Arik Cannon is the second 3XW Cruiserweight Champion defeating former champion Tony Sly and Matty Fitness to win the title in his debut with 3XW. 3XW sat down with Cannon to conduct this exclusive interview for 3XWrestling.com!

Arik, thanks for doing this interview for 3XWrestling.com . Tell us a
little bit about your feelings on your debut in 3XW when you wrestled
"Torturous" Tony Sly and Matty Fitness and won the 3XW Cruiserweight title
in your first match with the company.
Not a problem, thank you. Ah, my debut with 3XW. Prior to coming to
3XW, I had heard nothing but good things about the company and it's fans.
When it finally came time to make my debut, everything I had heard turned
out to be surprisingly true. Let's face it, you can't always believe what you
hear, which made me a little skeptical about having only heard such great
things about 3XW. As for winning the 3XW Cruiserweight Title in my debut...
any time I make a debut with a company I want to come in and make an
impact. Being fortunate enough to get a cruiserweight title, allowed for me
to make a BIG impact in my debut. I see myself being the 3XW Cruiserweight
Champion for some time to come.

What is your viewpoint on independent wrestling in the midwest and the
U.S. ?
It cycles. It goes up and down. But strangely, from place to place the
cycle varies. For the most part, I think we, in large part, are in a rather
big down cycle. Crowds are down, shows are slowing down, and in general
there is a lack of interest. Even on the internet.

In addition to 3XW you also wrestle for IWA Mid-South , Chikara and
several other independent wrestling companies. What has the experience of
wrestling all over the United States been like for you and has it helped
improve your in-ring skills ?
It's amazing. I love it. I travel all over doing what I love to do.
What could be better? Wrestling all over the US for all these different
promotions and encountering opponents of all kinds, is only going to help
you improve. How can it not? Especially when you find yourself across the
ring from some of the top talent in the states from time to time. There are
so many styles, so many ideas, and just so much to learn. Traveling the US
I have been fortunate enough to see and learn a lot of those things.

Who is your dream opponent?
Dream opponent... man, there are so many. I'll pick two! From the US,
I would really like to work with Dean Malenko. From outside the US, I'd
have to say Kenta Kobashi. I've always been a big fan of his.

What are you goals in your pro wrestling career?
I have two longterm goals. I want to keep having fun and eventually be
able to make a living with it. Secondly, I'd really like to work in Japan
some day. I hope to do so before I hang'em up.

You had quite the mohawk this summer, how did you keep that thing
standing straight up?
hahaha... It was actually quite the pain in the ass. Lots of glue and
hairspray! I'm even sporting a little 'hawk right now. You'll see!

Who has been your favorite opponent thus far in your career?
Hands down, 'American Dragon' Bryan Danielson has been my favorite
opponent to date. He's just so good. There's a reason he is commonly
referred to as the best in the world today. Probably, because he is. It
was just a lot of fun, and I'm appreciative that I got the opportunity to
work with him.

Who was your favorite wrestler growing up?
I had a few. JYD, Jimmy Snuka, Cactus Jack, and I was never a
Hulkamaniac, I was a Little Warrior damnit!

Tell us a little bit about your start in wrestling , how you got into
it and what that experience was like for you.
I was trained at the MPW Training Camp in Minnesota. I got my initial
training with Sheriff Johnny Emerald and Shifty. It was itimidating, to say
the least. Hard, yet fun. After, I furthered my training elsewhere. I
trained at CHIKARA under "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush, Chris Hero, and the
former Head Toryumon Trainer; Skayde. Since, I've been training a little
with Nora 'Molly Holly' Greenwald. There is just so much to learn, and I
enjoy every bit of it.

Let's do a little name association :
I'm glad you're not calling it word association, cause that makes people
answer in 1-2 words, this is much better. In my opinion anyways.

Ann-thraxx : She is all attitude. She knows what she wants and she'll pull
the tights to get it.

Casanova -Whoooaaaa! Watch the handshake with this guy! I'm a big fan of
Casanova's simplicity. Great mileage from nothing at all. I wish Nova was
able to be seen by more people. Great stuff, from an even better guy.

Chris Hero - Hero's been a big help since the day I met him. Always
willing to share some advice, or teach me new things.

Matty Fitness -Good young kid, with a lot of potential. I really enjoyed
working with Matty in my 3XW debut. Those people in Des Moines definitely
love them some Matty Fitness. I wouldn't mind stepping into the ring
against him again..

Bryce Benjamin - My my... what a character. Who would've guessed, he's
one of 'those' guys. I don't mean black either. Geez.

Mike Quackenbush- Quack is an endless source of knowledge when it comes to
wrestling. From information to actual wrestling. He's like a big book of
wrestling. He loves him his Lucha Libre, that's for sure!

Austin Aries - Did you know Aries broke my collarbone with one hell of a
lariat?! I've been a fan of Aries since the day I met him. There's just
something about him and the way he does what he does in the ring. It
commands your attention. He's going to get everything he wants out of
wrestling, and more.

Samoa Joe - Intimidating. Joe's a big guy. I really enjoyed the match I
had against Joe. I'd like to do that again, most definitely. He can
definitely put a hurting on you, and I was lucky to come out of that match
unscathed.

Any parting comments for all the fans of 3XWrestling?
Check out www.arikcannon.com for any/all info about Arik Cannon, and to
pick up t-shirts, dvd's, and everything else Arik Cannon!