Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Rogowski was on the Etowah High School wrestling team and had a successful amateur career, winning a Georgia state championship in his senior year at 171 pounds.
In October 1994, Anderson debuted in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where promoter Jim Cornette used him as a mid-card heel; his father briefly managed him but left after a few appearances.
Successfully defending his title against James Adkins, George South and The Nightmare, he was forced to vacate the championship belt on November 7 after a five-week reign.
He eventually lost to Smothers three times in "I Quit" matches during the 3-day Christmas Chaos supercard from December 25–27 and continued to lose to him in rematches later that month.
[6] Continuing his feud with Smothers into early 1995, he also participated in a 16-man battle royal on January 2 and scored victories over Mike Furnus, Ted Allen, Tommy Pitner and The Nightmare.