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Dave Taylor (wrestler)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2007) |
David Taylor  |
|
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Dave Taylor David Taylor "Squire" David Taylor |
| Billed height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) |
| Billed weight | 116 kg (256 lb) |
| Born | May 1, 1957 Yorkshire |
| Trained by | Eric and Jack Taylor |
| Debut | Late 1970s |
David Steven Taylor[citation needed] (born May 1, 1957)[citation needed] is a British professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its SmackDown brand. He also worked as a trainer for the Deep South Wrestling (DSW) professional wrestling promotion, a subsidiary of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Contents |
Career
A third generation wrestler, Taylor was trained by his father Jack and grandfather Eric. After winning several awards as an amateur wrestler, Taylor made his professional debut in the late 1970s under the ring name Dave "Rocky" Taylor.
Taylor eventually joined All Star Promotions, and defeated Dave Finlay for the All-Star British Heavyweight Championship in King's Lynn on June 4, 1991. He held the title for two years before losing to Tony St. Clair on May 4, 1993 in Croydon. After St. Claire vacated the title in 1995, Taylor entered a tournament for the belt, and defeated Marty Jones in the tournament final in August 1995 in Croydon. His second reign lasted until 1996, when he was defeated by Marty Jones in Croydon
In the early 1990s, Taylor began wrestling for the German Catch Wrestling Association. On December 21, 1991 in Bremen, he and Chris Benoit defeated Franz Schumann and Miles Zrno for the CWA Tag Team Championship. They vacated the titles in June 1992 after Taylor suffered an injury and Benoit left the CWA to compete in Japan. Taylor won the CWA Tag Team Championship on a second occasion on July 18, 1993, teaming with Miles Zrno to defeat Larry Cameron and Mad Bull Buster. Cameron and Buster regained the titles on October 24, 1993 in Hanover.
In the mid 1990s, Taylor travelled to the United States of America and joined the Atlanta, Georgia-based World Championship Wrestling promotion. Taylor, renamed Squire David Taylor, formed a stable with Lord Steven Regal and Earl Robert Eaton known as the Blue Bloods. After Eaton (an American) left the group, Taylor and Regal feuded with him. Taylor continued to team with Regal until Regal was fired from WCW in 2000, at which point Taylor also left the promotion.
In 2001, Taylor joined the World Wrestling Federation, acting as a trainer and wrestler in the Heartland Wrestling Association, a subsidiary of the WWF. Taylor eventually left the WWF after they asked him to relocate to Cincinnati, Ohio, where the HWA was located.
In May 2002, Taylor, William (formerly Steven) Regal and Dave Finlay opened the Atlantan Blue Bloods Wrestling Academy, a professional wrestling school.
On April 7th, 2004 Taylor made an appearance in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a mentor/coach of Team Britain during the America's X-Cup Tournament.
In February 2005, Taylor came back to the UK for a three weeks with Brian Dixon's All Star Wrestling where he responded to some comments made by "The Highlander From Hell" Drew McDonald.
World Championship Wrestling
On February 26,1998 David Taylor went up against "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith but failed to pick up the win following a Running powerslam from the Bulldog.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2006-present)
Taylor was hired by WWE in January 2006 to train wrestling students at Deep South Wrestling in McDonough, Georgia. On March 23, 2006, Taylor returned to the ring in DSW to once again team with William Regal.
On the October 20 episode of SmackDown!, Regal announced that Taylor would be joining him on the brand. The two debuted the same night against the team Scotty 2 Hotty and Funaki, and picked up the win after dominating their opponents. Though the pair reformed their previous tag team, Regal and Taylor would not reuse the Blue Bloods gimmick instead portraying themselves as sadistic fighters. However, the team was quickly put into jeopardy in their second match together when Taylor suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee leaving him injured. Taylor took a more relaxed role for a couple of weeks as a corner man for Regal and only wrestled a few short house shows matches. Taylor would quickly heal from his injury and the pair went on to feud with Paul London and Brian Kendrick in the hunt for the WWE Tag Team Championship. After defeating London and Kendrick on several occasions, at Armageddon 2006, they would go into a Tag Team match which would turn out as 4-way ladder match adding MNM and the Hardy Boyz, with London and Kendrick coming out on top.
After WrestleMania 23, Regal and Dave Taylor began a feud with Kane when after a match between Kane and Dave Taylor, Taylor and Regal attacked Kane. The Boogeyman soon joined the feud as Kane's tag team partner. On the May 25 edition of Smackdown!, Regal and Taylor competed in a number 1 contenders match for the WWE Tag Team Championship against Brian Kendrick and Paul London which they lost when Deuce 'N Domino interfered, making both competitors the number 1 contenders. This led to a triple threat match, the next week on SmackDown!, where Deuce 'N Domino retained. Taylor and Regal's tag team would come to an end on June 17 when Regal was drafted to RAW during the Supplemental Draft.
Since Regal's departure, Taylor was absent from SmackDown! for several weeks. He later teamed up with a returning Paul Burchill at a SmackDown! live event. Then, he would compete in the 20-Man Battle Royal for the then-vacant World Heavyweight Championship, in which he didn't win. Taylor finally made his singles return a week later, in a loss to former rival Kane. He and Paul Burchill then lost to Jesse and Festus in a dark match on the August 21 taping of SmackDown!. He has also been in tag team matches with Paul Burchill at RAW live events, facing The Highlanders.
Wrestling facts
- Finishing Moves & signature moves
-
- Britain-Plex (Float-over double underhook suplex pin)
- Rope-aided fallaway slam
- Standing vertical suplex
- European uppercut
- Diving crossbody - Independent circuit
- Military press drop
- Suplex powerslam
- Abdominal stretch
- Chinlock
- DDT
- Double knee lift
- Grounded abdominal stretch
- Leg drop
- Modified wrist lock
- Short-arm clothesline
- Sleeper hold
-
- Jeeves
- William Regal
- Fit Finlay
- Nicknames
-
- "Rocky"
- "Squire"
Championships and accomplishments
-
- CWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Chris Benoit (1) and Miles Zrno (1)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 429 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.
Personal life
Taylor is married to Lisa Wynn Taylor, with whom he has a daughter, Natalie. Dave also has an adult daughter in England, from a previous marriage.
References
External links
Categories: Articles needing additional references from March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since December 2007 | English professional wrestlers | Living people | People from Yorkshire | Total Nonstop Action Wrestling alumni | World Championship Wrestling alumni