EC3 came home at the right time.
The former TNA World Champion made his return to the company last month and has been engaged in a feud with Eric Young. EC3 recently explained why it was finally time to return home in a new interview with WrestleZone, sharing the same advice he often gives young talent about coincidences in the wrestling business.
“Well, there are no coincidences, Bill. And how it lined up seemed right. And why now? Because what I tell young talent a lot of times, there’s four times you’re going to encounter in this business, right? There’s the wrong place at the wrong time, right place at the wrong time, wrong place at the right time. But the only time that matters, the only time that you need to be present for, the only time that will dictate what happens and where you go, is the right place at the right time.
“And right now, it seems like it’s the right place. And it’s the right time where I’m at in life, career, where the company is in new ownership but similar structure, and great people that have been working and cultivating super hard behind the scenes to build the company to get to this moment. It is the right place at the right time.”
EC3 says TNA’s new deal with AMC sweetened the pot for his return
EC3 spent the past four years with the National Wrestling Alliance. He won the promotion’s World Heavyweight Championship and National Championship during that stretch. Despite finding success, EC3 announced he was leaving the company in January. This also coincided with him teasing a return to his popular “Top 1%” persona. However, he says TNA’s broadcast deal didn’t play a factor, although it was a nice bonus.
“No, I was going to leave [NWA] regardless. So, AMC certainly didn’t hurt. And because I’m pretty much a real-life Don Draper, it seemed very fitting. [My return] wasn’t right away, like on the debut episode, where people may have expected it,” EC3 explained, noting that he worked with The Editorial Style’s Dani on his vignettes.
“But AMC didn’t have a factor in it. That was a decision I was 100% going to do regardless,” he noted. “But it certainly didn’t hurt looking at the landscape and where I wanted to go and what I wanted to be a part of.”
EC3 reflects on his last WWE run
EC3 had a good run in NXT as Derrick Bateman. However, he admits that his second run with the company on the main roster was not a success. He moved to Orlando so he could be fully involved in the day-to-day training with other WWE talent.
His on-air run might have fizzled out at the end, but he still appreciates the perspective that being so involved gave him.
“The WWE run, yeah, obviously did not go well. The second go-round, it was not great at all. But the NXT run was awesome, and I loved being over there,” EC3 said. “I fully emerge and invest myself into what I’m doing, so I moved to Orlando to be a part of the system, too.
“So, I moved to Orlando to train and it was probably one of the better decisions I made. Because, at the end of the day, it opened my eyes to perspectives that I’ve taken and evolved into my own way. So, for example, Terry Taylor as a coach and trainer, a lot of what he would preach, I’ve taken and kind of evolved to give to younger talent coming up that might not have the experience I had learning from this guy,” he explained. “But, I structure it differently so [so it’s more modern and involved], and the younger generation can understand it and see it work.”
EC3 is open to a potential return to NXT
EC3 says he’s focused on TNA right now. However, he has considered what it would be like to crossover to NXT now. If it’s anything like his first run, it could be fun to watch unfold.
“But definitely, I had not really thought about crossing over, but I am definitely into the idea,” EC3 explained. “Why wouldn’t I be? There’s a lot to be done. But NXT was great when I was there the first time. And if I pop back in, let’s see what happens.”
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