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Mitch Carter Shoot Interview (August, 2006)

Posted: Aug 22nd 2006 By: CMBurnham

CMBurnham: Thank you for doing this. We'll start at the beginning. Were you a wrestling fan growing up?

Mitch Carter: Since I was a small child, about 7 years old. I used to watch it on TV all the time and got all the toys and everything and then quit watching it about the time I was 8 because I didn't have cable. Then, about the time I was 12, I picked it back up and started watching it religiously.

CM: Who were some of the stars you liked to watch back then?

MC: Back when I was a child: Hulk Hogan, Big Bossman, (looks embarrassed) Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Ultimate Warrior. Then when I came back and watched it again, I liked Triple H, Shawn Michaels & Razor Ramon.

CM: How did you get connected with ICF?

MC: I was a fan again when I was 12 and I thought, "This is a whole lot of fun. It looks like something I want to do." Then a couple of years went by and I decided I couldn't wait around until I was older. I was going to do this right now. So I decided I was going to build a ring in my backyard. I saved up enough money over the summer and worked and worked and got enough money for the ring. I finally built it and the friends I had who were going to do it with me bailed out because they didn't think I was actually going to do it. So after that I thought, "What am I going to do?" So I got online and I was looking at backyard wrestling federations in Oklahoma and I found ICF. I contacted one of the people there and that's about it.

CM: What do you think of backyard wrestling federations in general? Do you think they're a good thing? Did you enjoy your time there?

MC: I think within reason [it's OK]. The kids who jump off the roofs and hang themselves with barbedwire and put thumbtacks up their ass...they're the ones who really need to stop and quit it. The ones like us, who emulate what they see on TV and want do like that, I say go for it. Because that's what we did and in a way, we had an advantage over a lot of the rookies going into the pros because we kind of had the feel of how to do it right.

CM: And there were a lof of people in ICF who eventually moved up into the professional ranks in Oklahoma. People like Justin Lee and Kenny Campell. Poo Bear. Shane Morbid. Was there anyone you were particularly close with in the ICF ranks that you tried to come up with?

MC: I broke in the business with X-Cal. I know that. We were really close. We trained together. Same with Shane Morbid. Shane kind of started a little before us. Justin was like a mentor. Kenny was like a mentor. I actually idolised Kenny back then. We were all pretty good friends.

CM: Who did your training when you got to the professional ranks?

MC: That's a good question. Justin, Kenny, Sonny C, a little bit of Rocco. A mixture of all of those guys. They taught me the basics. Kenny taught me a couple of cool things. So did Justin. But, all around, it was basically hip toss/arm drag/clothesline/tie up...stuff like that. As I've moved along, I picked up stuff on my own, got advice from others and pretty much trained myself in a way, later. I mean, noone taught me how to do the moonsault, did they? So...

CM: What was your first professional match?

MC: It was May, 2003. I think it was May 3rd, I'm not sure, but if you look at Oklafan.com you'll find it. I wrestled as Anarchy and it was in front of, I think, 1000 Mexicans.

CM: The Cinco de Mayo shows.

MC: Yeah, it was Mountain Man, X-Cal and Anarchy vs. Deuce Rodriguez, Sonny C &...I want to say Splash Jackson, but that can't be right.

CM: That's right. Because that was the match where Tony turned Sonny heel for that one match.

MC: Oh, well, I was too nervous to pay attention to that because I was under a mask and it was my first match.

CM: Was the Anarchy bit just something to get you in there or were intending to take that over from Kenny?

MC: Just something to get me in there. I honestly didn't want to start then. I wanted to wait until I was totally ready, but honestly, noone's totally ready when they start. So they threw me in there and I was happy with that. And props to Rocco for that one.

CM: Any memories of winning the TPW Light Heavyweight Title from Deuce Rodriguez?

MC: I won it from Deuce?

CM: Yeah.

MC: Oh. I remember there was a certain move where I was going to pick Deuce up and turn him away and throw him face first to the mat. Well, he thought I was doing a Northern Lights suplex. So, whenever I did that, he was flipping and I was pushing, so obviously he landed on his head. I caught a lot of heat for that at the time, I think, but other than that, I guess the match went OK. I mean, honestly, when I look back then, my matches sucked. So, I can't really say anything good about my matches back then. For the time, it was OK.

CM: You had a couple of small programmes after you won the Light Heavyweight title. You had one with Devon Monroe. Any memories of working with him?

MC: I actually enjoyed working him, believe it or not. Some people have things to say about him, but I honestly never had a problem working him.

CM: You also had some matches, both before you won the title and after, with Sudden Impact, who's not exactly a light heavyweight. Any memories of working with him?

MC: (laughs) See this scar on my head? (points to forehead) Well, apparantly, Sudden Impact thought my forehead was a hot dog and accidentaly took a bite out of my forehead in a miscommunicated spot. He busted me open hardway, the only time that's ever happened in a match. Blood everywhere. I remember Rocco had a look on his face of concern and after the match, he said, "Who called for the juice?" That's pretty much my favourite memory of Sudden Impact. But I always enjoyed working with him.

CM: Any memories of losing the Light Heavyweight Title to Devon?

MC: I don't know. All those matches with Devon kind of blend into one. I didn't mind losing. I was just doing my job. My memories with Devon are that I was really green at the time and I didn't have a problem working with him and I had fun.

CM; You continued on working with TPW for a few more months, but you didn't really have any other programmes. You did have a couple of matches with the Shadow of Death. Any memories of working with him?

MC: (chuckles) He's a weird guy, I'll say that. I never had a problem with him personally. never ever, ever. I enjoyed working with him very much. There was one time in a match where he laid down for an elbowdrop, but I called for a Lionsault. And apparantly he thinks a Lionsault is a dancing elbow drop. Other than that, I like him.

CM: Why did you leave TPW?

