, likeCurry Man or refereeEarl Hebner. On the December 12 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter was confronted bySting and was issued an option; either face Sting immediately, or enter theFeast or Fired match. Carter entered the Feast or Fired match and grabbed one of the briefcases,[55] which was revealed to contain a futureTNA World Tag Team Championship match.[56] On the December 26 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter teamed withRockstar Spud andThe BroMans (Robbie E andJessie Godderz) in a four-on-two handicap match against Sting andJeff Hardy, where Carter pinned Sting.[57] On the January 2, 2014 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter was challenged by Sting for a match at theImpact Wrestling: Genesis episode,[58] a match which Carter would win after help from thespecial guest refereesMagnus and Rockstar Spud.[59] On the February 6 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter attackedKurt Angle to save Magnus from losing by submission against him, then launched a vicious assault targeting Angle's surgically repaired left knee, resulting in serious injuries.[60] The following week, Carter teamed with Magnus losing toGunner andJames Storm in a tag team ladder match where Carter's and Gunner's Feast or Fired briefcases were on the line.
On the February 6 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Kurt Angle had a match against Magnus, which Angle won by disqualification, when EC3 attacked him, performing a leglock, which injured his knee. On the February 27 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Angle officially accepted his induction into theTNA Hall of Fame, but the ceremony was interrupted by EC3, who said he tore Angle's knee ligaments and therefore must retire. However, Angle attacked him and challenged him to a match at Lockdown.[61] On the March 6 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Angle was attacked again by EC3. It was announced after that night'sImpact Wrestling that Kurt Angle, due to EC3's attack, would be pulled from the Lockdown card due to a tornMCL.[62] On March 9, atLockdown,Bobby Lashley answered Carter's open challenge after his scheduled opponent (Kurt Angle) couldn't wrestle due to injury the match ended in a no contest. The following week onImpact Wrestling, Lashley and Carter had a rematch which Carter won via disqualification after an assault byWillow on Carter. This started a feud between the two, as EC3 and Rockstar Spud attempted to search for Willow in the woods. However, they were both attacked by Willow. AtSacrifice, they were defeated by Willow and a returning Kurt Angle. On the May 8, 2014 episode ofImpact Wrestling, EC3 faced Kurt Angle, where EC3 won. During the match, Angle re-injured his knee, which allowed EC3 to capitalize on the victory and tear Angle's ACL.
After his feud with Kurt Angle, he started a feud withBully Ray, who threatened to put his aunt, Dixie Carter, through a table after the match. This resulted in aTexas Death match atSlammiversary XII, which EC3 won with help from Dixie Carter and Rockstar Spud. Through TNA's relationship withWrestle-1, Carter made his debut for the Japanese promotion inTokyo on July 6, teaming with Rockstar Spud in a tag team match, where they were defeated byTajiri andYusuke Kodama.[63][64] On the July 3 episode ofImpact Wrestling, EC3 defeated Bully Ray in atables match, following interference fromRhino on Carter's behalf. This prompted Ray to challenge EC3, Rhino, and Spud to a six-man hardcore match withDevon andTommy Dreamer as his partners, which EC3's team won following interference fromRycklon andSnitsky. On the August 7 episode ofImpact Wrestling, EC3, Rhino, Rycklon and Snitsky were defeated in an eight-man Hardcore War againstTeam 3D,Al Snow and Tommy Dreamer. Afterwards, Bully Ray fulfilled his four-month promise by putting Dixie Carter through a table. EC3 would then blame Rhino for Dixie Carter being put through a table, resulting in EC3 attacking him. The following week, he got himself disqualified by repeatedly hitting Rhino with a chair. Spud tried to stop EC3 from the beat down on Rhino, but EC3 threatened to hit him with a chair, thus teasing tension between the two.
On the October 8 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Rockstar Spud snapped and slapped EC3, resulting in Carter firing him as his chief of staff. On October 12, atBound for Glory, EC3 defeated sumo wrestlerRyota Hama. On the October 15 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter introduced his new bodyguardTyrus. Carter and Tyrus entered the TNA World Tag Team Championship number one contenders tournament defeatingEric Young and Rockstar Spud in the quarterfinals only to lose toThe Hardys on the October 29 episode ofImpact Wrestling in the semi-finals, when Tyrus was pinned byMatt Hardy. On December 31, Hutter re-signed with TNA for a multi-year contract.[65] On the March 13, 2015 episode ofImpact Wrestling, EC3's feud with Spud came to a conclusion in ahair vs. hair match which Carter won.
