Dory Funk, Jr.
After being introduced to talent scout Tom Prichard by George Steele, Bloom was hired by the World Wrestling Federation. After receiving supplementary training from Dory Funk, Jr., Bloom was assigned to the Power Pro Wrestling developmental territory in Memphis, Tennessee, where he wrestled as Baldo. While wrestling in PPW, Bloom won both the Young Guns Championship and the Heavyweight Championship, and engaged in a feud with Memphis mainstay Jerry Lawler, where he defeated him to become the inaugural PPW Heavyweight champion.