On 8 October episode of "Impact Wrestling", Ethan Carter III called him out and gave him a chance to make amends. Carter condemned Spud for his failure to stop Bully Ray from putting his aunt, TNA President Dixie Carter, through a table, EC3 would then publicly humiliate Spud by calling him a loser and slapping him in the face. In the end, Spud fought back and immediately punched Carter, and turning face in the process. Rather than physically retaliating, EC3 fired him from his position as the Carters' chief of staff. On 22 October episode of "Impact Wrestling", Spud teamed up with Eric Young in a losing effort against EC3 and EC3's new ally Tyrus in a Tag Team tournament.