 However, thanks to Hamaguchi, Otani found himself working in a liquor store, where he gained a lot of money that paid his debts, and got him a better place to live, and at the same time he was training for his upcoming debut.He debuted in June 25, 1992 against Hiroyoshi Yamamoto.Like every young lion, he lost almost all of his matches, picking up victories over fellow young lions, such as future tag team partner Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Tokimitsu Ishizawa and Yuji Nagata.