David Taylor and Jordan Burroughs’ World Team Trial Bid Hailed by Legendary Wrestling Coach’s Son: ‘Go Down Right’

ByEva Aggarwal

Sep 27, 2024 | 10:18 PM EDT

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David Taylor vs. Jordan Burroughs—who's your pick to dominate the World Team Trials?

After the U.S. Olympic Trials, David Taylor, aka The Magic Man, seemed to have moved on from competing, stepping into his new role as head coach for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. But just when folks thought he was hanging up his singlet for good, he pulled a magic trick and made a stunning comeback! At the 2024 U.S. Senior World Wrestling Team Trials, Taylor dominated the competition, finishing with a perfect 4-0 record and securing his spot to represent the U.S. in Tirana, Albania, at the Senior World Championships. With gold medals from back-to-back World Championships under his belt, Taylor proved he’s not done just yet.

Magic Man’s been all over the headlines lately, especially with folks comparing him to the wrestler Jordan Burroughs. While we’re still in the dark about whether he’s hitting up the World Championships, he’s back in the spotlight again! This time, Jordan’s fellow coach is jumping in to share his thoughts on both JB and DT, and it’s got everyone chatting.

In a chat, Grant Turner, the Assistant Coach for Grand View Wrestling, shared his thoughts on the competitive futures of Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor. He mentioned that while Jordan has the potential to keep competing longer, David’s coaching role at Oklahoma State brings a lot of responsibilities.

As Turner put it, David’s got a “different career path” now, making the balance between coaching and competing quite the challenge. Turner also pointed out the unique paths both wrestlers are on, saying that to chase their Olympic dreams, “I believe that both of them would have to basically go down right ” in weight classes. Jordan would need to shift to 74 kg, while David would aim for 86 kg.

Excitement filled Turner’s words as he looked ahead to what was next. He expressed eagerness to see the wrestlers compete in Albania, sharing that he’s “just excited to see all of them compete” and how that experience will shape their journey toward the 2025 World Championships. With the recent trials fresh in their minds, the future is full of possibilities, and Turner can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!

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But let’s not sleep on the pure dominance these legends bring to Team USA! David Taylor, the beast of the 92-kilogram class, scored gold at the 2021 Olympics and piled on three World titles after that. Now, he’s the head coach for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but he’s also a two-time NCAA champ and four-time Big Ten winner!

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Polls of the day

Poll 1 of 6

Who do you think will dominate the World Team Trials?

David Taylor

Jordan Burroughs

Both will put up a fierce fight

Neither, it's anyone's game

What was the most heartwarming moment between Faith Kipyegon and Gudaf Tsegay?

Hugging at the finish line

Sharing a laugh

Exchanging jerseys

Post-race interview

Whats your Perspective on:

David Taylor vs. Jordan Burroughs—who's your pick to dominate the World Team Trials?

Have an interesting take?

Do you think the US Olympic star deserves a major role in LA 2028?

Absolutely

No way

Maybe, but not a major role

I don't care

What excites you the most about the first-ever edition of Athlos?

Sold-out event

Alexis Ohanian's involvement

New opportunities for athletes

Innovative sports format

Why do you think Noah Lyles values his Paris Olympics bronze medal the most?

Personal achievement

Tough competition

Emotional significance

Proving doubters wrong

Then there’s Jordan Burroughs, who’s crushing it in the 74-kilogram freestyle weight class. This dude snagged gold in the 2012 Olympics and has six world championships in his pocket! He’s racked up golds at the Pan American Games and made the US Olympic or World Team twelve times, and this is just the start! These guys are stacked, but there’s a reason this duo is always in the limelight together. With their fierce rivalry and rich history of competition, it’s nearly impossible not to chat about DT and JB.

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The wrestling duo goes way back!

In 2021, the wrestling world was buzzing as Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor finally went head-to-head in an epic FloWrestling showdown, years after Burroughs’ reign at 74 kg had kept The Magic Man in check. The two had both wrestled at 74 kg for a while, but after Burroughs snagged Olympic gold in 2012, he became the undisputed king of that weight class. They faced off four times before, with Burroughs winning every time, but this was their first clash since 2014.

By 2015, Taylor had moved up to 86 kg, and after months of throwing shade on social media, the real fireworks went off when they hit the mat. Taylor jumped ahead with a 4-0 lead, but in true Burroughs fashion, he made a wild comeback, tying it up 4-4 in the final seconds. Taylor secured the win based on criteria, marking his first victory over Burroughs in five meetings.

It was a match to remember, with years of rivalry finally exploding in a showdown that felt like fireworks on the mat. And now, Grant Turner and the rest of the wrestling world are reveling in watching these two phenoms not battling against each other, but teaming up for Team USA at the upcoming championships!