Posted in: Sports, TV | Tagged: dusty rhodes, ec3, nwa, NWA Exodus Pro Wrestling

EC3 On Moving Forward, Being NWA Champion, & More

We sit down with EC3 to discuss being the NWA World Heavyweight champ, Dusty Rhodes, and his Exodus Pro Wrestling promotion.

EC3 has been wrestling for many years now, and many would say that he is on his best run in his time in the industry. He is currently the NWA World Heavyweight champion and the OVW National champion. He also runs Exodus Pro Wrestling out of his hometown, Cleveland, OH, where they have put on a string of successful shows in 2023. The final one, Colder Weather, takes place there tonight, and we got to sit and have a chat with him about family-friendly wrestling, working with Dusty Rhodes, what being the NWA champ means to him, and his last run in WWE.

BC:  First of all, congrats on being Champ.

EC3: Well, thank you very much.

How Does It Feel To Have A Championship with so much history behind it?

The nostalgia of it didn't really hit me till after I won it because it was a long road from a great run in TNA being the multiple-time world champion, to a terrible run in the WWE, being a four-time 24-seven champion to a pandemic and getting fired, world burning around you. Creating Control Your Narrative, working with Ring of Honor in front of no people. It was just a wild, wild, long road and journey with ups and downs, personal and professional. But now, I want that nostalgia to kick in—the history, the legacy of the championship, what that means. Now what my job is going forward is to make it mean that again.

Do you prefer the territory system for wrestling, or do you think having only a couple of companies running around the country at once is a good way to run the business?

It's a Catch-22. The continuous amount of work in front of live audiences made wrestlers great in the past in the territory system. Now, we have independents today, but you also don't have the quality of veterans because most are either retired or signed by a television company and working for TV instead of working for a crowd. They are two totally different things. I've been wrestling for ten years; I'm able to teach you as I kick your ass. Those types of reps and experiences sort of lack in today's modern wrestling. So with the major companies, worldwide recognition, advertising money, and all that, safe places to go are great with the big ones. However, territories are where you really can craft your character and are developed better. Both ways have their merits.

EC3 is known for being one of the better wrestlers on the mic. Who taught you how to harness that natural charisma?

I do have a very great benefit that I had the ultimate cheat code when I was in developmental, and his name was Dusty Rhodes. He was the promo coach; he helped you with character and things like that. And for a long time, he thought I sucked. And I did because I was always playing something. And it wasn't until I began to feel it and become an extension of myself as opposed to what I think they want that is kind of where it took off for me. I've always liked being in front of people. I like being the center of attention, but I don't like small gatherings. I'd rather go home or hide in the corner, being very stoic and silent. I'm also very observant, and I listen a lot. But when it's a red light on, when there's attention, I can harness it. And I don't know why that is, but it's a benefit for the promo game. Learning from Dusty was one thing.

Becoming myself, developing confidence, not cockiness, but confidence in the fact that I can deliver better than most, just having a very creative itch always to create. Developing promos is our way of acting in a sense, and then watching different characters from television, film, and books, pulling from all these assets. True creativity is a collaboration; if you really think about it, none of us have an original idea. We are ideas formed by other things. We have seen other content. We've consumed so much in our lives. It's how you take that process and give it back to the world.

How are you now using NWA Exodus Pro as an outlet for that creatively? How did this all start?

NWA Exodus Pro is a passion project, and we are fortunate enough to be one of the first territorial affiliates of the NWA in the new era. It came from controlling your narrative. It came knowing what I wanted, not necessarily a promotion, but I wanted that to be a platform for talent to be discovered or reinvent themselves. That was my creative outlet during the pandemic, and I'm getting fired. It was kind of like therapy in my very, very real life. You know, the WWE run was dogshit. It sucked dirty hairy balls, let's be honest. But I said to myself, "I'm a better speaker than almost everybody on this roster, and I never had a chance to speak." So, the idea stemmed from that with CYN. I will put a better promo out every week than anybody's doing regarding context and creativity. Maybe not production value or eyes seeing it, but creatively, I will put out something better than you see on Monday or Friday night. So, the real germ of it all was CYN. What it really meant was to tell your story. I could tell mine, and I wanted to create something that allowed others to tell theirs. So, after I made the necessary adjustments and cut the necessary people out of my life, I repackaged that as Exodus.

What's it like working with Billy Corgan on all of this? 

Billy Rules. And I'm not saying that because he's my boss or friend. I'm saying that because he's a guy who's bucked the system to become a world-famous rock star and rebel. And he doesn't do things the way he's told to or the way people think he should. He just does it. And he does it the way he wants to. I think that's true art and true creativity. And those are the people that make a difference. The fact he loves wrestling, he can't even explain why. But he does. And I can see that. And every time I talk to him. I see that. So working with him as a fellow kind of weirdo, creative, it's enlightening, to say the least.

With Exodus, you guys are trying to be a little more of a family-friendly wrestling style. Does it worry you a bit that maybe the NWA shares that way of thinking?

I think they do. And if they don't, we should, because I think that's a market that is very, very valuable as a business. You have WWE as the Unsinkable Colossus juggernaut. They're not going anywhere. They'll never be challenged. They're at the top of their game, producing content, touring, and everything. You know. Part of that success is they can appeal to a majority. If AEW is going to be the other "niche" brand, then we have to be something unique to ourselves. But we also need to be digestible to everyone. They enjoyed it, and we even went on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins. Seeing people who don't like wrestling, don't know about it, get into it there, seeing the broad appeal wrestling can have… I think we need to be fan-friendly but not afraid to push the envelope a little bit. Handcuffing yourself is not the creative's best friend.

So, you are wrapping up a successful 2023 tonight at Colder Weather; where does 2024 take EC3?

I will hold the World Heavyweight Championship for the duration of the year. I can tell you that much. I aim to have this title for 18 months, and then I will ride off into the sunset. And then I give it away, or someone takes it. Really, the goal is about growth. And with the NWA, we are televised every week. The Internet's lies that everyone believes that we aren't are false. It's such a bizarre world that one person's vendetta can travel around as though it is true and become news. And guys and gals, I'm telling you, if you have any questions about anything going on, ask me because the Internet fucking lies to you. But yeah, growing that brand, bringing new talent to the forefront, cultivating the right people with the right talent, whether it's through Exodus or as the NWA champion, and leading that locker room. There's a lot to be done. I'm also currently the OVW National Champion, which is their highest title, and I'm a top guy. In theory, I'm a tough guy. And to worldwide televised companies, I'm pretty decorated, and that's pretty cool. And both the NWA and OVW have faith in me to carry them forward. No matter what, I try to leave places better than when I found them. And with me as a champion, those places will get a lot better.

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