After defeatingMr. Anderson on the May 29 episode ofImpact Wrestling to become the number one contender,[66][67] Carter defeatedKurt Angle on June 25, 2015 (which aired ontape delay on the July 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling) to win theTNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career.[68] Three days later, on June 28, atSlammiversary XIII, Carter and Tyrus defeated Anderson andLashley in the co–main event.[69] On the July 8 episode ofImpact Wrestling, he retained the TNA World Heavyweight Championship three times in one night againstNorv Fernum,Shark Boy and Kurt Angle.[70][71] On the July 15 episode ofImpact Wrestling, EC3 defeatedDrew Galloway to retain his title.[72][73] AtNo Surrender, EC3 defeatedMatt Hardy in aFull Metal Mayhem match.[74] He successfully retained his title against GFW wrestlerPJ Black atTurning Point.[75] Ethan Carter III gave Matt Hardy a last chance to win his title, in a Title vs. Jeff Hardy's Services match, which Matt Hardy accepted. On the September 2 episode ofImpact Wrestling EC3 retained his title and won Jeff Hardy's services. On the September 23 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Ethan Carter III successfully retained his title against his former rivalRockstar Spud. Ethan Carter III finallydropped the championship to Matt Hardy, who pinned Drew Galloway in athree-way match on October 4, atBound For Glory, after special guest referee Jeff Hardy betrayed him, officially ending Carter's reign at 101 days.[76]
Carter then filed an injunction (kayfabe) that banned Matt Hardy from appearing onImpact Wrestling for a month, which forced Hardy to relinquish the title in order to stay on the show.[77] Throughout the rest of the year (taped in July), Carter began competing in theTNA World Title Series for an opportunity to regain the vacant championship, in which he continued his winning streak by defeating the likes of Lashley,[78] Mr. Anderson,[79]DJ Z[80] andDavey Richards.[81]
On the January 5, 2016 live episode ofImpact Wrestling, during its premiere onPop TV, Carter defeated Lashley in the semi–finals and Matt Hardy in the finals, to win the tournament and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for a second time.[82] Three days later, during the tapings ofImpact Wrestling, which aired on January 19, Carter lost the title to Hardy in aLast Man Standing match, after Tyrus turned on Carter and attacked him, turningface in the process.[83] In February, Carter started analliance with his former rivalRockstar Spud in order to even things with Hardy and Tyrus, defeating them in a tag-team match on the February 16 episode ofImpact Wrestling,[84][85][86] only for Spud to attack Carter and cost him his rematch against Hardy during asix sides of steel match atLockdown.[87] On the March 29 episode of Impact Wrestling, EC3 defeated Matt Hardy, Rockstar Spud, Tyrus and Reby Hardy by disqualification in a Four On One Handicap match.
