EC3 says he purposely spent only 17 seconds in a WWE match just to collect a pay check (Exclusive)
Super ShowDown 2019 was a memorable event for current WWE SmackDown Superstar Mansoor, but the same cannot be said for EC3.
Mansoor, now known as mån.sôör, won a 51-man Battle Royal in his home country of Saudi Arabia. EC3 also participated in the match, but he only lasted 17 seconds before being eliminated by Matt Hardy.
On Sportskeeda’s “The Wrestling Outlaws” show, the former 24/7 Champion recalled how he felt on the day of the Saudi event. He also joked that his own promotion, Control Your Narrative (CYN), rewards every Battle Royal participant with a trophy:
“Good, I hope he [Mansoor] got a big trophy for it!” EC3 said. “Because at CYN if you win the Battle Royal, you get a trophy. But the fact is everybody gets a trophy in the CYN Battle Royal because it’s a participation Battle Royal. For myself, what does it feel [like] to have Mansoor win such an epic match? If I recall that match, I think I tried to get out of it so fast that you didn’t even see I was in it, so I could just collect a check and hide.” [0:39-1:05]
In the video above, EC3 also gives his honest opinion on Goldberg still wrestling at the age of 55.
Why EC3 had little interest in performing in Saudi Arabia
EC3 suffered multiple concussions during his latest WWE run. One of his worst concussions occurred at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 against Velveteen Dream in August 2018.
WWE didn't just bury EC3, they ruined him
After WWE he wasn't the same https://t.co/jz9aB29jeb
Due to his injuries and lack of meaningful storylines, the 39-year-old lost his enthusiasm for wrestling around the time that Super ShowDown took place:
“I was personally the most miserable I’ve ever been,” EC3 continued. “Every day was a nightmare. Super probably brain damaged from concussions at the time, where everything was depression. The one good thing about being on the flights, the international, is you get to bond with the boys and you hang out for 12, 14, 18 hours in the air kicking back some JDs [Jack Daniel’s], sharing war stories, music’s good, playing cards… it’s the best.” [1:08-1:35]
WWE events in Saudi Arabia are known to be some of the most lucrative of the year for superstars. EC3 confirmed that he and the rest of the roster received a separate check for their on-screen appearances in the country:
“I believe we did, yes. That plane ride I was looking forward [to it] because I’m one of the boys, and I was so miserable I slept 18 hours. We get there, I had no interest in life, let alone caring about that match. That’s just depression talking at the time. Yeah, we do it, Mansoor wins. Good for him.” [1:39-2:04]
The two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion co-founded the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion after leaving WWE in 2020. He also spoke about the time when a rival company attempted to sabotage CYN before their first television taping.
What are your favorite memories of the former WWE Superstar in the wrestling business? Let us know in the comments section.
Please credit Sportskeeda’s “The Wrestling Outlaws” and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.