MC: I had a lot of fun starting out there. Even though I've evolved since being there and even though I'm smarter than I was back then, I can still look back and say "That was fun.". That was a good start for me. We all did so much for the company because we cared. One day, I was pulling the ring and it was loaded improperly. I was driving down the highwway and [the trailer] was shifting on me, so I took an exit--I was following Justin at the time--I took an exit and then got back on the highway and as I got back on, the ring shifted and fishtailed on me and I ended up losing control and hitting a semi. That night, Rocco had had one of his many retirement matches and he had a retirement party and everybody was there except Justin and I because we were taking the ring to Justin's house. When Justin made the call to Justin's house, Ray (Martinez) and Poo Bear immediately left to go help pick up the ring off the highway. And at the time, Poo Bear had a van which could have transported many members of the house over there. But they wanted to stay there and they said it was because they were drinking and they didn't want to get in trouble for it. I bit my toungue back then and didn't say anything because I didn't want to be disrespectful and I really didn't have many hard feelings back then, but as time went by, after the wreck, I started thinking, "Wow. They really didn't come over and take responsibility for picking up their ring out of the highway." Not to mention seeing if their friend was OK and not dead. That just really kind of showed me how they were. Looking back, I don't think that's really how they are, it's just how it felt. So I stuck with the company because I don't ever burn my bridges and I don't like to. But as time went by, I kind of noticed that egos were getting bigger and I started thinking about where I wanted to be in wrestling. If I stay in TPW forever, my biggest success was going to be winning the Oklahoma Title, if that. I found my way out because Justin and I had a little heat with each other--I'm not going to say why--that pretty much did it. That's why.

CM: Why did you end up going over to SRPW?

MC: They were the other thing in town, pretty much. I had thought about it before, but I was so loyal to TPW at the time that I didn't want to get heat for anything.

CM: Did you notice any immediate differences between the 2 federations or the locker rooms?

MC: I noticed TPW liked to talk about real life things and their personal lives more whereas SRPW talked about wrestling, wrestling, wrestling. That's it. That was the main thing I noticed first.

CM: I want to talk about a couple of other characters you portayed, not that they're connected. There's a lot of time between them. The first one was a personal favourite of mine, Ned Tendo. How did he come about?

MC: Guy by the name of Cast Iron Cothern--I believe he started at the last SRPW show--he actually came up with the gimmick in the backyard days. It was one of those things that sounded like so much fun and I thought it would be so much fun to have a masked character. So I thought I'd steal Cothern's idea.

CM: Did you intend to be Ned Tendo for long term or was it just a way to get you in the federation?

MC: I just thought it was fun. It wasn't really a way to get me in there because I was already in there as Mitch Carter. It just seemed like a fun character to play.

CM: Why did you shut it down?

MC: I got tired of wearing a mask and doing a masked character because I didn't want to get it confused with my actual character and to be honest, I didn't want my masked character to get more over than me.

CM: Then later on, you were the original Juan Suzuki. Or perhaps the only Juan Suzuki.

MC: Hah! Wouldn't you like to know.

(Brief pause)

CM: OK. Moving on. Any memories of the 2004 Wagoner Fall Festival where you were the most over member of the SRPW group there?

MC: I have lots of memories. I remember Cade (Sydal) giving me a black eye and I kicked him in the stoumach really hard and making him not eat for a week. I remember working Adam Thornstowe for the first time and that was a lot of fun. I miss him. I worked Luc Lapointe for the first time and that was a lot of fun. Then we had our 8-man tag team match and I remember some of the members of the match were drunk...and that was a lot of fun. I believe I did a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow (in that match). That was the first time I felt like I had a lot of fun in my career.

CM: Your first title in SRPW was the Hardcore Title and you're not exactly a Hardcore-image kind of guy.

MC: Why? What's wrong with me?

CM: You're not one to typically participate in hardcore matches.

MC: What, do I not wear enough T-shirts?

CM: I'm just saying that, if you look through your match results...

MC: (cuts him off) Hey, I came through the backyards.

CM: OK. Should I just hand the tape recorder over to you? Anyway, any memories of the Hardcore Invitational Match?

MC: I remember Bobby Burns choking me with a broom and I was trying to yell, "It's a work, Bobby!". I remember diving onto Beau Dalton out of nowhere and I also remember doing my first Asai moonsault to the outside. I remember the venue was a lot of fun. It reminded me of ECW in a lot of ways. I don't know how, it just did. Probably because it's a bingo hall and so was ECW's arena. I just remember that was a lot of fun at that show and I still wanted to go back there. But we never got to.

CM: For the rest of 2004, you spent a lot of time tagging with Dexter Hardaway against various combinations of the Fraternity of Sin, usually Cade Sydal and X-Cal. Any memories of those matches?

MC: I remember it was fun tagging with Dexter. We had a little bit of chemistry in a non-gay way. I remember Cade knocking Dexter out at one point. Turning off his "off" switch. That was actually kind of scary because I'd never been in the ring with someone who'd gotten knocked out before. I remember we had to change to finish. Cade & I had to finish it up out of nowhere. Same with Luc too. I'm kind of proud about how we covered it.

CM: The first really high-profile match you participated in in SRPW was the Fatal 4-Way for the X-Division Title. What are your memories of that?

MC: I don't know how the hell we pulled that off, but we did. That was the first time I had high expectations for the match and they were met and exceded. I hardly ever go into a match with high expectations because I'm just going to get let down because it's not going to be as good as I'd like it to be. That was the first match that really blew my mind and made me mark out for it. I remember there was a fan by the name of June who worked at this bank in my hometown and I'd go and see her a lot. She'd go to the old OPW shows and to the SRPW shows. I remember she died right before that match, so I kind of dedicated that match to her. Somehow, I don't know if she was watching the match or something like that, but it went off really well.

CM: You returned to tagging with Dexter at the Fun Fairs. Did you enjoy working at the Fun Fairs?

MC: Oh yeah, I had a lot of fun working at the Fun Fairs. That was new people going to the shows and sometimes it would be a nice little crowd and sometimes it would be a nice big crowd. [I liked] walking around in your gear. People would look at you and say, "Hey, you're a wrestler!". That's one of the things I always wanted was for someone to come up to me and say, "Hey! You're a wrestler!" But me being a skinny white kid with a gay haircut, nobody would think I was a wrestler.