On the March 29 episode ofImpact WrestlingMike Bennett declined a challenge issued to him by Ethan Carter III, leading to Bennett attacking Carter and officially starting a feud between the two.[88] During the April 12 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Bennett and Carter had a match that ended in disqualification when Carter attacked Bennett with a steel chair.[89] On the April 26 episode ofImpact Wrestling: Sacrifice, Bennett defeated Carter by pinfall, ending Carter's unpinned streak.[90] On the May 10 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Bennett declined another challenge from Carter unless Carter faced three of his former enemies; if Carter won all the three matches, then he would get to face Bennett at Slammiversary, to which Carter agreed. His first match was against Rockstar Spud in aSix Sides of Steel match, which Carter won.[91] On the May 17 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter's second match was against Tyrus in aLast Man Standing match, which Carter won.[92] On the May 24 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter won his last match against Matt Hardy, but Bennett refused to give him his rematch, since Carter won by disqualification.[93] On the May 31 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter was put in charge of the show, and he made the match between himself and Bennett official for Slammiversary.[94] On the June 7 episode ofImpact Wrestling, EC3 andGail Kim defeated Mike Bennett andAllie. Ethan Carter III defeated Bennett in a singles match atSlammiversary on June 12.[95]
On two separate occasions, Carter got involved inDrew Galloway's matches with the purpose of aiding him. However his plans backfired when he inadvertently ended up striking Galloway with a chair on the first occasion and the second occasion he struck him with a kendo stick. Following on from this, the two began a heated rivalry, fighting each other on several occasions, including an unsanctioned fight that led to a no-contest atDestination X. Later in August, Carter was involved in thePlayoff, the winner of the series would go on to main event the PPV against the reigning champion at the time of the event. Before appearing in his own semi-final match against Matt Hardy, Carter interfered in a match between Drew Galloway and Mike Bennett, during which he intended to try and make-good on his recent mistakes costing Galloway matches. However, as before, he once again struck Drew Galloway, costing him the match. Carter would eventually win the series defeating long-time rival Mike Bennett. Galloway challenged Carter to a match with the winner going on to face the champion atBound for Glory. The next week, Carter defeated Galloway, withAron Rex as special referee, to keep his spot in the main event of Bound for Glory againstLashley. At Bound for Glory, he was defeated by Lashley. After the PPV, he started a feud againstEli Drake after hisFact of Life segment on the October 6 episode ofImpact Wrestling. On the October 27 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter andJessie Godderz were defeated by Eli Drake and Aron Rex. On the November 24 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter defeated Eli Drake in a title shot vs. voice match where if Carter lost, he would lose his TNA World Heavyweight title shot and if Drake lost, he would not be able to talk for the rest of 2016. On the December 8 episode ofImpact Wrestling, his match againstEddie Edwards for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship ended in a no contest.
On the January 5, 2017, episode ofImpact Wrestling, he challenged Lashley and Eddie Edwards for Edwards' TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match, in a losing effort. AtOne Night Only: Live!, Carter was defeated by Eddie Edwards, and failed to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the January 12 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter was defeated by Lashley in a Last Man Standing match and failed to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the March 9 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter interrupted the debut ofAlberto El Patron saying that he does not deserve a World Championship match. However, his speech was ignored, and a match between El Patron and Lashley was scheduled. Carter watched the main event and congratulated El Patron for his championship win. However, when El Patron relinquished the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, a match between Carter and him for the number one contender was scheduled the following week, which El Patron won by submission.
On April 20 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter interfered in the match betweenLashley andJames Storm for the World Heavyweight Championship, hitting Storm over the head with a beer bottle, thus turningheel in the process once again.[96] On the May 11 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter came out dressed as a cowboy and proceeded to berate Storm and the new management ofImpact Wrestling. Storm then tried to attack Carter, but Carter retaliated by lashing Storm over thirty times with a leather belt, causing significant injury to his back.[97] The following week, Carter was defeated by Storm, after Carter brutally lashed the referee. After the match however, he tried to attack Storm after which Storm came out on top, but was immediately attacked byMagnus. Then,Bruce Prichard announced a three-way match between Carter, Storm and Magnus to determine the number one contender to theImpact World Heavyweight Championship, but after an altercation with Prichard, Carter attacked him.[98] On the May 25 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter defeated Storm and Magnus to become the number one contender to the Impact Wrestling Heavyweight Championship.[99] However, on the June 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter was defeated byAlberto El Patrón in aSix Sides of Steel match, failing to win theGFW Global Championship and lost his opportunity to face Lashley atSlammiversary.[100] At Slammiversary, Carter defeated Storm in a Strap match.[101]
