In 1956, Haggerty wrestled in Canada, winning the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship while competing for Maple Leaf Wrestling. Later that year, he won his first singles title while wrestling for the International Wrestling Association in Montreal. He won the IWA World Heavyweight Championship on October 3, 1956, defeating Killer Kowalski for the belt. He held the title for less than a month, losing it back to Kowalski in a rematch.