CM: I asked Dexter about this when I did my interview with him and he couldn't really give me an answer, so I'll ask you. You and Dexter tagged together at the Fun Fair. You tagged almost exclusively with him. I think you had one match with Adam Thornstowe, but most of your time was spent with Dexter. You guys were undefeated and this was right before the tag team tournament was supposed to start in SRPW. Then, when the tournament starts, they put Dexter with Bobby Dalton and they put you with Brandon Groom and you guys are eliminated in the first round. Why didn't they keep you and Dexter together? Was that your choice, due to the fact that your brother had just died?

MC: Yeah, the thing is, when that happened, there's a lot of other stuff that happened too that I can't really mention on the tape. Just a lot of stuff in my personal life that happened. Not only with my brother dying, but I had a girlfriend, blah, blah, blah. I couldn't do much with my life just then. I pretty much just shut down. Went to therapy and just tried to get back on my feet. I remember they were going to do some shows in Enid. I was going to go there, but that morning my brother died and I couldn't go. They did a show somewhere down south in Oklahoma and I missed that and another Boys & Girls Club show. I guess they figured I wasn't coming back or something like that. And then I came back. But there's a lot of stuff like that. I mean, why would they put me and Adam Thornstowe together and then me and Dexter together again? There's a lot of stuff like that in SRPW where I don't know if they just didn't pay attention to what they were doing or if they just didn't care. I don't know. Even I get puzzled a lot of the times.

CM: When you came back you made a switch and became a heel. Did you like the way your heel turn came off?

MC: Oh, I loved it. Loved it. That's what I'd been wanting for a while because I never was heel before.

CM: You weren't a heel in ICF?

MC: Oh, well, yeah. I don't count the backyard. I wanted to play heel because I was tired of being the second rate X-Cal in Sapulpa or the bottom level face. So I figured why not take my anger out on the stupid Sapulpa crowd and be heel?

CM: And you were put together with Sonny C and Jack Legacy to form the New Dynasty.

MC: That actually could have worked very well.

CM: Why do you think it didn't work the way the Fraternity of Sin or P.I.N.K. Nation did?

MC: Just the way it was booked. SRPW didn't do well with continuity. They didn't do a lot of promos or hype things up too much. I mean, they would do a little bit, but not enough to keep the fans remembering things. They wouldn't push things very well. One week I would wrestle who I'm feuding and the next week we wouldn't acknowledge the feud at all. And then even the show after that we wouldn't acknowledge the feud at all. Stuff like that. Continuity. They had a real problem with that.

CM: How did you end up working at the Candido Cup?

MC: There's a saying: "Bring your gear to a wrestling show even if you're watching." I was the one who brought my gear. Simple as that. Scotty Charisma didn't show and they were looking for wrestlers in the crowd and they saw me. Well, they asked Cade first, but Cade didn't have his gear and I had my gear and I went back there and said "What's up?" to Christopher Daniels and met the Naturals and they said "You're working this Natural." and I said "Oh, really? Holy shit. OK." I tried not to mark out too much. The deal with that match is I was really proud of it because most people dumb themselves down when they work with names. I don't know if this is true, it's just the way I see it over the years. Some people just dumb themselves down and just do basic stuff to a name and not do their own shit. But he actually took my moves and we actually worked a little bit instead of him just jobbing me out the whole time. I was really proud of that and the crowd was really into it and at that moment I thought, "Ok. I'm gonna do this for a living one of these days. This is no longer a hobby to me. If I can do this, I can go out of Oklahoma."

CM: You made a return to TPW for a couple of matches. Why did you go back there?

MC: Nostalgia. I just felt like hanging out with the boys there again. I don't like burning bridges, contrary to what people might think now. I try to get along with everyone the best I can. I was missing the guys. I wanted to go back and show them how much different I am now. Even put some of their guys over which, obviously, I did. I had fun, but then I started realising that they're all the same. It's just not going to change. Egos get in the way. I wasn't feeling it too much. I love the guys to death, I just wasn't feeling their company at the time.

CM: Any memories of your matches in MSWA with Cody Jones?

MC: I remember he looked like Ludicris at the time and I made a lot of references to that. I remember his facial expressions never changed from a hairlip look, I guess. Cody's a good kid. I like Cody. There were times in the matches where we would stiff but each other, but he has a lot of potential. He's not exactly stupid. He's better than most rookies were at the time. I'll give him credit. I had some decent matches with him. I enjoyed working with him.

CM: You went back for the 2nd Wagoner Fall Festival shows and this time you were a heel. Did the crowd still want to react to you the way they had the year before?

MC: At first, yes. I was getting cheers when they heard my name and I thought "What the hell?" But I played it off and it ended up a toss-up between Beau (Dalton) and I as the top heels. I don't know which one was bigger. But it's kind of funny how I was the most over face and then a year later I was one of the most over heels. I take pride in being able to do both roles.

CM: There's a match that you put on your most recent DVD from that show. It was you and Paul Linam vs. Cade & Lily McKenzie. Why did you pick that match?

MC: Because of the crowd. And you don't really see men wrestling women in Oklahoma obviously for boxing commission reasons. I just like the match. It was fun. All our timing was good. The crowd was eating up everything I did to Lily and then the crowd popped at the end when Lily got her DDT on me. Did Cade get the pin or did she get the pin?

CM: Cade got the pin.

MC: Cade got the pin. Right. That's what I look for is the big pop at the end. When you've got the crowd up HERE and then back down here and...kind of like an orgasm. That's the best way I can put it. Then, BOOM, the big reaction at the end. That's what you always want to look for. I take pride at the end when the crowd popped.

CM: Any memories of winning the SRPW X-Division Title?

MC: I was proud of that. I had fun wrestling Kenny a lot and I was proud that people finally took notice of what I could do. I knew if the ball was thrown to me, I wouldn't drop it. Contrary to what people might think now, I actually am a company man and try to do what's best for the company whether it's putting guys over for the right reason or doing the best I can when they throw the ball to me. That's just something I was real proud of because someone finally took some notice.

CM: When did you and Cade form the Pretty Young Things?

