Abdullah the Butcher
Chastain was mentored by Abdullah the Butcher, who inspired him to use a fork as a foreign object during matches. Early in his career, Chastain faced and defeated such wrestlers as Mr. Pogo and Abdullah the Butcher. In TNA Wrestling, he was brought in by manager Don Callis to feuded with The Sandman. At TNA's fifty-third weekly pay-per-view event, Chastain defeated Norman Smiley. Chastain later lost a pay-per-view match against The Sandman. After the match, Callis ended his business arrangement with Chastain, putting on a rubber glove and then shaking his hand.