As a wrestling fan in the USA, it’s hard not to get excited by the mention of David Taylor. With the Magic Man coming out of retirement, things have been only more scintillating. While his title defense at the 2024 Olympic Games didn’t happen, Albania might be the stage where Taylor compensates for the lost chance. Naturally, the community members can’t wait to see how things unfold later this month.

When Taylor transitioned to becoming the head coach for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, fans couldn’t help but sound their sigh thinking it was the end of the road for the Penn State alum as a professional wrestler. However, it looks like the ex-NLWC star still has some steam left in him, and things are looking bright once again for the country’s wrestling connoisseurs.

The prospect of Taylor clashing against the Russian juggernaut Abdulrashid Sadulaev is making fans of the sport in the USA wait with bated breath. The 2020 Olympic gold medalist in the 97kg will be competing in the same weight class as the American at the upcoming Non-Olympic World Championships in Tirana, Albania. A YouTube upload by the official USA Wrestling channel from October 4 discusses how the matchup could unfold and who of these two heavyweights might come out on top when the dust settles.

“…everybody in the United World Wrestling Community has kind of wanted to see David versus Sadulaev just because they’re both world champions,” said Grand View Vikings wrestling coach Grant Turner during the discussion. “I think it’s just one of those like fantasy matchups that you always want to see,” the Iowa State alum stated further.

“you know, Sadulaev dropping down to 92 um David basically coming up to 92, it’ll be a really cool match if that does come to fruition,” Turner’s anticipation reflects the sentiments of the fans who have been mourning Taylor’s absence from the mat. And the anticipation isn’t misplaced either.

David Taylor is riding high on enthusiasm

Taylor’s Olympic title defense was a thriller that was something no one expected to be robbed of experiencing. However, at the Olympic Team Trials in April this year, Taylor was defeated by Penn State’s 4x NCAA champ Aaron Brooks in an unprecedented situation, sending ripples across the community. Subsequently, the Magic Man went to OSU as the head coach of the Cowboys. The move irked several people over at the NLWC camp, who claimed it was a betrayal on his part. But Taylor looked firm with his decision and did his best to boost OSU’s infrastructure to ensure the wrestlers had every chance to perfect their wrestling skills. For obvious reasons, when he announced his decision to compete at the upcoming World Championships, fans went haywire with excitement.

Taylor, too, is feeling the fire inside him that he felt was missing for some time. “When you step away from it, it gives you a different perspective coming into practice, and it just created an energy and excitement that I hadn’t felt — I hadn’t felt that in four years,” the 33-year-old told Pistols Firing Blog. “I think this is a really good opportunity for OSU wrestling,” he said, and the folks over at OSU are also rallying behind his cause with cheering voices. But will that be enough to help Taylor to find some solace despite his Olympic hiccup? A few more weeks to see!