EC3 on Reinventing Himself as the ‘Essential Character,’ WWE Releasing Talent on the Same Day as Him

– EC3 recently joined the 411 Wrestling Interviews podcast for an exclusive interview. During our chat, EC3 spoke about reinventing himself following his WWE release on April 15, 2020, why he calls himself “Essential,” and his thoughts on WWE opting to release more wrestlers one year to the day he was released on April 15, 2021. Below are some highlights from EC3:

EC3 on reinventing himself post-WWE: “Reinvention is utterly one of the most important things that somebody can do, and a testament to that would be The Undertaker for one. Not to compare myself and him at all, but I appreciate that because I definitely took it upon myself to control your narrative. Control Your Narrative is to tell your story. And all throughout wrestling, I see these individuals who I know their true story, but what’s portrayed on television via booking committees and creative teams and one man’s opinion, I never get to see their true selves and their true stories told. So Control Your Narrative was a self-created experiment on myself to derive from my reality, my purpose, to take back control, to have the freedom to be myself and run with it. It’s interesting that — it’s artistically very satisfying as far as reaching a broad audience. When it’s under a three-letter corporate brand, it’s hard to reach the vast wrestling audience because it’s only on your social [media accounts]. So fortunately, Ring of Honor has allowed me to control my narrative. My brief run at Impact, I was able to control most of my narrative, and I was able to kind of establish this character. But at the same time, people who are tied to past, harken to the past. I still don’t know what I’m doing and what I’m fighting for, and that’s a big thing with Free the Narrative, Control Your Narrative. It’s not only to tell my story but to tell the story of so many people I’ve met who deserve that Opportunity. And hopefully, through this grassroots campaign, and this completely independent production and style, we can tell stories to wrestling fans about wrestlers they deserve to know.”

EC3 on how he came up with the “Essential Character” moniker: “Yeah, I think as we evolve, you evolve your handle and your name. Ethan Carter III in TNA, to the top 1% EC3 in WWE, whatever that was, to the Essential Character; it’s just seeing what’s relevant, what’s taking place in the world and applying it. So, the word ‘narrative’ has been repeated by both sides of the corporate media structure that lie to us every day: ‘Narrative. Narrative. Narrative.’ It kept pounding, but narrative is a story. They’re telling us a story. I want to tell you *my* story. Essential. I think essential came based on the fact that Florida opened wrestling as an ‘essential’ business. Also, the fact that so many people in the world were losing their jobs because of the economy, because of the pandemic, and some were deemed ‘not essential,’ which you deem a human being not essential, you take away their identity. I was deemed ‘not essential’ by my corporate employer, but I believe I am essential. If I don’t believe I am essential, then nobody’s going to believe I’m essential. So, just using what’s relevant, putting my spin on it, being creative, and you know, it sells t-shirts. It’s cool.”

His thoughts on WWE starting to release more wrestlers one year to the day he was released in 2020: “Strange and ironic because one thing happened. Sense and serendipity are another thing. There is a saying that everything happens for a reason or that everything’s connected, or any other crazy, bull**** quotes you can see on Instagram. The timing was very interesting. The timing was very interesting for the Free the Narrative project especially because I met with Matthew Cardona on April 15, 2021 to have a sitdown on this longstanding blood feud that would be settled in Free the Narrative. On that same day, the releases came out after we had our discussion, after our discussion was released to the world. It ties together, and that group of people, a lot of people have been coming, knocking on my door, seeking to control their narrative. And I guess I was a martyr, or a leader, or at least formulated an idea. That idea has grown beyond me as a person. That idea has grown that so many more talents know their worth, their ability to tell their story, know their talent, and know their value. It happened for a reason. I don’t know what that reason is. I’m not one to say how anyone should do their business, so so be it, so be it, World Wrestling Entertainment, but a lot of good people can truly find themselves outside that umbrella.”

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0:00: Intro
1:15: On helping usher fans back in to ROH at Best in the World
3:59: On his matchup with Flip Gordon at the PPV
5:22: On reinventing himself in 2020 after his WWE release
7:43: On turning “essential” into a catchphrase as the word became relevant during the pandemic
9:50: On WWE releasing talent in April, a year after the initial pandemic releases
12:01: On the expansion and future of of the Free the Narrative brand
14:40: On the importance of experimentation and trying new things in wrestling
16:47: On if he will chase the ROH Pure or World Titles after he’s done with Flip Gordon
18:41: On the rise of companies working together for crossovers
20:32: On his short-lived WWE 24/7 storyline with Drake Maverick
21:40: On whether he’ll be part of the ROH Glory by Honor tour
22:17: On being hospitalized earlier this year due to an infection
26:38: How fans can a better control over themselves and their own narratives
29:53: Where to find him online
33:03: Outro

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