What a comeback for David Taylor! Returning from his brief retirement, the wrestling icon headed off to Omaha for the World Team Trials. It seems legendary wrestlers Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor will lead their campaign for the UWW World Championship from October 28 to 31. The former Nittany Lion dominated the 2024 trials but remains uncertain about moving ahead. Why so?

Currently, David Taylor is the head coach of the Oklahoma Cowboys and is prioritizing his role. He has etched his name among the greatest of all time with an excellent career. With four world champion titles in five appearances, Taylor’s records speak volumes of his worth in the sport. In April, when David lost to Aaron Brooks at the U.S. Olympics Trials, he thought it’d be best for him to retire. Thus choosing to become a coach for the Cowboys. But now that he’s back, what lies ahead is sheer uncertainty.

After the World Championship trials in Omaha, Taylor spoke to the media and shared what he’s planning for the future. “I feel like I’ve had a lasting impact on the sport for a long long long time. You know it’s not the wins and losses, but it’s the way I compete it. And the credentials come and go, but it’s that way. I just—competing that way is something that always drove me, and I’m happy to be able to go out and finish like that.” The 4x champ won the 92 kg competition at the US Senior World Team Trials this weekend, cementing his spot on Team USA for the sixth time in the last seven years.

Moreover, David Taylor strongly believes he can still win matches for his country. However, “[I’ve] made up my mind I was going to go wrestle; I had that last match and did that, and now I can, on good footing, decide what’s next best,” shared the Oklahoma State coach. Therefore, we can have two possibilities following the declaration. First, the 2024 World Championship will be the last time we’ll get to see David Taylor on the mat. Second, he’ll continue for a bit longer and then become a full-time coach for the Cowboys. Which one will it be?

David Taylor will decide his future depending on the Oklahoma State wrestling responsibilities

David Taylor might have made up his mind but has chosen not to reveal anything for now. Moreover, for the 4x world champion, wrestling had never been about winning world titles. That’s how he visualized the sport in the first place. Therefore, now that he’s come back after a 4-month break, it must have been because of the love he has for the wrestling arena and the energetic audience. Meanwhile, Taylor continued, “The selfish part of this was I competed. What you just saw there? That’s how I competed my whole life. That’s a selfish side effect. I haven’t wrestled six matches in a long time, you know? So to wrestle like that every single sing time. I don’t know, you know?”

He also added that there’s just one chance to wrestle your last match, so he wanted to do just that. At the same time, David Taylor is focused on his duties towards OSU. His decision to return to full-time wrestling shouldn’t be a problem for his coaching duties. However, “I still got to talk to the team. I got a lot of stuff going on; we got a lot of momentum, and we want to be national champions.” Shared the 33-year-old icon.

David Taylor’s switch from 86 kg freestyle wrestling to trial for the 92 kg freestyle itself is commendable. Despite his formidable stance, winning wasn’t a cakewalk. But knowing what the ‘Magic Man’ is capable of doing, he clinched his spot to represent the USA in Albania later this year. Thus, the conclusion of Taylor’s comeback and coaching duties depends on OSU and its choices. So, we’ve got to wait to know more about the same in the upcoming days. But do the wrestling fanatics want David Taylor back? Is that even a question?