NXT TakeOver: New Orleans is arguably the most acclaimed of the series, featuring a stacked card that culminated in a brutal Unsanctioned match between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. While that was one of the top feuds in wrestling for the time, it was matched in quality from the show’s opener; a six-man Ladder match.
Designed to crown the inaugural NXT North American Champion, it featured Ricochet, The Velveteen Dream, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, EC3, and eventual winner Adam Cole. Walking away as the first champion, Cole had a target on his back, a target that seemingly still exists in EC3’s eyes.
“I Would Destroy Him” – EC3 On Adam Cole
EC3 has jokingly, it seems at least, threatened to beat Adam Cole “to death with his legs”. The two-time IMPACT World Champion made the bold claims while appearing on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s The Wrestling Outlaws podcast, comparing the now-AEW star to his realtor neighbour:
“My neighbour Kurt, the realtor, hell of a guy, looks just like Adam Cole. Yeah, great guy. I can rip Kurt’s throat right out, like just rip it out. I love him. If Adam…if we were the last men on Earth and only one of us is getting that last piece of meat to eat, yeah, I would. I would destroy him. I would rip him to shreds. I would beat him to death with his legs. I’d rip his arms off and I would clap his ears like he didn’t stand a chance against me.”
Outside of three untelevised house show contests for the NXT North American Championship, Adam Cole and EC3 are currently 1-1 in singles action, with Cole winning their last encounter on the January 9th 2019 broadcast of the black-and-gold brand.
Departing WWE in April 2020 as one of the many “budget cut” releases, EC3 has since appeared for IMPACT Wrestling, Ring Of Honor, and the National Wrestling Alliance, alongside creating his own promotion, Control Your Narrative. The brand hasn’t operated since May, with its status unknown following co-creator Braun Strowman’s return to WWE.