In 1997, Chris Raaber met with Michael Kovac who was wrestling in Europe; by then Raaber accepted Kovac's offer to teach him to wrestle. At the age of 16, Raaber made his debut in Independent Wrestling World wrestling in Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany, against Gary Mountain as he lost by disqualification. Less than a year into his career, Raaber won the WFU Rookie Trophy by defeating German Kid in the finals of the tournament. During his early years, Raaber wrestled for several German promotions including German Wrestling Association, German Wrestling Federation and NWA Germany.
