nearly two years in the WWF as an enhancement talent, Polaco was hired by Pat Patterson to a full-time contract in late 1994. His Portuguese ancestry inspired the WWF to give him the soccer player character of Aldo Montoya. However the idea changed to the "Portuguese Man O' War" character since he didn't like soccer. He made his televised debut as a fan favorite on the November 14 episode of Monday Night Raw, where he picked up a victory over The Brooklyn Brawler. He was once offered to be a part of the Million Dollar Corporation by Ted DiBiase. He refused and told him to "shove his money in his ear". His mask drew criticism by fellow wrestlers, who called it a "jockstrap". Polaco befriended The Kliq, an influential group of upper card wrestlers, after Razor Ramon offered to mentor him. Polaco made his pay-per-view debut at the 1995 Royal Rumble as a participant in the Royal Rumble match. He lasted 13 minutes until he was eliminated by eventual winner Shawn Michaels. Montoya suffered his first televised loss against Mantaur on the January 29 episode of Action Zone. On the April 8 episode of Superstars, Polaco defeated the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett in a non-title match, which earned him a title shot against Jarrett for the Intercontinental Championship on the April 22 episode of Superstars, where Jarrett retained the title. Montoya appeared at the In Your House pay-per-view, where he attempted to prevent Jarrett and The Roadie from attacking Razor Ramon after a handicap match. He made only one pay-per-view appearance in 1996 at the Royal Rumble, where he participated in the Royal Rumble match, where he lasted only two minutes until he was eliminated by Tatanka. His only highlight of the year was an upset victory against Jerry Lawler on the July 27 episode of Superstars, which he gained by pinning Lawler with Jake Roberts' DDT finishing move. He lost to Lawler in a rematch on the August 5 episode of Monday Night Raw. After the match, Lawler poured Jim Beam whiskey down his throat. Throughout this time, Montoya became more of a lower card wrestler and even asked for his release in 1997 when he was only being booked twice a month. The WWF initially declined and sent him to a developmental promotion in Memphis to hone his skills, where he remained for seven weeks. He was then