 Smith first became interested in a career in professional wrestling after one of his friends from Transcona Collegiate Institute (TCI) began training with Top Rope Championship Wrestling (TRCW) in Winnipeg.Smith ended his ice hockey career plans and began training under TRCW promoter Bobby Jay, whom he met while he was stacking shelves at an IGA store.After training with Jay for a year, 16-year-old Smith made his professional wrestling debut in the year 2000.