AR Fox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids AR Fox |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Fox in 2018
|
|
| 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 (born September 5, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is better known by his ring name AR Fox. He currently works for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears in their sister company, Ring of Honor (ROH).
AR Fox is known for his exciting, high-flying wrestling style. He has wrestled in many promotions. These include Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and Dragon Gate USA. He also worked for Evolve. Fox has even wrestled in Japan for Dragon Gate. He won the 2011 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup. Today, he helps train new wrestlers. He is the head trainer at the WWA4 wrestling school in Atlanta, Georgia.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Thomas Ballester grew up in Ansonia, Connecticut. He loved watching tapes of the famous martial artist, Bruce Lee. He also enjoyed doing backflips and handstands. He even liked climbing walls. This led him to try backyard wrestling with friends.
In 2007, he decided to become a professional wrestler. He trained with Curtis "Mr." Hughes. This was at the World Wrestling Alliance 4 (WWA4) school in Atlanta, Georgia. He also trained more at WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).
He first used the name "Ampliflyer." Later, he changed it to "AR Fox." He felt that because he was smaller, he needed to "outfox" his opponents. This name helped him remember his unique style.
Professional Wrestling Career
Starting Out (2007–2010)
After his training, AR Fox began wrestling. He worked for smaller wrestling companies. These included WWA4 and Prime Time Pro Wrestling (PTPW). He quickly became known for his amazing aerial moves.
Combat Zone Wrestling (2010–2014)
AR Fox joined Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in 2010. He quickly showed off his skills. In September 2010, he won a special ladder match. This made him the top challenger for the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He tried to win the title twice from Adam Cole but lost.
In 2011, Fox continued to impress fans. He won a qualifying match for the "Best of the Best X" tournament. Even though he was eliminated early, fans loved him. He even won the "People's Choice Award." This showed that CZW officials now believed in his talent.
On June 11, 2011, Fox won his first title in CZW. He defeated Drew Gulak to become the CZW Wired TV Champion. He lost the title in his first defense. Later, in 2012, he won the "Best of the Best 11 People's Choice Award." This gave him the right to challenge for any CZW title.
On July 14, 2012, AR Fox finally won the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Sami Callihan for the title. He also won the CZW Wired TV Championship for a second time. This happened in a ladder match in September 2012. He held the Wired TV Championship for a long time. He defended it successfully against many wrestlers. These included Robert Anthony and Flamita.
In 2013, Fox teamed with Athena. They won the "Queen and King of the Ring" tournament. This was a special event with another promotion called Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU). He lost the Wired TV Championship in September 2013. His time in CZW ended in early 2014.
Dragon Gate USA and Evolve (2010–2015)
AR Fox also started wrestling for Evolve in 2010. He then joined Dragon Gate USA in 2011. He quickly made a name for himself. In May 2011, he won Evolve's first "Style Battle" tournament.
In July 2011, Fox traveled to Japan. He wrestled for Dragon Gate, the parent company of Dragon Gate USA. He teamed with Japanese wrestlers against the "Blood Warriors" group.
In July 2012, Fox formed a tag team with Cima. They won the Open the United Gate Championship. They successfully defended their title in Japan. They beat teams like Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi.
On April 5, 2013, AR Fox made history. He won a tournament to become the first-ever Evolve Champion. He held this title for many months. He defended it against wrestlers like Nick Jackson and Lince Dorado. He also beat Trent Barreta and Anthony Nese. Fox lost the Evolve Championship in February 2014 to Chris Hero. He left WWNLive, the company that owned Evolve and Dragon Gate USA, in April 2015.
Other Promotions (2010–2020, 2022–Present)
AR Fox wrestled for many other companies. In 2011, he won the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup tournament in Full Impact Pro (FIP). He also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) in California. He even made his debut in Mexico for AAA in 2013.
He traveled to Chile in 2013. There, he became the first CLL International All Star Champion. He also wrestled in Germany for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). In 2015, he made his debut for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Global Force Wrestling (GFW).
Lucha Underground (2016–2018)
In 2016, AR Fox joined Lucha Underground. He used the name Dante Fox. He had a storyline where he was a military friend of another wrestler, Killshot. They had a big match called a "Hell of War" match. After their rivalry, they teamed up. Dante Fox, Killshot, and Willie Mack won the Lucha Underground Trios Championship.
All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2022–Present)
In October 2022, AR Fox started appearing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He wrestled on their shows AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation. He soon signed an official contract with AEW. He often teamed with the high-flying duo, Top Flight (Dante Martin and Darius Martin).
In July 2023, AR Fox joined a group called the Mogul Embassy. This meant he became a "heel" (a bad guy) in wrestling. However, he was kicked out of the group in August 2023. This made him a "face" (a good guy) again. He continues to wrestle for AEW and Ring of Honor (ROH).
Personal Life
Thomas Ballester got married in June 2015.
Championships and Accomplishments
- 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