MC: I can't remember when we got the idea, but we started wrestling together in ACW in June of 2005 against John O'Malley and Chris Matthews. It was actually Chris Matthews' last match before he left (for OVW). I was pretty nervous because it was the first time I'd been down there to ACW and I was still pretty green. I was wrestling guys 3 times my size and I had to think about what I was going to do to them. I remember in the match I was doing a springboard clothesline to O'Malley but the ceiling was so low that I was looking up at it. making sure I didn't hit my head. I ended up slipping and instead of giving him a clothesline my body went straight forward and I ended up giving him a pieface. It was a springboard pieface that ended up busting his lip. I had a lot of fun working with Chris Matthews too. He's a great guy. It was a lot of fun.

CM: Why did you not keep the PYT name when you brought the team into IZW and renamed it the Party Express?

MC: I really don't know. Ask Cade in his shoot interview.

CM: You worked a lot of matches with Kenny Campbell both in SRPW and MSWA. Memories of those matches?

MC: I always had a lot of fun working Kenny. Sometimes we'd plan a bunch of spots and be a couple of spot monkeys and other times we'd just wing everything. I always thought we had good timing. Sometimes we had matches where we'd both screw up or the crowd wouldn't be into it, but usually everything would be ontime. He was really smooth and fun to work with.

CM: You participated in a match at an FCW show that was billed as an ICF reunion and 3/4 of it was. Was it true that Shane Morbid was supposed to be in that match?

MC: I think so. That's what I thought when I got there, but something happened. I don't really know what.

CM: What did you think of that match?

MC: I thought it was OK. I remember (TPW columnist) Professor Pain yelling crap at me and I yelled back at him. I remember a few comedy spots in there and they were funny. It was just a simple fun match. I had no problem with it.

CM: Did you expect to hold the X-Division Title in SRPW as long as you did? Because you are the longest reigning champion on record.

MC: No shit? Cool. Well, I don't really know. I try not to get my hopes up for things anymore in life because you're just going to set yourself up for disappointment. So when I had the title, I just did my best while I had it and cherished that. I still really don't know to this day why they took it off me. There's a lot of things I don't know why they did, but I'm not mad about it or anything like that.

CM: You were supposed to have a big ladder match for the X-Division Title with Kenny and then Kenny ended up getting fired, or waked out, depending on who you hear it from.

MC: Do you want to know the truth?

CM: I'll take the truth from your side.

MC: This is a shoot interview after all.

CM: That's right.

MC: OK. Kenny left his bag backstage in the little weightlifting room which was our lockerroom. You're not supposed to do that apparantly. I don't know if they made this rule after what happened to Kenny or before. I don't know if you remember Brandon Bishop getting his wallet stolen, but it was kind of the same thing. Most of us left our bags in the gym before time to go out there so non-wrestlers and club members could go back there and work out and we don't know them. You always want to keep an eye on your bag when there's an empty locker room without wrestlers. Anyway, Kenny left his bag back there. I don't think it was back there very long. But we were getting back there and getting ready for this big match we were going to have. We were going to have a lot of fun and we were both psyched and Kenny gets back there and he sees that the money has been taken out of his wallet. I think he had $150 in there. I'm not sure, but it was a decent amount of money. He noticed it was taken. Kenny was already unhappy for many of the same reasons that I would get ticked off about things. Something about the way they ran things wouldn't make sense or we wouldn't like. I tried to let it just roll off my back. I don't really take things too far or get too mad where I'm going to go up and demand things because I'm a company man. I try to do what's best for the company. But sometimes things get a little irritating. Honestly, If things were run a little better in SRPW, I don't think Kenny would have stormed off the way he did. But I don't think he was happy and someone took his wallet and he felt justified to get angry and walk out. That's pretty much how it went. And the thing about the bathroom...I don't know if you've heard about that?

CM: I heard he punched a hole in the wall.

MC: No, no, no, no, no. He went in the bathroom, pulled the door and hit the wall several times out of anger. We all do things out of anger and it really didn't do too much damage at all. Honestly, the bathroom was pretty messed up the way it was. The walls were already skinned up. There was tile that was barely hanging on. He hit the wall several times with the door, maybe causing a couple of nicks or something like that and some of the tiles fell. No big deal. Tiles that were at the border of the floor. When he got backstage he said, "I quit." to Sarah and Sarah said, "OK. You're fired." Me and Bobby Dalton saw it. Me, Bobby & Kenny were the ones back there. I called Kenny several times to see how he's doing. Sarah or someone asked about the bathroom and someone came up to me and said, "Do you know anything about this?" and...Kenny's my friend and I'm not a rat. I'm not going to rat on him. No big deal. It's none of my business. I just said, "I didn't see a thing." But Bobby told the truth. And there's nothing wrong with telling the truth, but he kind of earned heat with Kenny or something. I was just not going to rat on my friend, but I can understand why he did it pretty much, even though he did take it a little too far.

CM: All of this left the main event in a big amount of jeapordy, so they did an angle where you were supposed to defend the title against Sonny C and then Sonny doesn't want to wrestle you and so Ray (Martinez) gives himself the X-Division Title. Where did all this come from?

MC: I've got a question for you.

CM: OK

MC: How'd you like the angle? Be honest. What did you think?

CM: I thought it was original until I remembered that Vince Russo had done something pretty similar back in WCW. But for the time, it got a pretty decent amount of heat.

MC: You didn't expect that, did you?

CM: No. Not at all.

MC: Loved it, right? Little bit better than what you're used to seeing, correct?

CM: Yeah.

MC: OK. That was all my idea. Well, maybe not all of it. If you ask Ray, he'll tell you it was pretty much all my idea. The direction of it was all my idea. It was originally going to be me and Sonny C and then Ray was going to screw me over for the belt. I honestly don't know why I dropped the title to Ray. I guess we were going to start a feud or something, which we tried to, but it didn't quite...(trails off)

CM: I was going to ask you about that later.

