Although EC3 was never the biggest WWE Superstar, that didn’t exclude him from training alongside world-class athletes such as The Undertaker. The two-time IMPACT World Champion reportedly helped train ‘Taker to ensure he was ring-ready for WrestleMania.
Speaking about the experience on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s The Wrestling Outlaws, EC3 explained how he intentionally worked against a larger opponent – Titus O’Neil – upon learning that The Undertaker was in the building at Florida Championship Wrestling. Though he can’t believe he “got out alive”, the situation worked out well for the then-Derrick Bateman:
“I think it was WrestleMania 27 or 28. He came down to FCW, and he was walking around, and we were just practicing, and ‘Taker was here; we didn’t know. I tagged, and I found the biggest guy, and I just started working a big guy, an aggressive heel, someone I could sell for. And he was watching. I think it was Titus O’Neil, so I can’t believe I got out of that alive. So I’m working a big guy just to show him I can work.
A month later, we get a call, ‘Hey, Undertaker wants to train for WrestleMania. Can you come in on Saturday and work with him?’ And I said, ‘Yes, that would be cool, of course’.”
EC3 Talks Training With The Undertaker
Discussing the training he underwent with The Undertaker, EC3 noted that there wasn’t much physical training involved. Instead, ‘The Deadman’ essentially provided a free seminar to those in attendance:
“We had about three to four hours of hanging out. A lot of it was just talking to him and getting insight on him on the business. Then occasionally, we’ll run a couple of spots, and then he went on a long tirade of talking; it was just like first-class education.
I’ll never forget; I was sitting under the tree and he got up after talking, he corrects his neck twice and hits two ropes, does a back bump, and he’s like, ‘I’m ready for ‘Mania’ and walked out. That was his training.”
Released from WWE in April 2020, EC3 has appeared for IMPACT Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and the National Wrestling Alliance, alongside starting his own promotion, Control Your Narrative. The company is currently on hiatus following the return to WWE of the co-founder, Braun Strowman.