After facing heartbreak in the US Olympic wrestling trials in April, David Taylor set his eyes on his sports love differently. He went to Oklahoma State University to take the seat of John Smith, not as the wrestler but as the head coach. Since then, the former Olympic champion has been seen on the other side of the mat, analyzing his mentees’ moves. But does that mean Taylor would never be on the mat in his wrestling costume? Well, he is on the rise again! This time, as the participant in the US trials of the senior world wrestling championships. But the surroundings are not looking good. 

Before David Taylor took up his first opponent in his 92-kg weight bracket in the trial, his fans had pointed fingers at the hosts for the venue setup. According to them, the present accommodation does not fit to be such a prestigious trial. 

David Taylor may have to fight in front of an empty box 

The Senior World Team Trials will be held at the MECA-CHI Health Center Omaha per the schedule. The venue will witness several bigwigs from the USA wrestling lock their horns to get a berth in the senior team for the World Championships, set in October. Among the names, David Taylor will enter the mat on September 14. But before that, Justin Basch, the wrestling connoisseur, shared a snap on X, showing the dismal state of the venue. When the caption hits with the lines, “What the hell are we doing with this venue? This is the best we could come up with for an event featuring multiple NCAA, World & Olympic Champions,” the snap signifies a stark reality. 

With the barricades on one side, the hosts have limited the space for the trial event, as the snap shows. Is it because of the expectation of a low turnout of the audience? No one knows. But if it is, then it could be a poor advertisement for wrestling. Furthermore, the event will house former Olympic champions like Taylor and Jordan Burroughs and world champions like Zahid Valencia. But the gloomy presentation of the venue falls short of matching their stardom. Not only this, Basch shared another loose end in the accommodation of the venue. 

In a follow-up post, the founder of Basch Solutions mentioned the lack of Wi-Fi connection in the MECA-CHI Health Center Omaha. That might pose a spoilsport not only for the audience but also for the media in reporting the events live. Such a hoary state of hosting a prominent trial event has angered the fans. They have gone after the stakeholders for failing everything. 

Wrestling fans feel ‘pathetic’ after witnessing the clumsy venue 

After winning two back-to-back World Wrestling Championships in the 86-kg weight class, David Taylor is vying for his third, but in the 92-kg bracket. But to avail himself of the chance, he will have to subdue Zahid Valencia in Sunday’s final. The stakes are high as Taylor entered the contest from the Cowboys’ camp, not from NLWC. However, the venue has come out to be the dampener on this occasion. So, being disappointed over the issue, a fan has called out the authorities, commenting, “Quite literally pathetic. These people need to be stripped of all power and fed to wolves.” 

Another follower of the sport mocked the entire setup, giving examples of other events. The concerned comment goes, “That looks sad and depressing. Also embarrassing when Jiujitsu, a few weeks ago sold out both Thomas & Mack arena and T-Mobile arena on the same night, in the same city with the equivalent level of event.” But a mere justification may not do well this time, as the wrestling trials for the Olympics did not have to face such a low shade. 

That problematic low shade made a pen, “Worse than essentially every state tournament. Sad.” The situation has felt more embarrassing, as Omaha used to be a proud destination to host US Olympic swimming trials. For several years, it had played the role until the baton went to Indianapolis this year. Feeling that emotion, a follower noted, “Oh…… Wow. Thats not a great look at all.” Meanwhile, someone has jibed, “We have better set ups for the Region tournaments in New Jersey.” Now, whatever the situation is, it looks outbound to be managed in such a short course of time.