David Taylor (wrestler, born 1990)

Born in Reno, Nevada, Taylor attended Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio. As a high schooler, Taylor became a four-time OHSAA state champion with an outstanding 180-2 record and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He received the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2009 as the nation's top high school wrestler.[4][5]

During his time at the Pennsylvania State University ('09-'10, '10-'11, '11-'12, '12-'13, '13-'14), Taylor went on to become a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion (four-time finalist), a four-time Big Ten Conference champion and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner.[3] After capping off a perfect freshman year, Taylor was pinned by Arizona State's Bubba Jenkins at the NCAA finals.[6] As a sophomore, he moved up from 157 pounds to 165, and continued to establish dominance, now successfully picking up the NCAA title and being named the best college wrestler in the USA as the Dan Hodge Trophy winner with a 70-1 overall record.

As a junior, he faced Kyle Dake from Cornell in the NCAA finals, who had moved up to attempt to become the third four-time NCAA champion and the first to win titles at four different weight classes in the history of the NCAA. After a back-and-forth battle, Taylor became a two-time NCAA runner-up when he was defeated by the now-four-timer in a close 4-5 loss.[7] As a senior, he once again had an undefeated campaign, claimed his second NCAA title, helped clinch the team title for the Nittany Lions and became the third multiple-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner in history.[8] Taylor graduated with 134 wins and three losses, 50 pins, 42 technical falls and 29 major decisions.[8]

Taylor made his freestyle debut on April of 2010, when he claimed a University US National title.[9] In 2012, he competed at the US Olympic Team Trials, where he went 3-2.[10]

In 2013, Taylor claimed runner-up honors at the US Open in April, defeating Nick Marable to reach the finals and then being downed by the defending Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs.[11] After pinning '12 Junior World Champion Magomed Kurbanaliev from Russia at Beat the Streets,[12] Taylor became a two-time US University National and made the US University World Team on May.[13] At the '13 US World Team Trials Challenge of June, Taylor went 4-1 with a lone loss to four-time NCAA Division I National Kyle Dake to claim third-place.[14] At the 2013 Summer Universiade, he claimed a bronze medal for the USA.[15]

In 2014, last year's US Open results were repeated when Taylor fell to Jordan Burroughs, this rematch being much closer and forcing the now defending World Champion to come from behind to get the last minute comeback.[16] After dominating the eventual '16 Olympic bronze medalist and at-the-time two-time World bronze medalist and two-time European Champion Jabrayil Hasanov at Beat the Streets, Taylor made the US World Team Trials finals, but was defeated twice in a row by Burroughs.[17]

Now able to focus on freestyle full-time after graduating from college, Taylor opened up the 2015 year with a fifth-place finish at the Yasar Dogu, where he went 3-2.[18] He then claimed his first US Open National title in May,[19] followed up by a technical fall over Cuba's Liván López at Beat the Streets.[20] In his fourth attempt to make the US World Team, Taylor was once again overpowered by Kyle Dake in the challenge tournament, but he came back and claimed the third place when he beat veteran Andrew Howe.[21] Taylor then claimed Grand Prix of Spain and Stepan Sargsyan Cup gold medals in July,[22][23] before making the decision to bulk up to the 86 kilogram division on September.[24] Taylor took fifth-place at the Golden Grand Prix of November, and seemed overpowered in his first tournament at a new weight class.[25] On December, Taylor competed at the US Senior Nationals, and after running through '14 US World Team member and teammate Ed Ruth,[26] Taylor was defeated by long-time rival Kyle Dake.[27]

In 2016, Taylor was unable to make the US Olympic Team, as he was defeated by Dake for the fifth time in the senior level, forcing Taylor to battle for the bronze medal, which he comfortably earned.[28] He then claimed his second Spain Grand Prix title on July,[29] and competed again at the World Clubs Cup of December, where he went 3-1 and helped TMWC reach the first-place, while also defeating the accomplished Alireza Karimi.[30]

In his first competition of the year, Taylor dominated through the Grand Prix of Paris in January,[31] and despite being initially banned by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,[32] he went on to compete at the World Cup on February, at Iran.[33] At the World Cup, he displayed amazing skillset when he dominantly defeated four top-level opponents in impressive fashion; '12 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time European Champion Dato Marsagishvili in the first round (8-3), that year's World Championship bronze medalist Vladislav Valiev (TF 14-4), '12 Olympic Gold medalist Sharif Sharifov (TF 12-2) and '16 Olympic Gold medalist Hassan Yazdani (fall).[34]

