“That was crazy… You just got to believe,” said David Taylor still reeling from Wyatt Hendrickson‘s performance against Gable Steveson. And why wouldn’t he? Taylor was nearly jumped onto the mat after Hendrickson’s last-second reversal to beat Steveson 5-4 at the Wells Fargo Arena. It was a victory that stunned not just the Olympic gold medalist, but the entire wrestling world.

That’s because while the #2 NCAA heavyweight may have had an undefeated season, many believed he would meet his match in the #1 seed from Minnesota. Yet, amidst the doubts and the posturing of the Olympic champion the 285-pounder from OSU remained undefeated all the way to clinching the title. “You know, Wyatt believed,” Taylor told reporter Scott Wright.

“I mean, it’s easy to get caught up in what you can and what you can’t do,” said David Taylor. However, instead of getting tied up in internal and external doubts, Wyatt Hendrickson “believed” he could defeat the Olympic medalist. The 34-year-old also explained that another “big” reason behind his pupil’s success was patience.

Even in the dying moments of the intense bout, Hendrickson waited for an opening and didn’t rush. Taylor said the maturity came to Hendrickson because of his nature to learn. “You know, like everyone knew Wyatt for the pinning. He was a great, prolific pinner. But he was pretty sloppy, made a lot of mistakes… and that’s what costs him these tournaments,” explained Taylor.

While the NCAA wrestler had always shown promise, he fell short every time. In 2021-22, he led the nation in pins, for the next two years, the heavyweight finished among the top three, always a hair away from the title. And many thought that’s all the Cowboy was good for until David Taylor arrived.

How doubts fueled David Taylor’s pupil

While the former Olympic champion’s input may have helped Wyatt Hendrickson sharpen the edge he needed to win the national title, the OSU athlete’s determination took to the doorstep. Todd Hendrickson’s son continued to put himself in positions that he knew would push his boundaries. The doubters who appeared every step of the way only boosted his will.

“He’s not afraid of anything,” Todd Hendrickson said about his son. “If someone says he can’t do something, he’s gonna go do it. There’s been so many things people have told him he couldn’t do, and then he did,” the champion’s father told The O’Colly ahead of the final. It was the same when it became apparent that the OSU star would end up meeting Steveson.

The Minnesota star had earned his Olympic gold just a day after coach David Taylor in Tokyo. Stevenson also looked nearly invincible when he rode into the final with a 70-match win streak. Things even took a turn for the worse when Gable Steveson took the 3-2 lead early in the bout. Yet, this time, Hendrickson’s training with Taylor to fix his tendencies of making mistakes paid off.

When the final bell rang, Wyatt Hendrickson found himself on top of the Olympic champion. “It’s bigger than worlds, Olympics, anything,” David Taylor’s protégé said moments after his victory. For everything the 34-year-old coach did for Hendrickson, he repaid by helping Taylor grab two individual titles in his debut year as the Cowboys coach.