EC3 is the new NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. The Overman defeated Tyrus in a bull-rope match to win the ten pounds of gold this past weekend at NWA 75th Anniversary Show, beginning his first world title reign for a major promotion since 2016. With this particular title around his waist, EC3 now finds himself standing on the shoulders of wrestling legends like Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and multiple other Hall of Fame talents. While those all-time greats are within the title’s lineage, EC3’s ongoing reign will begin by being compared to the NWA Worlds Champions since the promotion’s 2017 rebrand.
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Speaking to ComicBook.com, EC3 praised the recent NWA Worlds Championship titleholders, pointing to a distinct quality that each brought to the table.
“I think all had unique attributes that they excelled in,” EC3 said. “With Nick Aldis, he’s a consistent world champ. He appeared consistent, as a world champion should. Not only in his mind, but in the noir legacy of NWA with the suits and the work and things like that.”
Nick Aldis held the NWA Worlds Title on two occasions. His most recent reign eclipsed 1,000 days, making him one of the longest-reigning world champions of the 21st century.
“[Matt] Cardona is very special because he’s kind of an outlier. He’s kind of the guy that is really independent on his own success,” EC3 continued. “He’s responsible for himself. He controls his narrative, dare I say. He’s somebody that has gone out and boldly reinvented himself time and time again that with or without the NWA, he would’ve been successful. But as a world champion, he has that independent entrepreneur mindset.”
Matt Cardona’s reign is the NWA’s biggest “what if?” in its modern iteration. An ill-timed injury forced Cardona to vacate the title before his run could really get moving. That said, Cardona brought his immense independent star power to the NWA immediately upon his debut and is one of a select few wrestlers to have an NWA pay-per-view named after one of his catchphrases.
“I think with Trevor [Murdoch], you bring the raw physicality of what a top champion should be, work like, act like,” EC3 said. “He’s a beast. He’s dominant, definitive, and again, harkens back to the old day of the bruising, barreled-chested professional wrestler. So he has that with him.
Like Aldis, Murdoch is a former two-time champion. As EC3 mentions, Murdoch boasted that throwback in-ring style and look, emulating the “working man” champion vibe of old.
As for what will make EC3’s run different, the current NWA Worlds Champion sees himself as being an amalgamation of his predecessors’ strongest attributes.
“What would I do is I combine all three of these things,” EC3 said. “I have the consistency, the look, the act of what a noir world champion would be. But I’ve also evolved myself, my brand beyond what the NWA is that with that title. I can take that with me. That title can also take me here. Then the raw physicality, I mean, nobody’s a bigger stud than me in wrestling. I hit harder than just about anybody under six-foot-eight.
“I wouldn’t shake a stick at what Tyrus is able to do too,” EC3 added. “The dude’s on the highest rated cable, late night news comedy show (Gutfeld!) in the world every day with the title. That’s brand awareness that nobody within wrestling can bring anywhere but him. Does it translate into the actual wrestling fan coming in the building? Not necessarily, but does it transcend into potential wrestling fans looking at product and maybe becoming a fan?”
Tyrus is the most recent former NWA Worlds Champion. During his run, the former Brodus Clay frequently donned the NWA Worlds Title on various FOX News programs, each of which regularly performed in seven-figure viewership.
NWA 75th Anniversary Show is available now on FITE TV.
