Ethan Carter III, better known to wrestling fans as EC3, will headline the NWA 75th Anniversary Show on Sunday, August 27th, with a highly anticipated Bullrope match. But it's not so much the kind of match that's most important, but rather his opponent, as he'll be facing World Heavyweight Champion Tyrus, with whom his professional wrestling story is tightly connected as both friends and foes.
In the lead-up to his main event match of the two-night supershow from the historic Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri, I chatted with EC3 in an intense conversation that touched upon everything from the former NWA National Heavyweight Champion’s decision to relinquish his title for a shot at the big belt to what his future holds, win or lose come Sunday. One topic that understandably came up multiple times was his personal history with fellow NXT and Impact Wrestling vet Tyrus, who’s agreed to retire if he drops his championship.
When discussing the upcoming fight, EC3 drew from the years he and Tyrus have spent together in the wrestling business, either as allies or rivals. And when asked what makes the NWA Heavyweight Champion different from his other opponents in the past, he said:
Probably the experience and knowledge we've accumulated over our careers from early NXT nonsensical times to forging a bond in the developmental territory under Dusty Rhodes and Dr. Tom Pritchard to me, in theory, saving him by offering him the opportunity to be my personal protection as I climbed into the ring in Impact Wrestling where he then decided to turn on me.
Despite their differences, issues, and betrayals in the past, EC3 was unwilling to call Tyrus his enemy, instead describing him something as a friend:
You know, he’s not an enemy. Is he a friend? I would say he’s as close to a friend as you can get in this industry where it is about you and you alone.
However, EC3 knows he has a job to get done in order to be the first athlete to beat Tyrus since the monster hell champion first won the NWA World Championship in November 2022. As the challenger’s biggest fight yet since joining the promotion last year, the match could end with EC3 not only taking the belt from his longtime friend and rival, but ending his career outright.
The double stipulation of the upcoming match – the Bullrope and Tyrus’ career being on the line – stem from an interview the World Heavyweight Champion gave with the official NWA Instagram account back in July 2023, a conversation in which he explained putting his career on the line was the only way he knew EC3 would agree to having their hands being connected by a strap.
- Two wrestlers have a rope tied to one of their wrists with a cowbell in the middle.
- The rope can be used as a legal weapon, but a wrestler can be disqualifed if they free themselves from the retraint.
- Submissions are typically not permitted and the only way to win the match is via pinfall or by touching all four turnbuckles in succession (this isn't always the case).
Check out our breakdown of other wrestling terms, promotions, and champions
If EC3 is successful, and he’s able to defeat Tyrus, he’ll accomplish what so many others (such as fellow former WWE superstar Chris Adonis) failed to achieve earlier this year. And with that would come another belt-notch on his incredibly successful wrestling career, one that includes multiple championships around the world, several turns in WWE, and the formation of his own promotion.
Though EC3 and Tyrus will be the biggest match of the weekend, it’s not to say there aren’t some major bouts on the rest of the NWA 75 card. Night One will see NWA World Women’s Champion Kamille defend her title against Natalia Markova in a “No Limits Match,” the return of former WWE superstar Matt Cardona, and the Aron Stevens-led Blunt Force Trauma challenge La Rebelión for the NWA World Tag Titles, with the winner of that match facing off against the team of Mike Knox and Trevor Murdoch the following night. Other Night Two will also see multiple other championship bouts in the Junior Heavyweight, NWA National Heavyweight, and World Women’s Tag Championship divisions.
NWA 75 will be held in the Khorassan Ballroom at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri, and can be watched live on FITE TV starting 7 p.m. EDT, Saturday, August 26th, with the second night of matches kicking off the same time Sunday, August 27th.
Check out the NWA website for more information on NWA 75, as well as all future shows scheduled to take place throughout the rest of the year.
