Ben Boudreau Interviews Palmer Cannon

The following is an interview conducted via e-mail between yours truly and the independent wrestler formerly known as Palmer Cannon from "SmackDown!". Actually, he goes by the name, Brian Black. He's a Maine native like myself. Yet, unlike myself, he's been competing in the indies for years.

One day while getting completely shredded in the gym, I noticed Brian was also there working out. I approached him and we just started chatting about "the business". I found him to be very open and frank about his dealings with the E. I seized the opportunity and dropped Tha O Show name asking if he would be interested in doing an e-mail interview.

He checked out the site and agreed to it. Some very interesting things came up during this interview that I hope my fellow O-sters will find as entertaining as I have. If there's interest, I'd like to conduct a second part to this interview because I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.

Ben Boudreau: Happy holidays. Thanks again for allowing me to interview you. Let's get right into it...

Palmer Cannon: Sure! This should be fantastic. I tore my bicep last night and I’ll be having surgery in four days. So, as a wise man named Ron Burgandy once said, “I am completely miserable San Diego!”

BB: Please tell us the story of how an indy wrestler from Maine named Brian Black signs to the WWE developmental territory Deep South and later advances to the main roster on "SmackDown!" as the Palmer Cannon character?

PC: Wow! That’s a loaded question that would really take a ton of time to fully answer. The abridged version goes like this: I was floundering around the New England indies for about 2 years until receiving a call from Chaotic Wrestling. After my first booking with them, I looked around at a very talented roster & realized that I needed to get a lot better if I was to survive there - i.e., I didn’t want to be the worst worker on the card every night out.

Not long after I began training at Chaotic, the head trainer Mike Hollow sat down with me and discussed my long term goals in the wrestling business, with WWE being the ultimate goal. I started traveling from Maine to Massachusetts 3-4 times per week, & I also hired an agility coach to work with me.

Over the course of two years, Mike & Chaotic were able to work with me and prepare me for a dark match opportunity. That opportunity came on January 2nd, 2005, when I participated in the Kurt Angle Challenge. Right after the match (yeah, that 26 second classic), John Laurinautis cornered me and told me to get him a tape ASAP. I did just that, and 2 months later I signed my contract.

On May 4th 2005, I pulled my U Haul into McDonough, GA, and began my year long ride in Deep South Wrestling. Training began the very next week, and was every bit as hard as people heard it was (and I thank Bill DeMott & Joe Hamilton for it - my DSW experience was the best year of my life). It didn’t take long for Bill & Joe to realize that I wasn’t exactly ready for TV (I had all the speed and agility of a retarded, drunken ape), so they worked with me on my in ring abilities. But then, one magical day in June, we finally got to cut promos…

…and I guess I cut a decent one. Bill used to joke with me & say I was a nerd & bookworm, so that’s the sort of character he helped me create. The character really began to take shape and seemed to be getting the attention of a few writers in the span of a couple months. In mid August, I sent an ‘audition tape’ for the Palmer Cannon role (as did my friend Arch Kincaid - who happens to be the best talker I’ve ever met. I can’t understand why WWE never signed him).

A week later, Howard Finkel called me and told me to get a nice suit ready, because I was flying to "SmackDown!". From that day on, I was Palmer Cannon. And if you want the rest of the story, wait until the next ‘WrestleCrap’ book is written.

BB: Who were some of the guys you were down there with? Have any of the guys gotten to television since Palmer Cannon debuted?

PC: Absolutely! I’ve been happy to see my boys Mike Knox, Derreck Neikirk, The Gymini, MVP, Michelle McCool and others debut on WWE TV. I know how hard everyone of us worked in DSW, so it’s great to watch someone of the old crew succeed on WWE TV.

BB: Out of the guys you trained with in Deep South, who had "it" and is ready in your opinion to be brought up to WWE television?

PC: Freakin Deacon. The guy is huge, can work really well, and cuts the most intriguing promos I have ever heard. There several more guys (and girls) that are ready to kick ass & entertain when called upon (Mike Taylor, Eric Perez, Angel Williams, to name a few), but the Freakin Deacon is a blank check just sitting there waiting for Vince to cash. Or squander…

BB: What was it like going from wrestling indy shows in the Northeast to sharing a locker room with guys like the Undertaker, Kurt Angle, and Eddie Guerrero? Was it tough not to mark out for these guys and how were you initially accepted by the other boys?

PC: It was no doubt a bit overwhelming to be in the same locker room as the above mentioned superstars, but I was so worried about staying out of everyone’s way and not being a nuisance that I never thought about marking out.

BB: Who were you main influences growing up as a wrestling fan?

PC: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, & Tully Blanchard were some of my favorites. When the three of them jumped to WWF and Flair won the Royal Rumble, that was gold! And did you ever see some of the matches the Anderson & Blanchard had with the Rockers? Amazing!

BB: How did you feel about playing the "Palmer Cannon from the network" character? Did you feel creatively handcuffed in this role, or did you feel like you would be able to evolve the character given more time?

Sure, I knew in a lot of ways the character sucked, but when you bust your ass 5-6 days a week in Deep South, not making a ton of money, you’ll take whatever they’ll give you in an effort to get closer to the main roster andmake a little more. What if Raven turned down the ‘Johnny Polo’ role, or Kevin Nash turned down the ‘Oz’ role?

