 On January 26, 2008, he participated in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship.Pérez won the tournament after eliminating the final contender with the help of Eddie Colón.On February 23, 2008, Pérez and Colón, collectively known as The Puerto Rican Nightmares, defeated Steven Lewington and Heath Miller in a tournament final to become the first-ever FCW Florida Tag Team Champions.