MC: So people were saying, "You need to wrestle Sonny." Blah blah blah. I was thinking it was face vs. face. Noone's going to give a shit. I understand with Ray turning heel at the end it would be cool at the end. It would make sense for a face vs. face match. Something happens at the end where the heel comes in and does something. But I thought, "Y'know. we always send the fans home happy. It's getting predictable. Why don't we send them home pissed off? So let's not even give them a main event. Let's fuck them out of the main event here." Because I knew no one would see this coming if Ray's announcing it, I turn my back, he attacks me and says, "I'm the X-Division champion". You don't see that kind of stuff. I mean, yeah, Russo did it. Big deal. I didn't exactly think about Russo when I made it up. I took pride in the fact that it worked so well. So that made me kind of excited about feuding with Ray after that.

CM: Did you think it was going to be difficult to feud with someone who's not a wrestler?

MC: No, not if we did it right. And it was kind of doing decently for a while. We were doing right. I just wanted to do something different. Not traditional booking. Not traditional Oklahoma booking.

CM: What were the circumstances that led to you & Cade winning the IZW Tag Team Titles? I understand that you weren't really supposed to get those.

MC: I dunno.

CM: If you look at the records of your time together in IZW, you'd won 1 match together in your whole time tagging there, so you weren't exactly top contenders to the titles.

MC: It was one of those surprise things, I think.

CM: I know that (John) Zorthos told me that he and Bernie (Donderwitz) had to take the titles back because Seth (Allen) was going to Louisvile (to OVW). He didn't really want to hold them again because 3 times is a bit too much.

MC: Yeah, and Cade & I were very loyal to that company. Gary (Tool) and Johnny Z got to know me a bit and I guess they like me. We were transitional title holders and I guess we were just at the right spot at the right time.

CM: Any memories of the match where you won the titles or the next one where you dropped it to the Re-Gex?

MC: I remember it was a very contrived finish. The ref was knocked out and Gary ran in and counted 1..2..and then my opponent kicked out. But by accident, Gary counted to 3, so the announcer started to say stuff and Gary had to cover it and say, "No. No!" Then Gary got bumped by Bernie and Seth Allen came in for the save and made the count. Despite the botches at the end and the botches in the match, the crowd still popped when Seth came out and like I said before, that's what made the match worthwhile. Then the match with the Re-Gex...timing was great, crowd was great. Smooth. Loved it.

CM: What did you think about working the cancer angle with Cade down in ACW?

MC: That's one of the things that I love about ACW and this is what I'll give Brandon Bishop credit about. He'll do things in his show that will appeal to the non-wrestling fan. That's what I love about him. Yeah, some people might say that some of his storylines are stupid. I never really had a problem with them. I like how he'll do stuff that nobody really does. He'll think outside the box. That's what I love about him. And controversy does sell, I think. And what's worse than saying, "Dude, I think you have cancer, so maybe you shouldn't wrestle anymore so I can venture off on my own." That's pretty much how it went.

CM: Did you have any concerns about the believability of the angle when he was still wrestling up here in SRPW, but down there, he was saying, "Hey, I can't wrestle anymore because of this."

MC: I wondered about that, but then I remembered its different fans. But then we kind of fixed that quickly. One month I told him he had cancer, the next month we had our last match and then month after that he found out he didn't have cancer. We quickly wrapped it up.

CM: Any memories of the match with Cade?

MC: I was really proud of that match because we came out there with our Justin Timberlake music, except we were walking like we were depressed. The crowd was booing us as they usually do because we were over as heels. We had the (ACW) tag team titles. Two heels come in the ring, change into faces, then wrestle each other and keep the crowd the whole time. Do you see that happen all the time? If I saw that on paper I wouldn't believe it. But it happened and I have that on the DVD too. I don't know if you saw that.

CM: I did.

MC: I was really proud that somehow we pulled that off. I didn't think in a million years it would work. That's one thing I was really proud of.

CM: What was the idea behind the Mitch W. Carter gimmick and are you going to try and bring that up to IZW?

MC: Well, I know I'm going to catch heat with you for this, but I'm actually a Republican.

CM: I knew that.

MC: At the time I was living with a liberal girlfriend and I was getting tired of all this liberalism and all this hippie crap and so I started to become more conservative as a person. I don't know who came up with it, whether it was me or Brandon or Cade, but somebody did. We all might have done it. We all put in our ideas. We figured what would be a bigger heel than a fucking conservative guy who wants to run for president? It would basically be me, just with the volume turned up.

CM: Do you think it gives you a chance to help elevate guys like Tommy Smash and Jessica?

MC: Oh yeah. That's some of the reason I did it because I knew it would bring some of those people in there.

CM: How'd you get the "Aviator" nickname?

MC: The first time Se7en and Aaron Neil saw me, I was wearing giant sunglasses and a towel and they thought I looked like Leonardo DiCaprio from "The Aviator". It stuck since then and that was back in 2004.

CM: Let's talk a little about some of the other feds you've worked in that I'm not quite as knowledgable about as the ones connected to Oklahoma. I know you worked in Total Texas Wrestling. You had a series of matches with Matt Garza down there. Any memories of working with him?

MC: He looks like George Lopez. He can listen when he wants to. He can bump really well. He has a good attitude.

CM: You also work over in Arkansas for Mid-States Wrestling. I believe you and Kenny tag together as the Spanish Fly Boys.

MC: Hell yeah.

CM: Where did that idea come from?]

MC: Kenny. I think it was just one of those things where I asked, "Hey, what's our name?" "Spanish Fly Boys." Just a quick answer like that. Kenny's just a genius and funny like that.

CM: You also worked in MSWA one time as the Spanish Fly Boys and you went over the Real Impact Players, but you never went back there again. Was there supposed to be a programme for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team titles?

MC: I think there was, but the next time they had a show, neither Kenny or I could make it. I think everyone just forgot. I'd love to work them.

CM: You've worked down in PCW sometimes. Who have you worked down there?

MC: I've worked J.T. Lamotta, Tarantula and Giggalo James Johnson.

CM: Then you recently tagged with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. What was it like to work with him?