After that, Carter was put in the orbit of the Impact Grand Championship, which he won on the August 3 episode ofImpact Wrestling, when he defeated Moose via split decision to win theImpact Grand Championship.[102] On the August 24 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter entered in the twenty man Gauntlet for the Gold match for the vacantGFW World Heavyweight Championship at number 7, but was eliminated by Moose and Eddie Edwards.[103] Then, he started a feud withEl Hijo del Fantasma,Pagano andEl Texano Jr., Mexicanluchadores fromLucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). This culminated in a match atBound for Glory, where Carter, Storm and Edwards defeated Hijo del Fantasma, Pagano and Texano.[104] After defences against Hijo del Fantasma andFallah Bahh,[105][106] Carter put the title on the line againstMatt Sydal, but the match ended in a draw.[107] On the January 4 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter retained his title in a three-way match against Sydal and Fallah Bahh.[108] AtGenesis, he dropped the title to Sydal.[109] On January 13, 2018, Carter was released from his contract by Impact Wrestling, but remained on Impact programming until March, as his appearances were filmed before his departure.[110]
On the February 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter and Alberto El Patrón were defeated by Moose andJohnny Impact in a tag team match.[111] This led to a fatal-four-way match the following week to determine the number one contender for theImpact World Championship, which was won by Impact.[112] On the February 15 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter teamed with a returningTyrus and defeated Impact and Sydal. After the match, Carter challenged Impact for a match where if he won, he takes his number one contender spot, which Impact accepted.[113] However, Carter lost the match the following week after a misunderstanding with him and Tyrus.[114] On the March 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter was defeated by Tyrus.[115] On the March 15 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Carter participated at the Feast or Fired match where he picked one of the briefcases alongsideEli Drake,Petey Williams, and Moose. After the match, he attacked Tyrus with the briefcase. The following week, Carter opened his briefcase, which was revealed to be the Pink Slip, and resulted in him being fired. After initially rejecting the result, he accepted his fate and was cheered by the Impact Zone despite being a heel. However, he attackedJeremy Borash with his briefcase, before being confronted and attacked byBrian Cage.[116]
On January 27, 2018, under his EC3 moniker, he returned toWWE and itsdevelopmental territoryNXT, sitting in the audience atNXT TakeOver: Philadelphia.[117] On the March 28 episode ofNXT, EC3 returned to NXT,[118] where he was announced as a participant in a six-man ladder match for theNXT North American Championship atNXT TakeOver: New Orleans againstAdam Cole,Killian Dain,Lars Sullivan,Ricochet, andVelveteen Dream, where he was unsuccessful.[119]
Throughout the summer, he began a feud with Velveteen Dream, after Dream walked out on EC3 during a tag team match.[120] This led to a match between the two atNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, where EC3 was defeated by Dream.[121] During his match against Dream, he suffered a concussion, delaying the plans to call him up to the main roster during the summer.[122]
On December 17, 2018, it was announced EC3 would be debuting on the main roster.[123] During the following weeks, he was seen during backstage segments ofRaw andSmackDown Live,[124] before making his official debut on the February 4, 2019 episode ofRaw, appearing onAlexa Bliss' talk showA Moment Of Bliss.[125][126] During the segment, EC3 was interrupted byDean Ambrose, leading to a match that EC3 won.[125][126] The following week onRaw, they competed in a rematch, which Ambrose won with asmall package.[127] After his short feud with Ambrose, EC3 would be offRaw for the following months, and was relegated toMain Event as a jobber.[128][129] At theWrestleMania 35 pre-show on April 7, EC3 competed in theAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but was eliminated early in the match.[130]
