Fans once knew EC3 as Derrick Bateman, but after he was released from his WWE contract, he was forced to reinvent himself, and he did just that when he joined Impact Wrestling and became Ethan Carter III.
But he recently made his return to NXT, and he told WWE.com that the biggest difference between this run and his last run with the company is that he knows who he is now.
“Upon my return at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, I came to the realization that, after all these years, I know who I am, and there is victory in that. I have been through professional and personal hells. In the past, I was misguided. I was happy I got to live my dream as my profession and be one of the boys. Enjoy time with friends and family, fall in love and show up every day with a smile on my face and a good attitude. I was satisfied with just working really hard, and if it’s not my time, well, we’ll get them next time! I was optimistic and lost. Now I take everything personally. This is a ruthless world, and one must be ruthless to cope with it. I do not have a dream; I have a vision. I do not seek happiness. I seek success. The only comfort I get in life is victory, after victory, after victory.”
EC3 also talked about his immediate goals, and said that winning the NXT Championship would be serendipitous.
As far as his WrestleMania dream match goes, the former Impact World Champion made it clear that he has his sights set on a 16 time WWE World Champion.
“Yes. I want to vanquish John Cena at WrestleMania.”