MC: He's a really really nice man. Just an inspiration and a walking miracle. He actually gave me the advice to move to Texas and go to PCW. I saw him at Trek Expo when I went there with Justin and I started talking to him for a while and tried to get as much advice as possible. I'd already met him at the (OWP) Ricky Morton benefit show, but I didn't get to talk to him that much. He said my best bet is to go to PCW and stay with them, so that's what I'm doing right now.

CM: Speaking of the Morton show, I know you worked Cody Jones and we've already talked about that, but what did you think of the Morton show in general?

MC: Dr Death actually said this. It was the worst show, as in the most unprofessional and worst organised, that he's ever been a part of. The sad thing is I can't really agree because I've been to worse. Nobody really knew what to do. Nobody really knew what was going on. So Tracy Smothers took over and started booking. Dr. Death thought Ricky Morton should have booked, but that's their business. It was booked on the fly. The show was actually booked an hour before belltime. Not every wrestler there got to work. It was cool to see some of the names and meet some people. It was just really unorganised.

CM: You were involved in the next-to-the-last SRPW show in a 6-man tag match. It was P.I.N.K. Nation against you, Luc Lapointe & Cpl. James Warbois. You were pretty heavily involved in the set up for the cage match, but then you weren't actually involved in the cage match itself. Were you supposed to be involved in that match originally?

MC: I believe I was. I was feuding with Ray. That was the start of it. You can ask Ray the same question, he'll tell you we were feuding. That's what we were going to do. Why else would he take my SRPW X Division TItle for no reason with no match? So we had been feuding--we'd been trying to feud, if they let us--and we had the potential to have a good thing going, but they just never paid attention to it. Ray & I talked about this. I figured on the last show, Ray and I would finally face each other, one-on-one. Somehow. Brandon Bishop had contacted me before, asking if I'd like to work him on that last show since it would be both of our last matches in the Tulsa area before we both move. I said, "Sure". And then Ray and I still wanted to set up our match somehow. So we figured Ray would bring Brandon Bishop at me and I would wrestle Ray for a while and then eventually win so I could get my shot at Ray's title then. And then right after that, Ray and I have a quick little match and I go over on him and get my title back. And originally, I was going to win the title and then call Sarah Harmon out and give the title to her. Something nice like that. I just wanted closure for the feud. I didn't care if I went over or went under, honestly. That's just how it was going to be booked. But we're not bookers, we're workers and they didn't like that. They didn't want Ray to be touched until the cage match. I tried to argue a little bit because this is the 3rd feud where I had no closure in the feud. The first feud being SRPW management with the New Dynasty. Obviously that fell apart. No closure there. Then I had my feud with Kenny. Wasn't set up well at all. We barely even wrestled each other most of the time. Then that never went through right, never had closure there. Then my feud with Ray, I thought, "OK, this is going to be done correctly" because we had a great start with him taking the belt off me. The purpose of that was to feud with me, obviously. But they just forgot about it or they didn't want to acknowledge it. I don't know why they didn't want us to feud. I really don't know why. That was their problem. They would do that to people. They woudl start up a feud and not finish them. They had no closure, no continuity. That was actually THE problem I had with SRPW. With the cage match, our problem was that Ray & I didn't talk to anyone with the fear of not getting our way, obviously and we shouldn't have been like that. Also they did say we could have whatever match we wanted on the last show. I was supposed to be in the cage match, but you know what? I knew the cage match was going to be a lot of guys in the ring. Too many guys trying to get too many things in there and it wasn't going to turn out right. And I didn't want to be a part of it. I wanted to have a better match for my last match in Tulsa. That's what I wanted with Brandon Bishop because I felt like he wanted the same thing and I felt like I owed him something because he gave me the chance in ACW.

CM: What was your opinion when you found out that SRPW was shutting down?

MC: I saw it coming. If I wasn't moving and knew I'd be wrestling at other places, I'd be really upset like a lot of the other people were. But I knew it was going to happen. I wasn't feeling it anymore. It wasn't as organised as it used to be. And it seemed like nobody really cared anymore. Some people would try to give out ideas, but they'd be shot down. I don't know why. It just didn't seem like they were as open to ideas as they should have been.

CM: What would you say was the best thing about your time in SRPW?

MC: Contrary to what people think now of me, hanging out afterwards at Steak and Eggs. That's what I'm always going to remember.

CM: What would you say was the worst thing about your time there?

MC: It just seemed like they demanded so much, they expected the most, but they barely gave you a thank you, not to mention no pay, which I have no problem with. It just didn't seem like they appreciated a lot of stuff.

CM: Were you surprised when you heard that TPW was shutting down as well?

MC: No.

CM: Why not?

MC: It just seemed like the Tulsa area just wasn't doing things right. Not that I know any better, but you're obviously not doing something right if you're not pulling in the fans. It seemed like when they weren't doing something right, they wouldn't do something different to fix that. They would just stay with their same traditional booking and their same traditional ways that they know. It's worked before, but it's not working now, so change it up. But they weren't doing it. I don't think I could do any better, but I really wish they would have done something different.

CM: You were invited several times to participate in the retrospective DVD that TPW was doing and yet you turned them down. Why?

MC: I don't know. I just didn't have the time lately. I was gonna go the other day, but I forgot. I don't know. It's nothing personal. I just didn't have time.

CM: You and I have had some conversations online where you have been rather critical of the state of Oklahoma wrestling in general. What do you think could be done to improve Oklahoma wrestling so that it is better?

MC: OK, look, I'm trying to let people know that I'm not an egotistical asshole like they think I am...

CM: Well, there goes my next question.

MC: Yeah, thank you. I don't know better. I don't know anymore than any of these other people. People ask me for my opinion. I'll give it to them. It's not like I'm going around saying, "Well, I could do better!" I'm not trying to do that. But if the subject comes up, I'm not going to lie. Honestly, there's a lot of things anybody could do better. When you see no asses in the seat, something's got to be done. The effort just isn't there. I'll admit, I'm lazy too, but we all want the same thing, so we've all got to get out of our laziness and work at it.

CM: The one Oklahoma federation that you've spoken highly about is IZW. What is it that makes you think it is better than the other federations here?

