Nightlife: First Avenue wrestling -- between a ROCK and a hard place

Some people call it fake. Others call it a male soap opera. For those who love it, it's simply rassling.

After a five-month hiatus, live pro wrestling is back at First Avenue. As far as local wrestling venues go, the downtown nightclub has become the pinnacle for such head-bashing excitement.

Tonight's show is put on by F1RST Wrestling, a project of wrestler/promoter Arik (The Anarchist) Cannon. The 27-year-old from Forest Lake has become an unlikely star (locally and abroad -- he's wrestled in Japan, too). At 5 feet 7 and slightly rotund, Cannon doesn't fit the Hulk Hogan mold. But he makes up for it in attitude (although his mohawk and beard can't disguise his baby face).

After First Avenue's previous wrestling promotion grew stale, Cannon took over in April 2007 with the promise of an edgier show: more blood, more story lines, more stars. Tonight's main event features the Sandman, a former ECW and WWE star known for his brutality. Cannon is predicting a crowd of 500.

I talked with Cannon about his peculiar full-time job:

Q Do you guys feel like rock stars, wrestling in a legendary nightclub?

A I don't think there could be a better place. We recently had a show at the West St. Paul Armory, but it didn't compare.

Q Who's rowdier -- wrestling fans or music fans?

A Wrestling fans. When you go to a concert you're not expecting to see someone get their butt kicked, where at a wrestling show you don't go expecting it, you encourage it!

Q You're called the Anarchist, another guy is the Sandman. But how does someone get a name like Horace the Psychopath?

A Well, that's what Horace is -- he's a psychopath. He's a mental-ward patient who's escaped. Horace and I just had quite the battle at First Avenue [in August], where we went up onto the second level. I actually got body-slammed in the men's bathroom. We bled all over that building. So I can attest to Horace being a psychopath.

Q Body-slammed in the bathroom -- was that gross?

A Yeah, it was pretty rude. At one point, after he body-slammed me on the floor, he sat down on the urinal to take a break, which got a really weird response from the people who followed us into the bathroom -- more of a groan than a cheer.

Q Any other nasty surprises?

A At past shows we've had one guy dive off the balcony. We've had matches that involved barbed wire, thumbtacks, tables and chairs -- everything, including the kitchen sink. I know for certain that anyone that comes out is going to see some quality wrestling and at some point they're going to find Horace the Psychopath in their lap.

Q Many of the wrestlers have day jobs, right?

A Yeah, one of the guys is a store manager at Game Stop. One of our top guys is a car salesman. I think we have a Culligan Man, too.

Q What's the worst injury you've had?

A I broke my collarbone. I had a match in southern Indiana and got clotheslined. When I came down onto the canvas it snapped. But I finished the last eight minutes of the match -- and I won. In hindsight, that was probably pretty stupid.

Q Do you have health insurance?

A Most of the guys have no health insurance. When I broke my collarbone, I had to pay for it all by myself. I'm pretty sure that the only guys who have health insurance have it though their day jobs. But if you were to get hurt wrestling and tried to claim it on your job's insurance, what would you say? "Oh, I got body-slammed last week and want my work to cover it?"

Q Is there any money in regional wrestling?

A I do OK. It depends on your experience and your popularity amongst the crowd.

Q Most wrestlers are built like Hulk Hogan, but you don't fit the traditional beefcake mold.

A Not everybody needs to be a body builder. When you look around at the crowd, you don't really see a lot of big, jacked-up guys. So when you can relate to somebody who is your size, it helps build an emotional attachment.

Q Do you mind when people call it a soap opera?

A I never really get bent out of shape. If you get it, then you don't care what people have to say about it.

Q Lastly, how fun is it to hit somebody over the head with a steel chair?

A You'd be surprised with the amount of satisfaction you get from walloping a guy with a chair or a metal trash can.

Q How fun is it to take that hit?

A That's different. It's not as amusing to be on the receiving end.

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909