A Scottish father and an English mother Frank Highland identity was very much British, and that is why as soon as he could when he wasn't studying for his A-Levels he had been attended a wrestling school in Essex. His style at his young age was still not certain but he was seen as an athletic striker with key European fundamentals. As soon as he had everything he needed, and his visa was approved he had got on a plane and flown straight to the United States of America to live out his dreams. His first appearance had been secured ahead of time by his wrestling school, where he would compete for regional indie Garden State Pro Wrestling based out of Rahway, New Jersey. The plan was never to win, and that was to be expected from someone who was literally fresh off the plane. He would go up an old-school brawler in his 30s 'Iron' Mike Calder who was very much a heart blood member of GSPW. The match was clean, and allowed Highland to show off his athletic ability but in under ten minute it would be Calder who would claim the victory and officially welcome Frank Highland to the U.S. wrestling scene. That night Highland would speak to a few wrestlers who were move heavily involved with IWA Mid-South and they would convince Frank to come travel with them for Indiana as they would promise to get him some ring time and perhaps more. He would actually end up speaking to one of the bookers whilst in the car with the two wrestlers that had vouched for him and would actually be booked for a match on Saturday and Sunday. Highland would suffer two more losses to Ryan Slater on the Saturday and Jake 'The Outlaw' Mercer on the Sunday. Three matches in three days and Highland was already be treated as talent who was willing to work and it didn't take much convincing to remain in the Mid-West. The money wasn't going to change his life, but the opportunities. They were now very real and almost foolish to not accept with open arms.
To show how serious they were in Highland they would offer him a spot in a mid-week spot with less than one hundred people inside a small hall, that would end up being the first tag match of his career as he would team up with Evan Cross and suffer a loss to Jake “The Outlaw” Mercer & “Bulldog” Ray Watkins. After the match Highland would be told that he would continue to be part of the IWA Mid-South plan's moving forward and they saw really potential and would perhaps even consider offering a title run if fans responded well if he was handed a few wins. So much so that the next night at Clarksville, Tennessee; as he would pick up a win over 'Mad Dog' Cole Ransom. It would be a turning point, not so much for the fans, but more so for the locker-room they had already been impressed by they young Brit but now they saw some potential. Potential not just to grow, but to benefit all of them and their future pay checks in the same blink of an eye. The better the overall production, the more asses on seats and more future revenue. Frank would feature in another tag team match (4th August | Louisville, Kentucky) partnering with Evan Cross again, and also losing against “Bulldog” Ray Watkins & Caleb Knox. After the show Ian Rotten the head book would make an important comment in the post-show debrief in being told he was no longer "that British kid" and was now seen as "Frank" Highland and Cross would team up once more during the weekend, but the team would suffer another loss but still not real suffer in terms of both wrestler's overall image. When asked if he wanted to pursue the tag angle or focus on singles wrestler, Highland would make his intent clear the he saw himself going solo. Not that he had anything against Evan Cross, but at this point in his career Frank just felt he understood himself a lot more than having to rely on someone he didn't completely understand.
From here the way Highland was used and his overall trajectory shifted massively. Given singles opportunities against lower-card and fringe contenders, he rattled off a quiet win streak built on control, conditioning, and a submission-heavy approach anchored by the Highland Lock (a modified Cloverleaf with element of a leg-trap half–Boston crab finished with a low bridge to increase torque) with wins over Tommy Vale, Marcus Reeves, Kyle Mercer, Drew Haskins & 'Bulldog' Ray Watkins that would put Highland on a five match winning streak and was now seen as much more than an helpful hand, but someone who was very much part of the mid-card which was impressive push considering he had still been working for less than a month but with a very busy schedule and working local venues Highland was proving to be very popular.
His consistency earned trust quickly, and by month’s end he was formally inserted into the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight picture that would be followed by three more wins and taking his winning streak in singles competition to 8-0 and now found himself very much seen as one of the men most deserving of a shot at the belt. So on September 6th Highland would be booked against Marcus 'Redline' Reeves in a Light Weight Eliminator with the winner guaranteed a shot at the championship. The match was an intense match with a bit of a rivalry emerging between both men, with real potential seen in both men's future in 2009. That after nearly reaching the 15-minute mark would be won by Frank as he would force Reeves to tap once he locked in the Highland Lock. Highland was now just won win away from being the new IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship and the fans seems to love that idea. He was no longer a foreign British wrestler, he had very much become one of their own.
