 Chetti changed his ring name to Chris Van de Lay and made his televised debut on the January 30, 1997 episode of "Hardcore TV" against Mikey Whipwreck in a losing effort.He soon began using his given name Chris Chetti in a match against The Full Blooded Italians member Little Guido at "Winter Blowout".Chetti soon established himself as a fan favorite and began feuding with the F.B.I., primarily against Little Guido, whom he defeated for the first time at CyberSlam.