TNA Superstar Ethan Carter III recently sat down with journeyofafrontman.com to discuss everything from his character on Impact Wrestling, to the recent Bill DeMott controversy, to getting in the ring with legends like Kurt Angle and Sting.
I think being locked into a verbatim script is hard for a wrestler because we’re not professional actors. If we were, we’d be getting paid not to get hurt. The thing about being a wrestler and a character is that it’s an extension of your personality. It’s hard for somebody to write who you are. It’s easier to be given a scenario and a situation where you can act in it.
The “lost art” of being a wrestling heel:
I’m a big fan of the antagonist. I’ve always been, whether it’s film, books, wrestling. Some of the best of all time like Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Steve Austin as a heel. My favorite all-time antagonist character was only for a few months, Hollywood Rock. He was entertaining you to an extent where you wanted to see him get beat up, that’s the job of the bad guy. People want to pay money to see him get beat up. I think that’s kind of lost now to a lot of people. A lot of bad guys now want to get respect. I don’t see it that way. If I’m bad, I’m the worst. I’m scum.
Bill DeMott:
As far as wrestling training, it should be difficult a hundred percent. You’re in a place where you’re supposed to represent the best. During my time in developmental, I had some of the best coaches in the world. I had Dr. Tom Prichard, Steve Keirn, Norman Smiley, we had Billy Kidman for a time, Ricky Steamboat, and all these guys push you. They push you to be better constantly. I would be dead dog tired from those practices, but it was never at the expense of my humility as a human being, at the expense of being made an example of, it was to get better. I was pushed to get better. I firmly believe that fully. As far as that scenario, what’s come out are things that did happen and it isn’t a place for that. Not in 2015. Not in wrestling in general. It’s not bettering you as a wrestler.
