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#Post#: 31838--------------------------------------------------
Chat with EC3. Talks Win, TNA, ROH & More
By: ChrissiCalvert Date: July 14, 2015, 4:04 pm
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So, congrats on the big win... champ.
Much obliged. Thank you very much.
That sunset flip/pinning combo at the end of your match with
Kurt Angle was pretty sweet. Did y'all rehearse that a lot
beforehand?
Nah... it was natural instinct from years of training in
warehouses and stuff of that nature.
What's it been like working with Kurt, an Olympic gold medalist
and one of the biggest legends in both amateur and pro
wrestling?
It's been the greatest honor of my life to be able to work with
that man and do what we did together. It's not often you get to
have the dream match you envisioned when you were 8... a child
watching wrestling. If it wasn't for Kurt Angle, I would've
never made it this far because I never would have pursued
wrestling because he's the kind of guy... the guy that made me
love it. And to have that match with those stakes on the line,
it meant the world to me.
And he was more than happy to put you over, right?
Yeah. Hey, you win some and you lose some, and I won that one.
On any given day it would've went either way.
Were you disappointed at all that your match with Kurt Angle
wasn't on the Slammiversary pay-per-view and was on the regular
Impact TV show?
You know, we're at a point in the business where, I mean,
everything leading up to that match has been perfect in the
build for it that I couldn't be disappointed, per se. The only
thing is that the crowd at Slammiversary was so good that I
would've liked to have that match in front of that crowd, but I
think the crowd we had was great as well. So it ended up not
really mattering. But we had a very special crowd at
Slammiversary, there was a lot of loyals and die-hard that
could've made that match [better], if it could've been made it
any better, which it couldn't have been.
How did it feel to get a shout-out from WWE champ Seth Rollins
after your big win?
For him to do that... it was cool, because the way WWE handles
social media and tries not to say anything else about any other
[wrestling] company. You know, I got a lot of texts from a lot
of those guys, but [Seth] went out on social media and said
that. That meant a lot to me because we did both go through the
[WWE developmental] system together and we have a ton of respect
for each other and he's awesome. It was cool that he went out of
his way to do that.
You think about world champions — he's WWE world heavyweight
champion and I'm TNA world champion and I think that banter
between the two of us is pretty special from a respect
standpoint. It's between two hard-working professionals who
fully respect where each other came from and the work ethic we
both have to be represented by our respective companies.
I just thought it was cool because 30 years ago, you'd never see
Ric Flair give a shout-out to Hulk Hogan or vice-versa.
No, but that was a different time and a different day and
sometimes there's a respect amongst the boys, even if we're in
different places, we're in the same game, we still have it for
each other. And that's cool. It's just a cool thing to do.
Has winning the TNA world championship been vindication for
yourself after getting cut by WWE?
You know, every second of every day I'm motivated by whatever's
happened to me in the past. It's vindication, in a sense, but my
vindication's coming just being successful with where I am and
who I represent. My vindcation came when these people gave me an
opportunity and they believed in me, invested in me, and
hopefully I paid off for them.
Your undefeated streak is probably the biggest undefeated streak
since Goldberg's back in the '90s. Do you think TNA has handled
your streak better than WCW did with Goldberg?
I think it's two completely separate entities. Goldberg was a
monster babyface who ran through the competition, while EC3 is
an entitled, smarmy kind of a jerk who lucked into a lot his
[success] but has become battle-tested in the process and has
solidified himself. But we're two different entities. He's a
monster and I'm a champion that doesn't lose, but there's been
some help along the way. I can hang, but sometimes I choose not
to.
Realistically, how long do you think your winning streak could
go? I mean, you have to eventually lose sometime, right?
Eh, who's to say? I will say, well, it could go six months, it
could go a year, it could go four years, it could go eight, it
could go 10. I will hold on to this thing until there's somebody
who's hot and ready to dethrone me who puts in the effort I do,
who strives like I strive and wants to thrive like I do. Someone
that can challenge me, and whoever that may be, I do not know
when he will come. But when he does, it will be great.
Where do you see you see your storyline going next? Are you
going to be challenged for the title by Rockstar Spud or will
you give that storyline a rest for awhile?
I think if he were to challenge me, it would happen. Not in the
near future, but somewhere in the distance because there are a
few guys that are ahead of him on the food chain that I have to
run through and solidify this title reign. But if Rockstar were
to ever get a shot, I don't think there's a better place than
one of our favorite markets, and that being in London, England.
And I actually believe we'll be in Birmingham this year, which
is his hometown, so I would have no problem defending the title
against him in his hometown.
You're also defending it against against Handsome Kino in a
match at the Clickjab Wrestling Summer Bash this weekend?
Yeah. He challenged me for the TNA world title on Twitter so I
will be defending it against him.
Needless to say, you're bringing the belt with you to Phoenix,
right?
I will have it with me. I carry it everywhere, from the dry
cleaner to the grocery store to the gym to the tanning salon to
dinner. I wouldn't leave it at home, it will be with me in
Arizona.
Do you wear it around your waist or carry it proudly over your
shoulder?
Well, if I'm competing, I wear around the waist, but if I've got
a suit on, I guess I've got to keep it over my shoulder. It
would just look ridiculous around the waist.
Are you going to be in character at the Summer Bash, because
you're doing a meet-and-greet in addition to wrestling.
I am my character. There's no real difference between the two. I
am exactly who I play on TV, just way more brash.
I think it was The Rock who famously something to the effect
that the best characters in wrestling are people who are
themselves only with "the volume turned way up." Is that true in
your case with EC3?
I believe it is, and The Rock was pretty damn successful being
like that and hopefully I can garner just a fraction of that
success. But I believe, fully, that in wrestling, the best
characters are extensions of your personality. It has to be real
to you, you have to feel it. Invest in yourself, invest in who
you are. That's what makes it special.
With the prickish heel that you play in TNA, are there parts of
such classic wrestling villains as Gorgeous George or
"Million-Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase in the mix?
Yeah, absolutely. I try to be a student of the game and I can't
tell you everything I take from different performers, but some
things I've seen and used and tried to make them my own in some
way. I mean, those are two great examples of the great
antagonists in [wrestling] history that I would definitely
derive things from.
Last week, Pro Wrestling Illustrated, even though it's sort of a
kayfabe-oriented publication, announced they were no longer
considering the TNA championship to be a "world" title. What's
your reaction to that?
The wrestling business is speculative. If they were a governing
body of any sort of promotion in wrestling, maybe it would be
something .But to me, that's just outside noise and does not
affect me one bit. If they don't think I'm a world champion,
they could talk to me about it, I can tell them why, and we
could respectfully disagree. But, it doesn't affect my business
one bit, it doesn't affect my paycheck one bit, it doesn't
affect my company one bit, and just as if I said, "PWI isn't
legitimate wrestling journalism," it would not affect their
business, it would not affect their paychecks, it doesn't affect
anything. It's all opinion based. And everyone's warranted to
their opinion.
The last several months, TNA has been putting on some great
matches. Do you feel extra motivated going out there because the
in-ring product has been great lately?
Yeah, especially being on top right now, I have to stay
motivated, I have to be the hardest worker because I have the
most responsibility and I do not want to give that up. I want
the ball, I want to run with it. We have some great, fantastic
talent that if they come chasing after it, I want them to bring
the best because I'm going to bring my best. And if we both
bring the best, we'll bring the best out of each other.
Does having Ring of Honor on Destination America an hour before
your program, Impact Wrestling, also motivate you guys to
outperform them as well?
I think I want to say it wouldn't be motivation to outperform
them because they provide a different sort of take on wrestling.
I mean, at the end of the day its both wrestling, but they have
great talent over there that deliver great matches, but
sometimes we have to sacrifice for the sake of a great match —
anybody can go out and have a great match — we have to sacrifice
that sometimes for the sake of telling the stories we want to
tell. So, we're different in that sense, but having any
competition is motivation and if they're great, we're great —
again — they're best will bring out our best and we'll bring out
the best in each other.
There have been a lot of rumors lately about the morale in the
TNA locker room being down because of all the supposed
uncertainty behind the scenes with the company. What's your take
on those rumors?
Well, my morale's high as can frickin' be, isn't it? Look, a lot
of people read into rumors that may come from unwarranted
sources. This is all speculation. As far as I know, the people
that want to be there are going to be there, they're in it to
win it, and they are motivated, and their morale is where it
should be. Morale's based on what you bring up yourself, and if
you have low morale, then maybe you shouldn't be there. And if
your morale's high and you want to work hard and succeed, then
you should.
Of course, their all rumors, because rumors aren't based in
truth. The thing about [TNA], people just tend to believe 'em —
unwarranted, unjustified. And that's fine. I can handle any
rumor we have.
Do you think the writing is on the wall for TNA and that its
destined to go out of business after September?
No. Why would I think that? We're internationally in so many
markets. Domestically, do I know what the direct future holds? I
have a pretty good idea, and I think we're going to be just
fine. But people have been saying this company has been going
out of business for 13 years and it continues to go. We're doing
some of our best work now and the people doing it won't let it
fail.
Do you have a backup plan just in case?
Why do I need one? I just said no. TNA isn't going anywhere.
#Post#: 31843--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chat with EC3. Talks Win, TNA, ROH & More
By: tnafan Date: July 15, 2015, 5:11 am
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Geart chat with him. He is very open whatis nice.. It sounds
like he has a lot of respect for,kurt and TNA...
#Post#: 31846--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chat with EC3. Talks Win, TNA, ROH & More
By: ChrissiCalvert Date: July 15, 2015, 1:49 pm
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[quote author=TNAcrazy link=topic=7347.msg31843#msg31843
date=1436955104]
Geart chat with him. He is very open whatis nice.. It sounds
like he has a lot of respect for,kurt and TNA...
[/quote]
He is a genuinely nice guy. Love his comments about TNA going
under
#Post#: 31867--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chat with EC3. Talks Win, TNA, ROH & More
By: tnafanforum Date: July 15, 2015, 4:49 pm
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It is nice for someone to stick up for TNa ... Not a lot of guys
do it now days ..
Tna is not going under because they have been going under for a
long time now , well over 13 years they have been going under
and they are still going now..
Yer I know that TnA have messed a lot of things up in the past
but they are still going and have a TV deal so it should show
everyone that Tna is here to stay
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