Wrestling Has A Tomorrow (WHAT) is a new promotion out of Providence, Rhode Island that debuted with their inaugural event WHAT: Wrestling Has A Tomorrow in January, returns with their second event this February, aptly entitled WHAT II. On Sunday February 11 at the Fete Music Hall, the event features several intriguing indie match-ups, including Tenille Dashwood (former WWE Superstar Emma) vs. Rachael Ellering, Keith Lee vs. hard-hitting UK veteran Martin Stone (aka NXT’s Danny Burch) and Tommy Dreamer vs. Ethan Page vs. JT Dunn. But one that promises to be the barnburner of the night and potential match of the year is one that features a returning indie legend and one of the fastest rising stars on the indie scene, in Teddy Hart vs AR Fox.
Teddy Hart’s troubled past are well documented, but there’s no denying his innovative influence on indie wrestling the past two decades and his uncanny ability in the squared circle. The youngest person to ever sign a WWE deal, a member of the legendary Hart family, and an absolute pioneer in promotions from Stampede Wrestling to AAA, Ring of Honor to Game Changer Wrestling, AAW and beyond, Teddy Hart has been on a road to redemption the past year that has re-inserted his name into the game he very nearly fell out out of. He’s had a brutal feud with Joey Janela last year, as well as matches against the likes of Penta El 0M, Nick Gage, Andrew Everett, Brian Cage and more, re-establishing himself as one of the premier indie aerialists and innovators, with still enough gas in the tank to be as relevant today (if not more so) than he was a decade ago.
His opponent is 30-year old AR Fox, an indie veteran since 2009 who emerged from the CZW gates as an impact player on the independents. Every year as seen AR Fox emerge as a little better than before, more polished without losing his rugged charm or unpredictability, wrestling for such promotions as EVOLVE, PWG, Beyond, AAW, WrestleCircus, and Atlanta’s World Wrestling Alliance (WWA). He’s gained a lot exposure in the past year since joining Lucha Underground for Season Three, where he portrays the character Dante Fox, the former military buddy of Killshot (played by fellow CZW alumni Shane Strickland). Fox and Strickland’s Hell of War match from Ultima Lucha Tres from last October was a legacy of brutality and one of the year’s best matches. By the season’s end, Fox, Strickland and Willie Mack were the Lucha Underground Trios Champions. It’s the kind of toughness and resilience Fox will need when he faces a wrestler of Teddy Hart’s stature – while he has the ring savvy of his uncle Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart and the aerial prowess of his uncle Owen, his has a tenacity and ferocity more like another famous Canadian – the X-Man Logan, aka Wolverine.
And while this isn’t the first time that AR Fox and Teddy Hart have met in the ring – Fox was victorious in their first encounter in December at the AAW Windy City Classic XIII in a Fatal 4-Way with Hart, Penta El 0M and Joey Janela – it marks their first singles encounter. It’s sure to be a match full of technical mastery, aerial spectacles and the kind of physicality that few people dare to engage in. In other words, all the makings of an absolute classic.
