Word had gotten around that EC3 was in Philadelphia for Royal Rumble weekend earlier today. Considering he had recently left Impact Wrestling, and is exactly the kind of wrestler WWE would want for its roster, there was plenty of speculation he could be a surprise Royal Rumble entrant.
Nope!
Instead, he showed up in the crowd at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia and was introduced by lead commentator Mauro Ranallo as “new NXT signing.”
You never know WHO you'll run into at #NXTTakeOver. Nice to see you, @therealec3! pic.twitter.com/6QsBQ14DZG
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 28, 2018
That’s surprising in the sense that he worked in NXT before it was the developmental spot for WWE that it is today. He’s had enough time with the company, then, that he shouldn’t need to go through the process of learning the style, as Triple H has mentioned new signings will need to do.
Perhaps, then, he’s there to bolster the roster, or his stay will be brief. Either way, he’s back!