MC: It's more like a business than a hobby. The way they conduct things backstage is very professional and they have their shit straight. Gary Tool is a very respected guy in more places than anyone else around here and he knows what he's doing. John Zorthos is a very good business man. Very good. With those 2 guys combined--I'm actually stealing a quote from Kenny here--you make a very successful company.

CM: What, at this point, is the future of Mitch Carter?

MC: The near future is going down to Texas and making a name for myself. I'm already at PCW. I'll probably go down to RCW or more places in Texas. Just do as much as I can down there. Hopefully one of these days I'll go to the east coast. Go to California. Go to Japan hopefully, but that's way later unless I just get lucky.

CM: What I want to do now is list off bunch of people's names that you've been associated with. Some we've talked about before, some we haven't.

MC: Oh, great.

CM: Just to get your impressions of these people and give you an opportunity to express your feelings about them. Let's start with Adam Thornstowe.

MC: He's a really good worker and has a really good look. I learned a little bit from him when he was down here. There were times that he rubbed people the wrong way just because he would speak his mind. But I have a newfound respect for people like that because noone likes people who lie. I like people who have integrity. That guy has integrity, I'll tell you that. Sometimes he'd be an asshole, but oh well. More power to him. I like him.

CM: Michael Faith.

MC: He was always very nice to me. Very, very nice. I always enjoyed working with him and I never had a problem with him.

CM: Canadian Red Devil

MC: He was one of the guys who was training before I did and I consider him one of the guys I grew up in the business with. I always enjoyed him. Sometimes when I wrestled him...I remember one time that I got kind of mad at him, but oh well. No big deal. It's water under the bridge and he's a really nice guy.

CM: Stevie Caballero

MC: Steve's a good guy. I always enjoyed Steve. He did a lot for the company and I respect that.

CM: Michael York

MC: Michael York is a very nice guy. I worked him once and told him that he had no business being in the business. But other than that, if he improves, I wish him the best. If he doesn't improve, cool. But he's really nice.

CM: John O'Malley

MC: Great guy. He always gives me good matches. He's one of the few people in Oklahoma who's going to go somewhere.

CM: Sonny C

MC: Sonny C's another guy that I was real close to when I first broke in. I always enjoyed him very much. He cracks me up with some of the things he does. He kind of had a loose cannon attitude in my early days. I don't know if he's still like that. He's really funny.

CM: Mike Iles

MC: When I first talked to him, I thought he was another one of those guys like a Dave Meltzer who never took a bump but thinks they know everything about wrestling. And I never respected that. Then in the past year, I got to know Mike a lot more and I travelled with him. He's a good guy.

CM: Lily McKenzie

MC: I always liked her. She doesn't like me right now because...funny story...before my last match in Tulsa, Lily and Jessi (Jersey) were in the ring and they were working out. I was in the ring with Brandon Bishop, working out with him. We were in the ring going over this thing where I did the Ric Flair up-and-over in the corner onto the apron and in every corner there was something there like an ironing board in one corner, some trash in another and then an duffel bag and a Gatorade bottle in another corner. Well, as Brandon was going to shoot me off into the corner with the duffel bag and the Gatorade bottle, LIly and Jessi were in the way. I said, "Hold on, Brandon. Don't shoot me there because there's pieces of shit in the ring." They didn't know that I was pointing at the pieces of shit behind them, which were the duffel bag and the Gatorade bottle. Apparantly Lily thought I was talking about her, so she proceded to flip me off and I didnt' pay attention because I didnt' know I'd said something. And I guess I offended her a lot and I apologise if I did because that wasn't the intention. Just a misunderstanding which I openly laugh about now because apparantly later that night, there was a match between a duffel bag and an empty Gatorade bottle.

CM: Gary Tool

MC: I respect him very highly. He's given me a lot of great advice. He offered to contact people in Texas for me. He's someone I really look up to in this business. It's an honour to work for him.

CM: Romero Contreras

MC: He's another person who I was really close to when I first broke in. He's really nice outside the ring. I'm glad to hear that he's getting more involved in church. I remember the last time I talked to him, I talked about church. I'm glad to see people going back to church.

CM: John Zorthos

MC: He talks like Matthew McCounaghy. The other night when I saw him he wore a lot of rings and looked like he owned a few Indian casinos or something, even though he's not Indian. He's Irish. I always liked Zorthos. He speaks his mind. It gets him in trouble sometimes, I know, but he's really generous and he'll get right to the point and I respect that highly.

CM: Anthony Jackson

MC: I always had fun with Tony. He's really laid back and calm backstage. Just genuine and nice.

CM: Brandon Bishop

MC: That son of a b... I credit him for getting me out of my shell in wrestling. Thinking outside the box and taking chances. I learned that if you want to be successful, you have to take a chance. Some of the best times in my career were working for his company because there's so much freedom and so many wacky things you can do down there that you can't do anywhere else. As a person, I consider him one of my good friends. He's always been there for me and always will be there for me. I was happy to have my last match in Tulsa with him.

CM: Beau Dalton

MC: He's another one of these people who are really generous. You ask him for a dollar and he'll give you two if he has it. But that damn pink gimmick...I couldn't do that. That guy's got some grundy's for doing that, I swear. More power to him. I love him.

CM: Luc Lapointe

MC: As a person I enjoy Luc very much. Very laid back and real and I like that. There were times that he would shoot down a lot of ideas, I'm not gonna lie. Naturally that would offend me. It would offend anyone for having ideas shot down all the time. It just seemed like he didn't want to take chances for his company or something. As a wrestler, I respect him for getting in there and getting the crowd involved without having to kill himself for it. It takes talent to do that and I respect that. As a person, I think he's a really great guy.

CM: Cade Sydal

MC: He has the body of a pale E. T. He has nipples on ribs. And a washboard chest. Cade's like a brother to me for real. That's why I can say that shit. I've travelled with him a lot. He's a guy who doesn't want to step on your toes and will do anything for you. The last thing he wants to do is piss you off unless you just don't matter. He will respect you as much as you respect him. I had a lot of fun working him. Some of my best memories are with him. I really hope he goes far. He can if he wants to.

