It was merely rumored that one of Impact Wrestling's biggest stars over the last few years, Ethan Carter III (EC3), was leaving the company—but now, the star has filed a trademark for his name. There was nothing to that rumor beyond hearsay, but this recent news explains that there may be a lot more to it than speculation.
Pro Wrestling Sheet is reporting Impact Wrestling star EC3 has applied to trademark his ring name in an attempt to legally own it. According to the article, EC3 is looking to take advantage of the new allowances from Anthem Sports that allows current talent to depart the company but keep their gimmicks and character names. Michael Hutter (EC3) is using that freedom and filling the paperwork required to move on but keep the name that made him famous.
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Previously employed by WWE, EC3 was a part of NXT as Derrick Bateman. His time in WWE was not terribly successful, and he quickly moved on to other promotions, including TNA, to make a name for himself. He's gone public stating this desire to prove to himself and others that he has what it takes to be a key part of WWE programming.
On an episode of X-Pac's 12360 podcasts, he wasn't shy about suggesting a return to the WWE is possible. He explained, "it's definitely a thought I have now that I've accomplished a lot and kind of made a name for myself elsewhere and to be blunt and frankly honest I have a lot left to accomplish. I believe I have a lot to prove there [WWE], that I never had the chance to do or didn't deserve at the time."
EC3 filed the documents last week and he could be one of the many rumored names to be joining WWE in 2018. Carter is the perfect type of character WWE loves. He's got the size, the physique and he's proficient on the mic as a talker. If he joins NXT, he'll immediately be one of it's biggest stars.