Cannon was born in Montreal, Quebec as George Arnold McCarther, and spent some time in the Canadian Football League with what are now the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He began wrestling in Japan in 1953. He wrestled for a while in Canada beginning in 1955, left for a time, and returned for good in 1959. He got the nickname "Crybaby" from his ability to wipe sweat from his face, making it look as though he were weeping.