CM: Ray Martinez

MC: Ray is such a sweetheart. He's very sexy too. Him and his crooked nose...or his hump nose...camelback nose. And his beady little eyes and his charming smile. He looks like Tito Santana a little bit. I see it. Ray was there when I wrecked my truck. He's one of the few people in wrestling that will give a shit about you. He understands how you treat a friend. I need to understand this. I should really learn this from Ray. How to treat people right. I had a talk with him recently and I asked him if he was an unpopular kid at school and didn't have a lot of friends growing up because he sure acts like he didn't have a lot of friends because he's such a nice person. Naturally, he said, "No. I was cool in high school". I didn't believe him. Still, he's a really great guy and I'm going to miss him a lot.

CM: Poo Bear

MC: Poo Bear I have known for years upon years upon years upon years. I haven't seen him in a while. I really need to go see him. I just said all that shit about Ray. Times that by 3 for Poo Bear. Ask for a dollar and he'll give you 5000 if he has it. That guy's super super nice. He was also at the wreck with me. Even though he had a bad back he still picked up that ring off the highway. That's a guy that I'm really gonna miss and if something were to happen to him I'd be really crushed.

CM: Shane Morbid.

MC: He likes gravy. I know that. That's a guy I've known for years as well. He has all the potential in the world. I just wish he would go places. The guy needs to get the "F" out of Oklahoma now. But he's got his personal life to go through right now. I really wish him the best of luck and I think he has all the talent in the world. I'm sure right now he thinks I'm a piece of crap, but oh well...I'm not gonna hate him for it. He's got potential.

CM: Justin Lee

MC: My evil twin. That fag. Justin resembles the Stinky Cheese Man from "The Stinky Cheese Man in the Smelly Stories" or whatever. Look it up on Amazon. You'll see what I mean. Stinky Cheese Man Lee. He's one of those guys. He has a big ego, yes. We all do. He's insanely egotistical. But that son of a bitch is a great friend and he'll always be there for you no matter what. He was also at the wreck, obviously. I've never seen anyone be such a good friend as he was. Well, I have, but a very small number of people. Justin, as a person, is a great person.

CM: Rocco Valentino

MC: I don't really have heat with him like most people would think or like most people do with him. I remember being at the Compound and having a lot of fun just hanging out and talking to the guy. He's got a lot of good stories and he has his head on straight in life. Some of the things he's done in wrestling I can't agree with. I can't think they're legendary or really good, but as a person, he is somebody to look up to.

CM: Sarah Harmon

MC: I don't think she liked wrestling. Well, I already know she didn't like wrestling. She's a very sweet lady. She's very "too the point". and I can respect her for that. Whether she likes me or not right now, I'm not gonna lie and I'm gonna tell you I think Sarah has a good head on her shoulders about being a good mother and a good care nurturer for people. Because I remember she treated us like she was a mother. I can respect that. In wrestling, it's better to be treated like it's a business, but she treated it with a lot of care. I can respect that because it shows me that she's a caring person.

CM: Any particularly funny story that you'd like to share?

MC: I remember one night at the Compound. Everybody was getting drunk. Sonny C called his girlfriend a "Cuh-hunt", which was really funny. That was one of the funny stories I was talking about from Sonny C back in the day. I remember that same night, Sonny C brought a black chick over who was hitting on everybody, which was really cool. And that same night, just a few miles away, in a hotel, SRPW was having a get-together for Brent Albright who was in town. So we at the compound decided to go and raid the party. Everybody was pretty plastered except for me because I didn't drink at the time. We get there. We're all expecting to bust in, steal their beer, pieface some people and say "Fuck You." We get there, they invite us in and everything's all bells and whistles. Everyone's having a good time talking to everyone and hanging out. Rocco and Brent talk on the balcony away from everyone in private for a while. Then here comes Jenna Love. And Rocco says, "Ok. I gotta go." So, I go with him to take him home and we're trying to get out of there before Jenna gets there. So we're going down the elevator, thinking she's going up the elevator. And when the elevator doors open, there's Jenna, right in front of us. A drunk, plastered Jenna. And also Kaci Kannon, who's a very sweet lady, by the way. Kaci says, "Oh, hi, Rocco." and grabs his hands and pulls him and Rocco's like, "I gotta go. I gotta go. There's Jenna." And right as Jenna processes in her mind that she saw Rocco, she gets this funny look and says, (in drunk voice) "Youuuu come back heeeeere" and does the Yoda-twiddle-finger thingy. "Youuu get back heeeere, Roccoooo". I don't know what to do because I'm not part of any of this. Just tagging along. Rocco's trying to get away. Then Kaci grabs my hand and says, "Hi. Are you Mitch?" I said, "Yeah". I didn't want to be rude to her, but I had my boss running away and I had to go get him. So I broke free from Kaci, went over to Rocco, took him home and I was gonna go back for the rest of them. For Justin and Sonny. So I go back for the rest of them and we're hanging out. We're all hanging out. I never really had a lot of heat with anybody actually. So it was all cool. Anyway, I procede to try and steal the beer because that's my mission. I'm the only sober person there. As soon as I put the beer in the corner and hide it so I could take it out and leave, Jenna stumbles over and says, "Whaaaat's thish beer doing over therrre?" Jenna grabs the beer and ruins my fun. Long story short, Justin and whoever's with him and I leave. Sonny C stays. And the next we hear that apparantly Sonny C dropped his cell phone off the balcony onto the concrete and Sonny vomited on a car. At the end of the night, we all stayed in tents in Rocco's back yard. In retrospect, that's really funny. And I heard Justin fart in the morning. And when he farted, his girl sighed. There you have it.

CM: Do you have any final comments for your fans?

MC: Buy my freakin' DVD for Christ's sake. Hook up with me on Myspace. Sorry I'm leaving. The thing I've got to say to fans is first off, thank you. Thank you for coming out and watching the shows and giving me a place to wrestle and giving companies a place to have wrestling. Thank you for doing interviews and thank you for buying my DVD and thank you for commenting on my work in the ring and giving me constructive criticism on things and helping me be a better worker. (Could I put in there that I'm not an asshole, guys?)