So what does it take, mentally and physically, to be a Hardcore American Icon?
“From a physical aspect you have to have your body for any kind of encounter. If you’re facing the icon Sting, you need to be prepared for signature maneuvers – the Scorpion Death Drop, or the Scorpion Death Lock. If you’re facing Kurt Angle, you’re gonna need to be at your best on the ground. Ankle locks? Nope, I had a knee bar – see ya! If you’re going into the ring against Bully Ray, you’re going to be able to need to brawl your best, and withstand onslaughts from foreign objects, whether it be a table, or a chair.
“As far as mentally… You can’t teach mental prowess. You either have it or you don’t, and I have it. I’m smart. It’s cool.”
If elected as Champion of the World, will you have a Vice Champion?
“I see this being a solo campaign. As perfect as Tyrus is, he’s perfect as a Secretary of Defense. It’s going to be a straight-up dictatorship. This is the Roman Empire all over again. Move over Ceasar, EC3 is here.”
What is your favorite sandwich?
“A Baconator from Wendy’s with no bun, and no cheese.”
If you could take anyone to TNA with you when you left WWE…
“If I could have taken anyone with me I would have taken nobody. The spotlight is on me. But… looking back on it, if I could take one person it would have been Percy Watson. He was a million dollar man that they did absolutely nothing with.”
Do you see any personal failure in your time with WWE, or was it 100% on them for not recognizing your talent? If the former, what is the biggest lesson you learned that you applied to your career in TNA?
“If you pass the blame you’re not accountable for anything you ever do in your life, so I would never pass the blame completely. Not one bit. Granted, I would have done anything for the company. I went through hell on earth – a few injuries, through developmental – to be a success for them. Maybe I wasn’t the guy they needed at the moment. Wrong place, right time? Right place, wrong time? Wrong place, wrong time? It doesn’t matter, because now I’m in the right place at the right time, and all the lessons I’ve learned through [WWE] I’ve applied [in TNA]. All I really needed was the one opportunity that I didn’t get over there.”
Who is your favorite wrestler?
“Glacier…?”
How do you prepare for a match?
“About 5-10 minutes jumping rope, 15 minutes on that foam roller, about 20-25 minutes with my personal masseuse Helga, about 5-10 minutes retouching my hair, then 5 minutes of squirting grease on me, by many hands.”
Follow up: how many hands do you have rubbing grease on you?
“2 to 4. One time I only had 3, and that was a weird situation. The girl only had one arm, but she was cute so it was fine.”
What advice would you have given Mitt Romney in 2012 to connect with the people as well as you have?
“There’s no secret about EC3’s financial means and success. The great name, my inheritance, my trust fund – yeah, I have it all. But what’s great about EC3 is he doesn’t rub it in people’s faces. He doesn’t walk around telling people how rich and entitled he is. He works like an every-man. Teddy Roosevelt came from a very powerful family, but he worked as an every-man. He served, he did his due diligence and built himself out of nothing. So for Mitt Romney – don’t rub that money in people’s faces, or you’re not gonna get elected.”
Do you want to be the John Cena of TNA?
“Would I like to be the franchise of TNA? Absolutely. That’s exactly my goal, and that’s his position in WWE. Would I want to be the next him? Not so much, because I want to make my own identity. But if it results in millions of dollars in t-shirt sales and a 12-year career of beating everybody? You’re damn right I want to be that.”
How do you make TNA more visbile to those who don’t watch their product?
“That’s an excellent question. I think a lot of the talent can find ways to bring the brand out. In time, when I’m not wrestling, pursuing something in other realms of entertainment that give us mainstream attention. I would never succumb myself to the lowly standards of Robbie E, going on a reality show, because that’s garbage. But I could see myself – maybe if Marvel is going to make another TV show like Daredevil, maybe of Wonder Man, and they need a lead, I don’t think anyone can play that character but me. I mean, if they need me in Avengers 3 and 4 I could do it, we’ll just have to clear it with the offices.”
Dear @Marvel… pic.twitter.com/6Yx6HZc08u
— Mike Killam (@MikeKillam) April 29, 2015
Thanks so much to TNA Wrestling and Ethan Carter III for his time. And make sure to check out our exclusive game of FAST COUNT when it comes out later this evening, where we list off a dozen or so names and topics, and EC3 offers the first thoughts that come to mind.
