AEW star reveals AJ Styles' influence on his career
Former WWE Champion AJ Styles will go down as one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation when he eventually hangs up his boots, and an AEW star couldn't thank him enough for influencing his career.
The AEW star in question is AR Fox, one of the most unique high-flyers in the company today, who made his name on the American independent scene during the 2010s with stellar performances for companies like PWG, Lucha Underground, and CZW.
Speaking to Chris Jericho on his "Talk is Jericho" podcast, AR Fox admitted that he basically taught himself how to be a wrestler just by being so obsessed with the sport, before naming Chris Hero as someone he learned a lot from in the ring.
"I don't wanna say this because I don't want other people to think it's that much of a thing, but I'm gonna say I taught myself, I mean, I was obsessive with it. Very obsessive with it. I would say I learned a lot [of it] hands-on. Chris Hero helped me out a lot, and this is in one match when I've felt like I learned a lot." (H/T Wrestling Inc.)
Swerve Strickland and AR Fox just went to Nick Wayne's own garage and eviscerated him. Watch this, holy shit.
Mogul Embassy IS your top heel faction in AEW, and Swerve is in line to be the next World Champion of this promotion.
pic.twitter.com/ETneEv6sX7
However, when it comes to in-ring psychology, Fox decided to learn from one of the best to ever do it: AJ Styles, not by having matches with him but by writing out essays on Styles' matches which ultimately taught him what to do and not to do in the ring.
"But yeah, I feel like I taught psychology to myself by watching it and really dissecting it. And not watching just anything but trying to watch the best guys. Not watching CZW and stuff, not a knock to them, but watching main events, pay-per-view matches, and watching a lot of old Ring of Honor. I feel like writing AJ Styles' matches [out] in full, it's seven, eight pages, everything that's happening. I'd write AJ Styles' matches out and I felt like it taught me psychology." (H/T Wrestling Inc.)
AR Fox would eventually get to wrestle AJ Styles in 2014
It's always a special moment for wrestlers when they get to mix it up in the ring with the people they admired growing up, and that's exactly what happened in 2014 when AR Fox finally got to wrestle AJ Styles.
The two met at the 'Knight of Glory III' event in March 2014 for the Ultimate Wrestling Experience promotion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a company that has sadly been inactive since 2015.
Styles, still fresh off his departure from TNA at the end of 2013, had a spring in his step at the time as he toured the independent scene for the first time in years, leading to this bout between himself and Fox. Styles might have picked up the win, but it's safe to say that Fox learned a thing or two from The Phenomenal One on this night.
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