Michael Hunter Hutter

is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on their development territory NXT in his second stint. He was previously signed to Impact Wrestling under the ring name Ethan Carter III (often shortened to "EC3"), where he is a former Impact Grand Champion and a former two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Hutter began his professional wrestling career in 2002, and wrestled for several promotions beginning in 2006. In July 2006, Hutter signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he wrestled as Derrick Bateman. He was assigned to WWE's developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Johnny Curtis. During his time with WWE, he competed in the fourth and fifth seasons of NXT. Hutter also competed in several independent promotions, winning the AIW Absolute Championship and the Firestorm Pro Heavyweight Championship. After a five-year tenure with Impact Wrestling, Hutter re-signed with WWE as of 2018, and started his second stint since being released in 2013. On June 27, 2007, Hutter appeared at a Derby City Wrestling show in Louisville, Kentucky, where he teamed with Osiris to defeat The Belgian Brawler and Apocalypse in a dark match. On December 9, 2007, Firestorm Pro Wrestling held its inaugural show Destroy Erase Improve, which saw the start of a six-man round robin tournament, in which Hutter competed. The tournament lasted nine months, before ending on September 12, 2008 at Something to Die For. That same show, Hutter won a six-man elimination match to become the inaugural Firestorm Pro Heavyweight Champion. Hutter made his last appearance with Firestorm Pro Wrestling on December 13, 2008, when he vacated the Firestorm Pro Heavyweight Championship, which he later awarded to John McChesney when McChesney won a four-way match for the vacant championship. After a hiatus, Bateman returned to FCW in 2010, teaming with Adam Henderson in a loss to The Rotundo Brothers (Bo and Duke). In March, he lost to Richie Steamboat and Joe Hennig in singles competition, and to Johnny Prime, Orlando Colón, and Incognito as part of a six-man tag team match, before defeating Rudy Parker. He went on to lose to Skip Sheffield, Percy Watson, Mason Ryan, Wes Brisco, and Eli Cottonwood over the next several months. In mid-2010, he formed a tag team known as The Handsome Man's Express with Leo Kruger, and the pair unsuccessfully challenged Los Aviadores (Hunico and Epico) for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on July 2. The Handsome Man's Express disbanded as a team shortly afterward, with Kruger defeating Bateman in a singles match on July 29. On August 12, 2010, Hutter teamed with Johnny Curtis to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship by defeating the team of Donny Marlow and Brodus Clay and the defending champions, Los Aviadores in a three-way tag team match. They went on to successfully defend the championship against Los Aviadores, Clay and Marlow, and The Dudebusters (Caylen Croft and Trent Barretta). After a near three-month reign, Bateman and Curtis lost the championship to Wes Brisco and Xavier Woods on November 4.