EC3 was drafted to theRawbrand as part of theSuperstar Shake-up.[131] In a dark match before the April 9 episode ofSmackDown, EC3 was managed byDrake Maverick.[132] However, Vince McMahon was reported to have disliked the match, so the partnership was not brought to television.[133] Following that, he was mainly used in comedic roles, including being among the group of undercard wrestlers that competed forWWE 24/7 Championship.[129] EC3 competed in the 51-manbattle royal atSuper ShowDown on June 7, his only main card pay-per-view appearance of the year, but he was the first competitor eliminated and the match was ultimately won byMansoor.[134] On the June 24 episode ofRaw, EC3 pinned 24/7 ChampionCedric Alexander, to claim his first championship within the company, but quickly dropped it toR-Truth seconds later following a distraction byCarmella.[135] EC3 would win the 24/7 Championship three more times in September, trading it back and forth with R-Truth across severalhouse shows, becoming a four-time champion. In doing so EC3 has the most 24/7 title reigns that has not lasted longer than a full day.[136] In November, it was reported that EC3 was injured with a concussion.[137] On April 15, 2020, EC3 was released from his WWE contract as part of budget cuts stemming from theCOVID-19 pandemic, ending his second tenure of two years with the company.[138][139]
After leaving WWE, Hutter began to show a series of videos, claiming he wants to control the narrative. This led to a series of cinematic matches. The first match took place at Impact Wrestling's Bound for Glory againstMoose, where he was defeated.[140] In May he hosted his own PPV, Free the Narrative, where he defeated Matt Cardona.[141] In October, EC3 hosted his second show Free the Narrative II, where he facedAdam Scherr in the main event, being defeated.[142] Hutter and Scherr began to work together and, on February 17, 2022, they announced Control Your Narrative (CYN). Taking inspiration fromFight Club, the promotion will feature talent booking their own storylines in a way that resembles the early stages ofFight Club's "Project: Mayhem".[143]
On the October 19 episode of ROH Television, EC3 made his debut for the promotion cutting a promo in the ring. Afterwards, he was confronted backstage byShane Taylor and S.O.S. (Soldiers of Savagery) where they challenged him andThe Briscoes to a match which they accepted.[144] The match was cancelled after EC3 tested positive forCOVID-19, he would sign a contract with ROH on February 25. He was released after ROH announced they would be closing their doors.[145]
OnNWA 74th Anniversary Show night one, EC3 made hisNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) debut winning via submission over Mims.[146] OnNuff Said pre-show it was announced that EC3 has officially signed to NWA. Later in the night, EC3 scored a submission victory overKevin Kiley the former Alex Riley. On the February 14, 2023 episode ofNWA Powerrr, EC3 shows up to applaud theNWA World ChampionTyrus’ victory over Rolando Freeman, accompanied byBLK Jeez.[147] The following week, lead announcer Joe Galli interviewed EC3 and BLK Jeez about what transpired, though EC3 simply stated that he was only "controlling his narrative". He later went on to challengeCyon for theNWA National Championship atNWA 312, which would later be made official.[148] At NWA 312 on April 7, EC3 defeated Cyon to win the NWA National Heavyweight Championship.[149] On the May 2 episode ofPowerrr, EC3 successfully defended his title in his first title defense againstCarnage.[150] EC3 successfully defended the NWA National Championship on both nights of theCrockett Cup against Silas Mason withPollo Del Mar[151] andNWA World Television ChampionThom Latimer.[152]
After successfully defending the title against “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason, EC3 dropped the title in the ring, officially relinquishing it to challenge Tyrus for the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship atNWA 75th Anniversary Show.[153] On August 27 at NWA 75, EC3 defeated Tyrus in abullrope match to become the NWA World's Heavyweight Champion.[154] On September 26 episode ofPowerrr, EC3 successfully defended his title in his first title defense againstJay Bradley.[155] On October 28 atNWA Samhain, EC3 successfully defended the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship against Thom Latimer.[156] On November 14 episode ofPowerrr, EC3 successfully defended his title against Talos.[157] On March 2, 2024 atHard Times, EC3 successfully defended his title against "Thrillbilly" Silas Mason.[158] On August 31 atNWA 76th Anniversary Show, EC3 lost the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship toThom Latimer, ending his reign at 370 days.[159]
On January 7, 2023 at Nightmare Rumble 2023, EC3 made hisOVW debut by participating in the 2023 Nightmare Rumble forOVW National Heavyweight Championship, which was won byJessie Godderz.[160] On May 26 episode of OVW, EC3 was defeated by Crixus for the vacantOVW Kentucky Heavyweight Championship.
On November 21, 2023 onOVW Thanksgiving Thunder, EC3 defeated Jessie Godderz to win the OVW National Heavyweight Championship.[161]
After his second WWE departure in 2020, Hutter reinvented his EC3 gimmick as a much darker and enigmatic crusader. Known as "The Essential Character", he insisted to control "your own narrative".[162]
EC3 has appeared invideo games as a playable character inWWE 2K19 (as adownloadable character)[163] andWWE 2K20.[164]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Carter III (hair) | Rockstar Spud (hair) | London, England | Impact Wrestling | January 31, 2015 | AiredMarch 13, 2015 |
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