He’s back…

After months of speculating, former TNA World Heavyweight Champion EC3 has finally arrived under the bright lights of the WWE NXT brand. Sporting a bright new suit and a killer new entrance track, the self-proclaimed “One-Percenter” took to the ring this past Wednesday night, interrupting General Manager William Regal and claiming the newly announced NXT North American Championship for himself.

EC3 will get a chance to fight for that new belt in less than two weeks time, when he steps into the ring at NXT Takeover: New Orleans for a six-man ladder match to crown the inaugural champion. He’ll be joined by Adam Cole, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, the Velveteen Dream and fellow newcomer Ricochet.

Now a 35-year-old veteran of the business , EC3 (real name: Michael Hutter) actually got his first big break moving up from OVW and FCW to be a part of NXT season four back when the brand was still a pseudo reality series. He was brought on as a “rookie” named Derrick Bateman in 2010 with Daniel Bryan as his “pro” and mentor.

In 2013 he was granted his release from WWE and within a matter of months made his debut on IMPACT Wrestling as the storyline nephew of former TNA President Dixie Carter. It was on IMPACT that the EC3 character was born and Hutter was given a real opportunity to show his potential both on the microphone and in the ring, quickliy becoming one of the promotion’s best talents. He would stay with the company for five years through several management regimes, wrestling at the top of the card as both a heel and a babyface, and won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice.