WE ARE: Cael's First Decade

First Episode Premiers Wednesday 8 PM EST

David Taylor is one of the most successful American wrestlers of all time. This is inarguable. State champion, Division I national champion, Hodge Trophy winner, World champion. The only thing left to cross off the list? Olympic champion.

High School

After moving from Wyoming to Ohio in junior high, David Taylor attended one of the nation’s best high school programs, St. Paris Graham. While at Graham Taylor went 180-2, won four individual state titles and four team titles, and was the Ohio Wrestler of the Year in his final two seasons. He avenged both of his losses. 

Taylor didn’t just see success at the state level. Taylor was the first-ever four-time Ironman champion, two-time Super 32 champion, and a Beast of East champion. A five-time Fargo champion (three-time Cadet and two-time Junior) while competing in both freestyle and Greco, Taylor was no stranger to the international styles. 

Watch David Taylor beat Colin Palmer at the 2009 Ironman in what was dubbed, “The high school match of the century.”

College

The success didn’t stop in college. Originally committed to Iowa State, Taylor flipped to Penn State when Cael Sanderson decided to change schools. As you can tell from the Instagram post below, Cael and the Sanderson family had a large impact on Taylor growing up. Taylor’s parents would drive him across the Utah border to train under and with the Sandersons.

While at Penn State, Taylor went 134-3, was a four-time national finalist, won two individual national titles, four team national titles, and became the third wrestler to win multiple Hodge Trophies.

NCAA Hit List

Derek St. John

Robert Kokesh

Bekzod Abdurakhmanov

Tyler Caldwell

Mike Evans

Tyler Wilps

Senior Level

Once again the Magic Man made a successful jump up in level. On the senior level Taylor is 94-13. The only losses to a non World and/or Olympic champions are Ehsan Lashgari (a 2013 World bronze medalist) at the 2015 Golden Grand Prix and Gardiiyev Nurmagomed also at the 2015 Golden Grand Prix.

In 2018 David Taylor made his first World Team and brought home gold, outsourcing a tough field 48-13. Unfortunately, Taylor was injured one month prior to Final X 2019 and was not able to defend his title.

Freestyle Hit List

Hassan Yazdani - 2016 Olympic gold, 2X World gold, 2015 World silver, 2018 World bronze

Sharif Sharifov - 2012 Olympic gold, 2016 Olympic bronze, 2011 World gold, 2019 World silver, 2009 Word bronze

J'den Cox - 2016 Olympic bronze, 2X World gold, 2017 World bronze

Koloi Kartoev - 2016 Olympic silver, 2015 World silver, 2014 World bronze

Jabrayil Hasanov - 2016 Olympic bronze, 2X World silver, 2X World bronze

Liván López - 2012 Olympic bronze, 2013 World silver, 2X World bronze

Alireza Karimi - 2019 World silver, 2X World bronze

Dato Marsagishvili - 2012 Olympic bronze, 2011 World bronze

Magomed Kurbanaliev - 2016 World gold, 2013 World bronze

Vladislav Valiev - 2017 World bronze

Artur Naifonov - 2019 World bronze

FloFilms

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