Making his debut around 1988, Rip Sawyer spent his early career in the Philadelphia area. In May 1988, they defeated International World Class Championship Wrestling's Billion Dollar Babies in a tournament final to become the first tag team champions for Max Thrasher's Atlantic Wrestling Federation. On August 27 of that year, he teamed with Diamond Dave in a tag team match against The Jersey Boys for a benefit show held at the Bavarian Club in Northeast Philadelphia. Other wrestlers on the card included King Kaluha, Larry Winters, The Cheetah Kid and Jules Strongbow. At the end of the year, he began teaming with David Casanova as The Cream Team and, on December 17, they faced The Rock 'n' Roll Express for the Virginia Wrestling Association tag team titles. Successful on the Mid-Atlantic indy circuit, they wrestled The Brothers Superior in a match to crown the first NWL Tag Team Champions in 1989.
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (1991–1992)
In early 1991, Sawyer and Casanova joined the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation where they became one of the promotion's earliest stars. They appeared at the MEWF's debut show where, on August 2, 1991, they battled the Lords of Darkness for the MEWF Tag Team Championship. Although losing the match, they won the titles two months later when they defeated Agony and Bubba Monroe, substituting for an injured Agony, in Dunbolt, Maryland on December 21, 1991. That same month, after more than three years as champions, the Cream Team lost the AWF Tag Team titles to the Hellhounds in York, Pennsylvania. Sawyer and Casanova would defend the MEWF belts for nearly a year before leaving the promotion for Eastern Championship Wrestling] in the Fall of 1992. Also that year, the team became the first-ever tag team champions for Atlantic Coast Wrestling Federation. Prior to this, Sawyer became friends with future ECW star Hack Myers. According to Myers, it was Sawyer who gave him the idea to grow his trademark beard to resemble Danzig.
At the beginning of 1992, DiMeglio and Sawyer had regained the AWF Tag Team titles from the Hellhounds. The two men remained champions until their breakup in May 1993. DiMeglio and Nick Tarentino, as "The Goodfellows", defeated Rip Sawyer and A.J. Fritzoid for the belts in York that same month and held the belts until the promotion's close that same year. Going their separate ways, Casanova returned to MEWF while Sawyer spent the rest of his career in various independents. A year later, he tried his luck in American Commonwealth Wrestling. He wrestled fellow MEWF veteran Max Thrasher on June 11, 1993, and Rick "The Model" Martel in East York, Pennsylvania two months later. He eventually won the promotion's heavyweight title and held it until March 26, 1994. Shortly before ACW closed, Sawyer lost to Chris Benoit in Cocolamus, Pennsylvania on April 22, 1994. In one of his last matches, Sawyer teamed with Rip Rogers in a tag team match against The Nasty Boys at WCW Saturday Night on February 18, 1995.
