10 WWE Wrestlers Who Weren't Given Enough Chances

6. EC3

EC3 DGAF
WWE

Really, what was even the point of moving EC3 from NXT? Actually, what was event the point in signing EC3 to a WWE contract back in 2018?

You have a performer here who left WWE, reinvented himself, became a main event star, can talk his ass off, is good in the ring, and has a jaw-dropping physique. It's easy to see why WWE was eager to bring the former Derrick Bateman back into the fold when the opportunity arose in 2018 - which makes it even more infuriating that they have since done zero of note with the two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

From the get-go, it appeared WWE had plans to hot-shot Ethan Carter III to the main roster. Debuting in NXT in January 2018, reported plans called for him to move to Raw or SmackDown by that summer. A concussion would delay that, but vignettes began airing in November '18 to announce Carter's impending arrival on the red brand.

What happened when noted mic man EC3 finally debuted on Raw? Why, WWE had him portray a mute for the first few months of his run.

It was baffling, it was ridiculous, and it left EC3 dead in the water. And if Jon Moxley is to believed, Vince McMahon soured on EC3 when a match between Moxley - as Dean Ambrose - and the Top One Percent saw the crowd cheering for the freshly-turned heel Ambrose.

All WWE had to do with EC3 was hand him a mic and let him talk his way up the card. Instead, he's now one of those likely counting down the days until his WWE deal is up.

In this post: 
ec3
 
Posted On: 
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.