AR Fox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids AR Fox |
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Fox in 2018
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| Birth name | Thomas James Ballester |
| Born | September 5, 1987 Ansonia, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Ampliflyer AR Fox Dante Fox R. J. Fox |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Billed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Billed from | Ansonia, Connecticut |
| Trained by | Mr. Hughes |
| Debut | 2007 |
Thomas James Ballester, known as AR Fox, is an American professional wrestler born on September 5, 1987. He works for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and also appears in Ring of Honor (ROH). AR Fox is also famous for wrestling in other groups like Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Dragon Gate USA, and Evolve. He has wrestled in Japan for Dragon Gate and won the 2011 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup in Full Impact Pro (FIP). He also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). Today, he is the main trainer at the WWA4 wrestling school in Atlanta, Georgia.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Thomas Ballester grew up in Ansonia, Connecticut. He loved watching Bruce Lee movies and learned how to do cool moves like backflips and handstands. He even practiced climbing walls! This love for acrobatics led him to try backyard wrestling with friends.
In 2007, Thomas turned his backyard hobby into a real career. He trained with Curtis "Mr." Hughes at the World Wrestling Alliance 4 (WWA4) wrestling school in Atlanta, Georgia. He also got more training at WWE's special training center, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).
At first, he used the name "Ampliflyer." Later, he changed it to "AR Fox." He felt that because he was smaller than many wrestlers, he needed to be clever and "outfox" his opponents to win.
Wrestling Career Highlights
Starting Out (2007–2010)
After his training, AR Fox spent a few years wrestling in smaller groups around the United States. These included WWA4 and Prime Time Pro Wrestling (PTPW). He was building his skills and reputation during this time.
Combat Zone Wrestling (2010–2014)
AR Fox joined Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in February 2010. He quickly showed off his amazing high-flying moves. In September, he won a special ladder match called the Chris Cash Aerial Assault. This win made him a top challenger for the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He tried to win the title from Adam Cole twice but couldn't.
In June 2011, AR Fox won his first title in CZW, the CZW Wired TV Championship, by defeating Drew Gulak. He lost it soon after but kept working hard. In July 2012, he finally won the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship from Sami Callihan. This was a big moment for him.
A few months later, in September 2012, AR Fox won the CZW Wired TV Championship again in a ladder match. He held this title for a long time, defending it successfully against many challengers. He lost the Wired TV Championship in September 2013.
Dragon Gate USA and Evolve (2010–2015)
AR Fox also started wrestling for Evolve in November 2010 and Dragon Gate USA in January 2011. These groups were known for fast-paced, exciting matches. In May 2011, he won Evolve's first-ever Style Battle tournament.
In July 2011, AR Fox traveled to Japan to wrestle for Dragon Gate, which was Dragon Gate USA's parent company. He teamed up with Japanese wrestlers and faced tough opponents.
In July 2012, AR Fox formed a tag team with Cima. They won the Open the United Gate Championship together, which was a major tag team title. They defended their title successfully in Japan and the United States.
A huge achievement for AR Fox came in April 2013. He won a tournament to become the first-ever Evolve Champion. He successfully defended this title five times against wrestlers like Nick Jackson, Lince Dorado, and Trent Barreta. He held the Evolve Championship for a long time before losing it to Chris Hero in February 2014.
Independent Wrestling (2010–Present)
AR Fox has wrestled for many different wrestling groups around the world. In October 2011, he won the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup tournament in Full Impact Pro (FIP). This tournament is a big deal for independent wrestlers.
He also wrestled in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) in California and AAA in Mexico. In June 2013, he won the first CLL International All Star Championship in Chile.
In 2016, AR Fox joined Lucha Underground as Dante Fox. He had an exciting storyline where he was a military friend of another wrestler, Killshot. They even won the Lucha Underground Trios Championship together with Willie Mack.
All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor (2022–Present)
In October 2022, AR Fox started appearing on All Elite Wrestling (AEW) shows. He quickly made an impact, often teaming with Dante Martin and Darius Martin (known as Top Flight). In November 2022, it was announced that AR Fox officially signed with AEW.
He also continues to wrestle for AEW's sister company, Ring of Honor (ROH). In July 2023, AR Fox briefly joined a group called Mogul Embassy. However, he left the group in August 2023 after a tag team match. Since then, he has continued to wrestle on AEW and ROH shows.
Personal Life
Thomas Ballester got married in June 2015.
Championships and Awards
AR Fox has won many championships and awards throughout his career:
- AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined
- AAW Heritage Championship (1 time)
- AAW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Myron Reed (1) and Rey Fenix (1)
- All Elite Wrestling
- Casino Trios Royale (2022) – with Dante Martin and Darius Martin
- Chile Lucha Libre
- CLL International All Star Championship (1 time)
- Torneo Sala de Campeones (2013)
- Combat Zone Wrestling
- CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- CZW Wired TV Championship (3 times)
- CZW World Junior Heavyweight #1 Contendership Tournament (2011)
- Queen and King of the Ring (2013) – with Athena
- Best of the Best 11 People's Choice Award (2012)
- Dragon Gate USA
- Open the United Gate Championship (1 time) – with Cima
- Dreamwave Wrestling
- Dreamwave Alternative Championship (1 time)
- Evolve
- Evolve Championship (1 time, inaugural)
- Evolve Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Leon Ruff
- Evolve Championship Tournament (2013)
- Style Battle Tournament (2011)
- Fight The World Wrestling
- FTW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Full Impact Pro
- Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup (2011)
- Insanity Pro Wrestling
- IPW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Legacy Wrestling
- Legacy Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Lucha Underground
- Lucha Underground Trios Championship (1 time) – with Killshot and Willie Mack
- Mucha Lucha Atlanta
- MLA Global Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 94 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2014
- Pro Wrestling Revolver
- PWR Scramble Championship (1 time)
- Rockstar Pro Wrestling
- Tournament of Flight (2017)
- Southern Wrestling Association
- SWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Moose
- Rhymer Cup (2015) – with Moose
- WrestleCircus
- WC Sideshow Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling Alliance 4
- WW4 Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WW4 Internet Championship (1 time)
- Other accomplishments
- Wrestling World Championships Cruiserweight Tournament (2016)
See also
In Spanish: AR Fox para niños