After a prestigious last performance, Taylor came back to claim his second US National title on April, with an overall score of 40-4 against five opponents.[35] After a quick win at Beat the Streets,[36] Taylor made the World Team Trials finals when he ran through '16 US OTT Greco-Roman champion Joe Rau and '12 Junior World Championship runner-up Pat Downey, and defeated three-time NCAA Division I All-American Nick Heflin to make the best-of-three, where he faced returning Olympic Bronze medalist J'den Cox.[37] In the first match, Taylor rallied comfortably with a 9-3 win, but was closely defeated in the second match 3-4, leading up to a controversial third bout due to Cox' sweat and alleged passivity, which caused Taylor to kick the challenge cube and his cornerman Cael Sanderson to throw items at the official and a chair onto the mat after losing 3-5.[38][39]

He came back to competition at the World Clubs Cup on December, where he helped the TMWC reach second place with notable victories over Alireza Karimi and Pawan Kumar.[40]

To start off the year, Taylor became only the twelfth American to claim a gold medal at the Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix, considered to be the toughest open tournament in the world.[41] He opened up with a criteria win over two-time (and defending) Pan American champion Yurieski Torreblanca, followed up by Selim Yaşar on points and a fall over '17 Junior World Champion Artur Naifonov to make the finals. In the finals, he got another fall, now over Fatih Erdin, to claim the Gold medal.[42] On April, he claimed his second and back-to-back World Cup championship, recording four technical falls to help secure the gold medal for the United States.[43][44] He also clinched his third US National title, with four victories over fellow Americans.[45]

On May, he claimed his first Pan American title, with notable wins over Yurieski Torreblanca, Pool Ambrocio and Eduardo Gajardo.[46] On his seventh attempt to make the US World/Olympic Team, Taylor finally and dominantly was able to punch tickets to the World Championships, when he defeated '18 Bill Farrell Memorial medalist Nick Reenan twice via technical fall on May, at Final X: State College.[47] He then warmed up at the Yasar Dogu of July, with four dominant pins over foreigners.[48]

At the World Championships, Taylor had a tough start, as he faced his biggest threat of the tournament in the first round, '16 Olympic Gold medalist and defending World champion Hassan Yazdani from Iran. After being down two points to six at the end of the first period, Taylor was able to overcome adversity and put on nine points on his side, finishing the legendary match 11-6.[49] In the next round, he tech'd '18 Alexander Medved champion Hajy Rajabau from Belarus, to advance to the quarterfinals.[50] Next, he picked apart the accomplished Cuban Yurieski Torreblanca, to pick up an 8-0 victory.[51] In the semifinals, he had it harder, as he went to the distance against the '17 European Champion and Russia's best Dauren Kurugliev, but was able to score the comeback win 7-5.[52] In the finals, he dismantled Fatih Erdin from Turkey, overwhelming his opposition with 12 points to two, to claim the World Championship and help Team USA reach third place.[53][54]

After the year was over, Taylor was named the UWW International Freestyle wrestler of the Year,[55] and was awarded the John Smith Award winner as USA's Freestyle wrestler of the Year.[56]

After time off competition, the returning World Champion came back on April 2019, when he claimed his second straight Pan American title, tournament in where he scored 34 points to none against his four opponents and Team USA claimed all ten medals in freestyle.[57] On May, he competed at the annual Beat the Streets for charity, against Drew Foster, where he suffered a severe knee injury which led him to forfeit out of the match, and ultimately, forced him to stay inactive during the whole year, missing the opportunity to make his second US World Team (forfeiting it to Pat Downey instead, whom he has tech'd twice), to represent the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games or to defend his title at the World Championships.[58][59][60]

After almost a full year of no competition, Taylor came back to wrestle on March 2020, at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament.[61] He comfortably got three wins to win the bracket and internationally qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[62] Taylor was then scheduled to compete at the 20' US Olympic Team Trials on April 4 at State College, Pennsylvania, where he was a heavy favorite.[63] However, the event was postponed for 2021 along with the Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving all the qualifiers unable to compete.[64]

Taylor was unable to compete for a couple of months due to the pandemic, but was scheduled to wrestle Pat Downey (whom he was unable to wrestle at the '19 US World Trials) on July 25, at FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo.[65] After Downey pulled out of the bout due to problems with the organization, Taylor wrestled and tech'd the accomplished Myles Martin.[66] After more months of inactiveness, Taylor defeated two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean by points on November 24, at the NLWC III.[67]

To kick off the year, Taylor was scheduled to face his former rival and five-time World and Olympic champion (at 74kg) Jordan Burroughs, at 86 kilos, on January 9, while headlining FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor.[68] However, it was announced on January 8 that Taylor was unable to travel to Austin, Texas due to COVID-19 restrictions and the bout was subsequently postponed for four days later and changed its location for Lincoln, Nebraska, thus moving to a different card also named FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor.[69] After a 4-0 lead for Taylor in the first period, Burroughs rallied late to score four points of his own, but was unable to secure the victory as Taylor had criteria, defeating Burroughs for the first time in five matches.[70] Taylor was also rescheduled to compete at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France on January 16,[71] but was not able to travel due to the postponement of his match against Burroughs.[72]