I took the ‘Palmer’ character, hoping that it would be my first step toward something better. The character would have evolved with better writing, which is something that is obviously lacking at the moment (have you actually paid attention to the current writing? I’d be more entertained watching an arm wrestling match between two stillborn babies).

BB: How did you feel about your character being responsible for bringing in guys like the Boogeyman and the midgets to "SmackDown!" television? Do you think it marginalized the Palmer Cannon character?

PC: I think the Palmer Cannon character was a marginal role at best, so my involvement with the Boogeyman and the midgets simply helped cement my status as a future WrestleCrap inductee. Boo-yeah.

BB: Why was the Palmer Cannon character scrapped? I was waiting for the character to become more of a wrestler and less of an on-air personality. It seemed like there was a build up for it but no payoff.

PC: The character was scrapped because of my departure from the company. If you recall, I had been involved in a small angle with Miz for 3-4 weeks prior to my departure (don’t tell me you forgot about those incredible segments?). The plan was for Miz and I to feud, ultimately leading to a match between us that would have stripped me of my ‘network’ title and left me as a wrestler. And yes, you are right, that makes zero sense.

BB: What is the most memorable moment in your career thus far?

PC: The night I wrestled at the Garden in Boston was certainly a highlight of my career, simply because I had always dreamed of wrestling there. I also had the opportunity to work with Tommy Dreamer in Deep South, and that was tons of fun. In fact, anything I did in DSW was memorable and fun (at least for me - pity the poor folks who had to sit through it all).

BB: If you could have one match at WrestleMania against your dream opponent alive or dead, who would it be?

PC: Ric Flair.

BB: Is it true you had to drive around the Great Khali because he didn't have his license? What was that like?

PC: Yes indeed, I moonlighted as Khali’s ‘handler’ (I now feel an overwhelming kinship with Kim Chee). Khali, being a jolly fellow from India, hasn’t acquired a driver’s license yet, nor can he read or write in English (do not misinterpret this as knock on him - I wouldn’t fare much better if you shipped me off to Bombay). I guess Johnny thought I was a pretty responsible guy, so I was elected to be Khali’s ‘handler’.

We had the same travel schedule and lived only three miles away from one another, so it wasn’t that bad. I always had fun while we were on the road - you can imagine the looks we got when the two of us ducked into an Arby’s for a couple sandwiches. He used to tell people who didn’t know him that he was a ping pong player and that I was his body guard (yes that’s right folks - even his funny bone is big). Over time, I got to know him better and we became friends.

BB: What happened in Europe? Were you released or did you quit?

PC: Ooohh…Europe. Long story short: I was anally raped by three ‘superstars’. Okay, just kidding. The entire story is way too long to tell in this format (but it would make a great shoot video: attention ROH! - we should be able to sell at least seven or eight copies of that baby).

In short, I was on the receiving end of six hours of harassment, hazing and horseshit (alliteration!) that I in no way deserved. I was a quiet, yet courteous guy in that locker room who never violated any ‘protocol’ or unwritten rules. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when it was over, I decided that I wasn’t going to tolerate seven more nights of the same (this was the first night of an eight night oversees tour). So I got in a cab, went to the airport, and flew myself home.

Did I quit? Technically, no. John released me a week later. But I pretty much knew that my WWE ride was over when I got in that cab. I’m sure that there are tons of people out there who think I’m insane for doing what I did, but when it’s all over, I still have to look myself in the mirror. I’m proud to say that I left with my dignity intact. And apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way - I received a number of phone calls from people on the roster who supported my decision.

BB: Who is the most underrated guy on the roster and deserves more of a push?

PC: Mike Knox. It drives me crazy to hear fans claim that Knox can’t wrestle. Get your hands on a few Deep South tapes and you’ll see what he can do. I feel if he’s given the right opportunities, and someone lets Knox be Knox, that guy is going to tear the house down.

BB: Time for some shit talking...who is the most overrated wrestler in the E and deserve their spot?

PC: You know, before I typed this answer, I logged on to WWE.com and looked at the three ‘superstars’ pages. And honestly, I can’t pick one single guy that doesn’t deserve their spot. Boogeyman may never have a five star classic, but he does entertain people. I know it sounds like I’m being a pussy and ducking the question, but that’s honestly how I feel. Now if you had asked me who the biggest douche bag in the E is…

BB: What are the odds of seeing Brian Black back on WWE television in any capacity? Any desire to join TNA?

PC: Well, right now my left bicep is worthless, so you won’t be seeing me anywhere near a ring for at least a few months. Would I go back? Sure, but under the right circumstances. I’m not about to throw myself back into the meat grinder again - and I’m a much bigger target now than I was before. Would they hire me back? They brought back Sable, for Christ sake! Anything’s possible, but I’m not like that fat asshole in Beyond the Mat jumping on a trampoline waiting for that magic phone call.

TNA? I made a phone call months ago and never really followed up on anything. I watch their product occasionally & I’m not really sure where I’d fit in there- I’m certainly not X Division material. I’m a great talker, but I think they have that base covered.

Who knows? Anything is possible, but for now I’m concentrating on my training at the Academy of Mixed Martial Arts in Portland. I’ll also be running the Georgia Marathon on March 25th in Atlanta (look for me - I’ll be the guy wearing the shirt that says ‘I got f’d over in Europe by some drunk Texan and all I got was this lousy t-shirt’).

BB: Thanks for the interview.

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