Colt Cabana is a US Independent star making a name for himself, only three and a half years after making his pro debut. I was lucky enough to catch up with the rising star and ask him a few questions. Hope you enjoy.
Hey Colt. How are you doing?
I’m doing great. Thanks for setting this up.
For the benefit of our UK fans who may not be familiar with you, please give us some information about yourself.
I’m 6’1″ and I weigh 242lbs. I was born in Chicago, IL. You might read this and think to yourself, “ah, another power guy”. The fact that I’m a big guy is very deceiving. I pride my wrestling style to be very athletic. I’m what you would call a running back in a lineman’s body (for all you NFL Europe fans). I’ve been in love with pro wrestling ever since I was 3 years old, watching Andre the Giant getting his head shaved in a handicap match. I’m 22 years old and I’m still just a student of the sport, having wrestled for 3 1/2 years.
What made you decide to become a pro wrestler?
Wrestling is something that I knew I wanted to do since I was young. I can recall in Jr. Highschool researching schools and telling my mom that I wish to go to wrestling school instead of college. I’m an athlete. Although I was really good at football, I never had that one dominate sport. I knew wrestling was the sport that I was best fit for. The only problem was that I had to wait 18 long years to start training. I played college football for one year and told myself that I couldn’t hold myself from realizing my dream. So I started my wrestling training (although I did finish college and have a Bachelors in Business).
Who did you train with?
In April of 1999, I enrolled at the Steel Domain Training School in Chicago, IL. There I was trained by local talents, Danny Dominion & Ace Steel. You might know Ace Steel from NWA-TNA. Danny has also done WWA tour in Australia and XWF TV Tapings. Training was very hard and I did get my ass handed to me. Notable students from my training class are Indy talents, CM Punk and Eric Priest.
Where and when did you have your debut match and who against?
My debut match was in Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin. I was then known as GOON #1 in a tag team called the GOON SQUAD. The gimmick wasn’t my choice, but it was given to me by the NAWF promoter, Rock’n Randy. In the match I wrestled Eric Freedom. The only thing was that he was dressed up as Doink the Clown.
How did it go?
The match went well. It was VERY easy. Doink…er…I mean Eric…er….I mean Doink led me through the whole thing. He’s not a very flashy or by any means good wrestler, but he’s been around a long time and is good at helping young kids put a match together. I lost that match, but had the time of my life and couldn’t wait to do it again the next week.
You wrestled in many promotions and won a fair share of belts. Firstly, which company has been your favourite to work for, and secondly, which belt has meant most to you?
I’ll answer your second question first. The belt that’s meant the most to me is the IWA Midsouth Heavyweight Championship. Sure, belts are a work. The fact is that I walked into that locker room and no one had heard of me. None of the fans knew who I was. I was a kid, a rookie. Two years later I had earned so much respect from those people after pouring out all I had in all of my matches that they had no problem with me being their champion. Ian Rotten, the promoter, also realized the hardwork I’d put forth and was the first to tell me “you deserve it champ”.
It’s hard to put a finger on which promotion is my favourite that I wrestle for. I wrestle for so many people and so many promotions are so great to work for. IWA Midsouth does definitely stand out. So does IWC in Pittsburgh, PA or MCW in Illinois. I’m also definitely looking forward to making my ROH in-ring debut.
Do you have a favourite city to wrestle in?
I guess I can say that I love wrestling in Chicago the most because it’s so close to home. For the first two years, I wrestled in Chicago twice because no one wanted to book me their. I had to earn respect around the country in order for Chicago promotions to realize, “hey, we should book this guy”. It’s nice to have a short commute when you have a wrestling show.
Could you ever see yourself in WWE or NWA:TNA?
I think WWE is the dream and NWA-TNA is a reality. Either way I would love to wrestle for either of them. I just love to wrestle. If I would get an opportunity to make it to the big time, I would be a much happier man.
Are you familiar with any guys from the UK wrestling scene?
I have seen very limited stuff from the UK. I’ve seen some Johny Saint goodness. I’m really only familiar with the guys who have come over to wrestle here in the States…Doug Williams, Jody Fleisch, Jonny Storm. I’ve also heard great things about Robbie Brookside and have seen some Christopher Daniels footage from the UK.
Would you like to come over for a UK show?
I would love to wrestle in the UK. Unfortunately I’m short on contacts. It would be a dream to be able to travel the world and wrestle at the same time. Hopefully one day I can fulfil that dream. Until then, I’m going to continue to bust my hump over here in the States.
Who’s been your favourite opponent to wrestle so far?
I have a lot of favourites. Me and CM Punk have had some great battles across the whole country. I’ve also had the pleasure of mixing it up some with better known talent like Jerry Lynn, Tracey Smothers, Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, Ikuto Hidaka and the list goes on. I just enjoy being in the ring and if my opponent has the same respect, then the matches will always have a great outcome.
Who would you most like to wrestle, past or present?
That’s such a tough question. I’ll say either Dynamite Kid or Ric Flair. Flair, just to learn so much as I wrestle and Dynamite to see if I could hang.
In your opinion what’s the best part about pro wrestling?
There’s so many great aspects to wrestling. I personally love going out there and feeling the hard hitting punches or forearms. That really gets me excited. I do love though the fact that it’s everyone’s quest to perfect something that people have been doing for thousands of years. There are so many aspects whether it’s in ring, psychology, or politics. There’s no true answers to anything and you can learn for as long as you stay involved.
What would you most like to achieve in your career?
I would like to be able to say I’m a fulltime Professional Wrestler. I would like to have kids and be able to send them to college on the money I make from wrestling. If I could wrestle full-time and be financially set, then my career will be a success.
What does the future hold for “Classic” Colt Cabana?
A UK booking? LOL. I think the future is very solid for Colt Cabana. Being 22 years young is an advantage I have for I’ll be in the wrestling business for a lot more years to come. Things can only get better and hopefully they will. Honestly, though, I do wish to get out of the USA. It would be a dream come true to be able to wrestle in Japan, Mexico, or even the United Kingdom.
Well thank you for the interview. Very much appreciated. Any last words?
If you’d like to learn more about me, please visit my website at http://www.ColtCabana.com
Thank you very much.
Mitchell Jones