As we passed along earlier in The Feed, a video spread across the wrestle web yesterday and today (Aug. 3) showing former TNA, WWE, and NWA wrestler EC3 entering for a match at an independent show. EC3, whose real name is Michael Hutter, was walking stiffly and with a limp. His stomach appeared a bit distended, and he seemed to be a little out of it mentally/cognitively. Others pointed out how he his fingers were twitching while he was doing his usual poses.
Rockstar Spud, aka Drake Maverick and real
name James Curtin — who still works at WWE as an agent/producer, is close with EC3 inside and outside the business. He was concerned when he saw the above video as well, so he reached out to his friend and shared the following:
I spoke to Michael (EC3) this morning.
Long travel day, multiple flights, heavy training upon landing, messed up leg and (I quote) ‘Add in disrupted sleep, meal timing, hydration and hours of travel, and my digestive system was completely off schedule. My GI tract could not produce my usual sh*t myself lean before hand.’
The video circulating is taken from match two of a one night story, where he is selling the effects of a leg from earlier (which is already really hurt but working as mentioned he through injury).
Please consider the real human being behind what you post but I appreciate everyone’s concern as I myself was concerned enough to ask.
I love my friend. I believe he is good.
We can’t speak to the promotion’s intent, or that of the folks who ripped it and shared it on other platforms. But we hope our coverage of the video came across as concern (with a dash of job protection, I’ll confess… we knew this story would perform well in the metrics that keep us employed). I honestly still have some concerns, and those are based on more than a decade of experience watching wrestlers struggle through injuries and other issues which were likely exacerbated by their participation in this pastime I love — and writing way too many obituaries for men and women who are increasingly younger than me.
That Hutter has a friend like Curtin who cared enough to reach out makes me feel much better as his chances of successfully dealing with whatever challenges he faces, however.
EC3 has also posted his own lengthy explanation which you can find here.
