EC3 Never Wanted to Be an Indie Standout

– Ethan Carter III spoke to the Miami Herald ahead of Slammiversary. Highlights are below:

On not seeing himself on the indies: “Myself, I was on the indie scene. My goal was never to be an indie standout. My goal was always to be signed by a television wrestling company. So I went a different route, paying my way to go to OVW and finding myself at an FCW tryout.”

On his journey with pro wrestling: “There definitely been times I’ve been injured. Knees torn up, back busted, fired. I’ve been through some business hell to get where I am. So to look back at some of the things I have accomplished. I think going through the bad stuff has desensitized me to a point where I can appreciate what I have done and have accomplished, but it still leaves me wanting a lot more. Through that hunger and that angst is the only way to continue to evolve and be better. It’s like Tim Robbins in Shawshank [Redemption], you got to climb through a mile of s— to see the other side, and I’ve climbed through some s—, and I’ll probably climb through some more, but at the end of the day, accomplishing what I want will make it all worth it.”

On Slammiversary XV: “Fifteen years, whether it was TNA or now Impact Wrestling, it’s been around 15 years. There have been some good times, and there have been some bad times, but the one thing I can be appreciative for and be thankful for is that it gave me an opportunity to hone my craft and become one of the top professional wrestlers in the world.”