Beltzner was a bodybuilder prior to entering pro wrestling. He won a number of power lifting competitions in Pennsylvania and the Tri-State area as a teenager and qualified for the Mr. America bodybuilding competition after becoming Mr. Teen-age Pennsylvania in 1984. He eventually turned to professional wrestling after graduating from Pennsylvania State University and spent the late-1980s in Canada where he achieved some success wrestling for Stu Hart in Calgary Stampede Wrestling. He was among the small group of wrestlers trained by Mr. Hito and widely considered the strongest wrestler in the territory at the time.
