 He spent the spring of 1963 wrestling for Sam Muchnick and appeared in televised matches on "Wrestling at the Chase".His loss to Dick the Bruiser at the Kiel Auditorium, on 1 February 1963, signalled the start of Muchnick's "push" to make Bruiser one of the top stars in his promotion.Two months later, Hrstich met NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz in St. Louis on 20 April 1963.