As seen on Saturday Night’s NXT Takeover: Philly, WWE has officially signed former Impact Wrestling World Champion Ethan Carter III, aka EC3.
WWE.com has officially confirmed the signing of 34-year-old Michael Hutter, who previously wrestled for the company as Derrick Bateman during his time in NXT and became a star in Impact Wrestling under the name Ethan Carter III.
EC3 is a two-time TNA IMPACT Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion, and made a surprise appearance at Saturday night’s NXT Takeover: Philadelphia where he was shown sitting ringside for the main event. He received a huge reaction from the crowd when he was shown on the big screen.
For what it’s worth, it appears as though WWE will be using the name “EC 3” going forward.
Their official statement, which you can read below, makes no mention of what the abbreviation is going to stand for, but does use it for his name.
Below is the official statement from WWE:
“While the red-hot action inside the ring at TakeOver: Philadelphia kept NXT fans on the edge of their seats, the surprise cameo of NXT’s newest blockbuster signing has the entire sports-entertainment world buzzing.”
“EC 3, a familiar face to many longtime WWE fans, made an unannounced appearance Saturday night, sitting among the NXT Universe inside the jam-packed Wells Fargo Center. A ring veteran of more than 15 years, EC 3 posed for WWE Network cameras as Mauro Ranallo confirmed that the brawny Superstar is NXT’s newest signee.”
