wrestling / Columns

ZeeWI: EC3’s Dismissal of Matt Sydal

November 16, 2017 | Posted by Dino Zee
EC3 Ethan Carter III GFW Impact Wrestling Grand Championship

For weeks, he did what was best for everyone but himself. Even though he had more to lose than everyone else involved, he stayed the course, trying to do the “right thing”. He had to trust people he didn’t like, and he had to do it because they were the only ones willing to help him fight off the latest threat. Still, he hated it. Handshakes and speeches about unity are for suckers.

Coming out of Bound For Glory, the Impact Grand Champion could finally breathe again. He had – with help from Eddie Edwards and James Storm – vanquished the AAA contingent of Hijo de Fantasma, Pagano, and Texano. With that win, it seemed that that the invading trio would have to cool their jets in their pursuit of his belt. No longer having to worry about them, he could focus on the things that really matter.

Last Thursday on Impact, after Matt Sydal defeated former X Division Champion Sonjay Dutt in a spirited contest, we found out what “the things that really matter” are, and it appears that they are just himself, his belt, and showing how great he is in comparison to everyone else. And, more than anything else, it means not playing nice with people he doesn’t really like. He’s done that enough, and he hated it.

Instead of congratulating Sydal on another big win, Ethan Carter would instead sarcastically deride the achievement. A hearty “whoop-a-dee-doo” let the fans know that Carter was most certainly not impressed. He’d tear into Sydal, pointing out how the man had joined Impact Wrestling as one of the hottest acts going, defeating Bobby Lashley en route to a shot at the Impact Global Championship, where he… choked.

Carter would go on to say that while he was a killer, Sydal was simply a “nice guy,” before noting that, in another life, maybe Sydal could have been reborn a winner. Sydal did his best to laugh it off, but there was something on his face that let you know that Carter’s words had landed. There was truth to what was said, and while Sydal would have loved to instantly clap back, he knew that, for the time being, Carter had got him good.

And while it all seemed like the standard EC3 Treat Everyone Like Garbage dressing down we’ve all grown used to, from this columnist’s perspective, it seemed as though Carter had something else in mind, too.

Carter is well aware of the skillset that Matt Sydal brings to the table. He also knows that Sydal is a highly ranked competitor, even holding high spots in the Officially Unofficial Impact Grand Championship Rankings on multiple occasions. More than that, Sydal is hugely popular, and wrestles a style that always grabs attention.

On paper, this makes Matt Sydal a completely worthy challenger. He has incredible wins on his record, and is a fan-friendly competitor. Better than that, he gives it his all each and every time, meaning that the match will always be good. Carter wants an opponent that will push him, that will be an impressive win when he’s victorious. As I said, Sydal is a worthy challenger. On paper.

In reality, it appears quite obvious that EC3 knows that this is a winnable proposition. He laid it out himself – EC3 is a killer, and Matt Sydal is not. It doesn’t matter how many cool moves you have in your bag of tricks, if you can’t match the pure need to destroy the enemy that lives inside of Impact’s Grandest Champion, then you don’t have a chance of beating him. And in Carter’s head, Matt Sydal absolutely cannot match that need, and he has zero chance of getting that win.

Carter has always been calculating, and his latest move in goading Matt Sydal is one that seems like a great way to get his train running at full speed after getting bogged down in the Impact Wrestling vs. AAA feud. What seemed like a great way to bring prestige to himself by defending his belt against three of Mexico’s very best was quickly watered down into a battle of company pride. The glory was diluted, shared between himself, James Storm, and Eddie Edwards. And in the end, there was never really anything on the line.

In a fitting twist, Carter views Sydal as his chance to be reborn into the dominant superstar we’ve all known and loved these last few years. Carter views Sydal as his chance to get a real victory as Grand Champion. Remember, his victory over Moose was not without controversy, and his defense against Hijo de Fantasma ended in a split decision. In Sydal, Carter must assume he has the opponent that he can at least get a Unanimous Decision over, if not outright finish.

After falling short in his bid for X Division gold at Bound For Glory, one has to think that Matt Sydal is hungrier than ever, making him seem like the odd man to call out. Sure, he’s fallen short in his bigger opportunities with the company, but to call him a choke artist seems a bit unfair. After all, the man did pin Bobby Lashley. Sure, he failed to unseat E_Li_Drake, but so did Johnny Impact… three times. I don’t see many people lining up to call Johnny a choke artist.

It’s also hard to hold the results of Bound For Glory against Sydal, as it was a 6 man match that was maximum chaos at all times. It was basically a crapshoot until the very end, when Sydal would get caught with a backflip kick by Dezmond Xavier, who would then eat a Canadian Destroyer from Petey Williams, who was then rolled up for the win by Trevor Lee. Lee won without doing anything more than being in the right place, at the right time. Sydal fought hard and was one of the five unlucky ones. Sometimes, things like that happen.

The Lashley win, in my opinion, is proof positive of what the man can do. In a straight up contest with Walking Armageddon, with Lashley’s American Top Team crew sitting ringside, Sydal was able to outmaneuver his larger opponent and catch him with a rollup while Lashley was dazed. It was a 100% legitimate victory, completely earned on his own. To discredit him as a choker because he doesn’t win every single one of his matches? A huge mistake, in this writer’s opinion.

And hey, I get it. Ethan Carter didn’t make his way by doling out loads of respect to everyone he saw. Even when he was doing that, it never felt right. It seemed like he was doing what he thought he had to do, instead of doing what he wanted. But at his heart, this is the same guy that absolutely destroyed Rock Star Spud after professing much respect after a match. And that’s why he had no problem telling Sydal that he’s someone who doesn’t thrive under the brightest of lights. Because, even if it’s not true, he knew that Sydal would at least think about it. He’d question himself. And once you’re thinking about anything besides “how do I beat EC3,” then he’s already won.

In the end, what started last week could end up leading to a very intriguing match (or matches) between the two talented grapplers. It’s clear that Carter views this as an easy lay-up, though still against an opponent that carries respect with the fans. A win for Carter, no matter how easy he thought it’d be, is still going to seem impressive to the masses.

For Sydal, he’s suddenly found himself back in a scenario where he could compete for another championship in Impact Wrestling. After failing to win the Heavyweight and X Division Titles, this could be his last chance for a while. He knows that he has to make the best of it, and being able to shine against Impact’s top star is exactly the time to not only make the best of it, but to be the best of them all.

Carter may have made a huge mistake here in underestimating exactly what Sydal brings to the table. He’s much more than fancy moves and a disarming smile. He does have a killer instinct. He can win the big one.

It just might not be enough when he finds himself against the very best in Impact Wrestling. Carter may have made a mistake… or he set himself up perfectly to look like a conquering champion against a top star.

Either way, things are looking good in the Grand Championship Division.

article topics :

EC3, Impact Wrestling, Matt Sydal, Dino Zee