[Immediately following his victory in the Mikoto Tournament, Alex RAPTOR granted PN Magazine this exclusive interview.] Could you briefly describe your childhood? I spent the majority of my time in Okinawa at the Mishima-gun Dojo, where I did very little other than train and study the Tao.  Despite the humbly-portrayed intentions of my sensei, I was basically reared to evolve into the precise, fighting machine that I am today... and more importantly to the 'zaibatsu', generate all-mighty revenue. I didn't learn until after my 13th birthday of my 'clinical' origins.  It was a complex and overwhelming revelation; a great deal to have to drink in at such an impressionable and vulnerable age, that I was for all intents and purposes, a clone. It was not easy, people projecting their harsh accusations and conjecture at me, referring to me as the "spawn of Mishima," claiming that "just because I have a MADE IN JAPAN stamp on my foot, does not make me a citizen,"; as if these things wouldn't bother me.  When I eat, I get full, when I lay my head at night, I go to sleep, and when I get cut, I bleed, just like the rest of you.  Anyway, after arriving in the States several years later, I was careful not to fall prey to the glitz, glamour and other trappings associated with the Western Hemisphere's version of puroresu, and stayed true to my lineage, no matter how contrived it may appear in some people's eyes. What was your first exposure to professional wrestling? Antonio Inoki, Shohei Baba, Bruno Sammartino, Tiger Mask Sayama. How did you become a wrestler? Ever since I was cognizant, I have been groomed for pugilism... It just so happens that I developed and enriched my mind along the way, which enabled me to outgrow any use or obligation I may have had to the MFE (Mishima Financial Empire).  Half the battle is fought up here [points to his head]. What has been your most notable accomplishment to date in professional wrestling? Undoubtedly, winning the Mikoto Tournament... this has been my crowning achievement and it easily means more to me than any paper world title out there would. What organizations have you competed in? AICW, WWO, Neo Japan What titles have you held? Some of the belts I won stateside aren't recognized worldwide as legitimate titles, but I held the WWO Cruiserweight belt (defeated James Pillow 12/6/98 *****), and honestly, at the risk of sounding immodest, my reign could have been longer had I chosen to stick around.  But rather than following the path of many prima donnas from the wasteland of North America and 'vacating' the title, I chose -in the time-honored tradition- to put over a promising, younger grappler (Daniel Howard 2/7/99 ***1/4) to fulfill the remainder of my contract there. During my stint in AICW, I was fortunate enough to have competed in the Tokyo Dome in a round robin tournament for the Inoki Cup.  Although I didn't win that accolade, I was honored just the same by being involved. I was also recently voted 'Most Underrated' in AICW, which to me speaks volumes coming from the talent-base on that roster. Who is your most hated enemy/memorable feud? Without a doubt, Devon Burke... I also had multiple meetings with Yokura Ayamasaki; but Gino Valentini and Troy Walcott spring to mind as well.  Gaijin trash and a weaselly, sellout freedom dog, hardly memorable, utterly hateful. Who are the wrestlers you respect and admire? Vic Garibaldi - His family took me in as their own - no matter what my origins were - and for that I will always be grateful.  As far as getting side by side in the ring, THIS is the guy I would want as my tag partner.  The un-crowned world champ; too bad he went into an early retirement, his full potential was never fully realized. Nicky Deniro - The brains behind the Asian Assassination Squad's (Blackjack Takahashi & Thirpaq Nguyen) success in Japanese and American rings.  Here's an unselfish guy who would easily take a dive to further an angle. And Byron Brady, I may not like him, but I respect his abilities and what he has done.  He works injured and I can't very well speak badly of that.  I question the wisdom of it at times, but I have done it myself, and sometimes you've got to drag yourself to the ring.  You can mail it in like most of the chumps out there, or you can deliver the goods. What goals do you have in professional wrestling? To eventually - in the mold of a Misawa - evolve into a beefed-up middleweight and compete for a world title, and show some of the overrated, portly nimrods out there what a workrate is.  But I'm sure the 'powers that be' will prevent that from happening; I've already raised the bar too much.