EC3 Talks Possible WWE Return, Says He Still Has "A Lot To Prove There"
Ethan Carter III was recently a guest on Sean Waltman's X-Pac 12360 podcast. During the appearance, he addressed whether or not he would return to WWE, leaving the company in the first place and what he learned under the direction of Dusty Rhodes.
"It's definitely a thought I have now that I've accomplished a lot and kind of made a name for myself elsewhere and to be blunt and frankly honest I have a lot left to accomplish," Carter said when asked whether or not he would return to WWE. "I believe I have a lot to prove there [WWE], that I never had the chance to do or didn't deserve at the time. But you know I've learned a lot about myself and know myself now that it's definitely on my mind but it's not something I can focus on, my commitments are with Impact."
Carter appeared for WWE in the early 2000s before signing a developmental contract for them in 2009. He went on to debut on WWE NXT (under the old direction) as Derrick Bateman. Carter was released in May 2013, where he rebuilt himself on the independent circuit and as a standout with Impact Wrestling.
"I got hurt on the road, I believe it was a Saturday Night Main Event match with Cesaro and I kinda got hurt," Carter recalled of his final days with WWE. "I had surgery and rehab so I went back to developmental to at least work on my skills or do whatever to get back on the radar. Instead, I got fired, but it's okay, it's a lesson to learn and it inspired me to work ever harder."
Dusty Rhodes played an important part in training and developing Carter, something he elaborated on during his appearance on Sean Waltman's X-Pac 12360 podcast.
"What are the important things you learned from Dusty? Just communication, telling a story the ability to base a promo," Carter recalled. "The hook in the beginning and the conclusion being the most important part and the peaks and valleys you take them on the way, when you're trying to tell that story."
"He [Dusty] compared it to a lot of promos to match and match to promo," Carter continued. "You have your initial thing that catches their attention. You can have the best match of the world and your finish absolutely sucks. You have a bad match but you have a bad promo. You have an okay or bad match until the end and the conclusion is great, then you have a great promo and a great match."
You can watch Carter's complete appearance on Sean Waltman's X-Pac 12360 podcast in the video embedded above.