 In 1983, he made his debut in 
World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in Texas as Boris Zurkov, a hired assassin by Skandor Akbar against Bruiser Brody.In 1984, he went to Alabama's Southeast Championship Wrestling (SCW) and continued his feud with Cash.In 1985, Harrell debuted in the American Wrestling Association as "Boris Zukhov", billed from the Soviet Union.