Terry Taylor

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Paul W. Taylor III[1]
Ring name(s)	The Computerized Man of the 1990s Dr. Feelgood[1] The Red Rooster[1] Scary Terry Taylor[1] Terry Taylor[1] Terrance Taylor[1] Taylor Made Man[1]
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Billed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Born	August 12, 1955 (1955-08-12) (age 54)[1] Greenville, South Carolina
Billed from	Vero Beach, Florida
Trained by	Self Taught
Debut	1979[1]
Retired	1995

Terry Taylor (born Paul W. Taylor III on August 12, 1955), is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation. Taylor is currently the Director of Talent Relations in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Career

Early career

Terry Taylor was a popular fan favorite for much of his early career in the Mid-South region and other Southern professional wrestling territories in the 1980s. Taylor was originally selected to be part of The Fabulous Ones tag team with Stan Lane. Taylor was then bypassed by Florida wrestler, Steve Keirn, for the position. Taylor then formed a tag team with Bobby Fulton called the Fantastic Ones before he and Fulton split up and Fulton teamed up with Tommy Rodgers to form the Fantastics.

Taylor made his way to the Mid-South territory in January 1984 and feuded with the team of Nikolai Volkoff and Krusher Darsow. Darsow would change his name to Krusher Khrushchev and he and Taylor would meet in the finals of a tournament to crown the first ever Mid-South T.V. champion, a match that Khrushchev would win.

National Wrestling Alliance

He made his way to the NWA in 1985 and feuded with "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel over the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. Moving on to the Mid South Region in 1986, Taylor became one of that league's biggest stars and eventually defeated Freebird Buddy Roberts for the Mid South Television Championship in September. This title was represented by a gold medal hung around the neck. It was later replaced by a conventional championship belt after the medal was thrown into a river. Later that year, he defeated Ted DiBiase for the North American Heavyweight Championship, the Mid South region's top title at the time. He vacated the Television Title upon winning the NAHC. He also won the UWF Tag Team Championship with "Gentleman" Chris Adams in early 1987 before breaking up their "Dream Team" to begin a heated rivalry. After Jim Crockett Promotions took over the Universal Wrestling Federation (née Mid-South Wrestling) later that year, Taylor (then the UWF Television Champion) initiated a dispute with Nikita Koloff over the NWA World Television Championship by stealing Koloff's belt, which led to a unification match of the two titles at Starrcade 1987 which Taylor would lose before abruptly leaving the promotion.

World Class Championship Wrestling

In early-1988, Taylor debuted in World Class Championship Wrestling, where he and Adams continued their feud, which lasted until early-June. Taylor did win the Texas heavyweight championship from Matt Borne and defended the belt against Adams, Kevin Von Erich, and others. Terry also held the tag team titles with Iceman King Parsons for a short time. Taylor eventually departed WCCW when his feud with Von Erich was about to kick into high gear.

World Wrestling Federation

In 1988, Taylor signed with the World Wrestling Federation. Debuting as babyface Scary Terry Taylor, he tag teamed with Sam Houston against The Conquistadors in his television debut. The Conquistadors pinned Sam Houston in the match and afterwards Taylor got on the mic and berated Houston for losing the match, beating him down turning heel. Taylor got Bobby Heenan as his manager and Heenan renamed him "the Red Rooster", a gimmick which saw him don red tights and ring coat, and, later, style his hair like a rooster's comb after turning babyface. Early in his Red Rooster stint, the heel Taylor was portrayed as a novice wrestler who could not navigate his way through matches without constant instructions from Bobby Heenan. Eventually, Taylor (who was actually a very talented wrestler) grew tired of Heenan's constant coaching and turned against him, defeating Heenan in a thirty second squash match at WrestleMania V. Taylor became a face as a result, though he retained the Red Rooster gimmick, and even began referring to his fans as "Rooster Boosters." He remained in the WWF until mid-1990. Warren Mickle did a gimmick in the independent PHWF, just going by Rooster, donning sunglasses and a red rooster bodysuit.

World Championship Wrestling

Taylor received a lesser push in World Championship Wrestling in late 1990. He first debuted as Terry Taylor and unsuccessfully challenged Arn Anderson for the WCW World Television Championship on several occasions. Taylor then began a short feud with Michael Wallstreet, which ended abruptly after Wallstreet jumped to the WWF. So Taylor took Wallstreet's place in the The York Foundation and changed his name to Terrence Taylor. He feuded with Tom Zenk, Dustin Rhodes and Bobby Eaton, and won the WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championships with Richard Morton and Thomas Rich. Taylor was the senior member of the York Foundation throughout its existence. For a time in late 1991-early 1992, Taylor had teased a face turn by arguing with York and the rest of the group. After the York Foundation disbanded, Taylor (now known as 'The Taylor Made Man') remained heel and formed a tag team with Greg Valentine in 1992 and held the WCW United States Tag Team Championship for three months.

World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling: Second stints

In September 1992, Taylor returned to the WWF as "Terrific Terry Taylor." He continued wrestling as a heel. The "Red Rooster" gimmick was not referred to and Taylor, a perennial solid hand in the ring, was used primarily as an enhancement talent. He later did interviews before leaving in August 1993. Taylor turned up in WCW again soon after, wrestling as a face. He was featured in mid-card feuds for about a year.

American Wrestling Federation

He left the business for a while before becoming an announcer for the American Wrestling Federation (AWF) in 1994. A fan of wrestling announcer Gordon Solie, Taylor would often use Solie's famous phrases, pronouncing a suplex as a soo-play and a clothesline as a lariat.

World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling: Third stints

Taylor spent several years in WCW working as a road agent and writer backstage. He worked closely with Annette Yother, Craig Leathers, Eric Bischoff, and Kevin Sullivan to write content for Nitro and WCW PPVs.

Taylor returned to the WWF in 1998, doing interviews backstage. He lasted in this capacity for about a year, before leaving for WCW yet again.

World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling: Fourth stints

During this stint in WCW, Taylor co-hosted WCW Saturday Night with Larry Zbyszko. He remained with the company until WWF bought it out in 2001, and left the business again for about a year.

Taylor later became a road agent for World Wrestling Entertainment after his wrestling career was cut short by injury. Before his injury, he was often a regional title holder and became a major contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship before leaving for WWE.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Taylor began working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2003. He is the current head of talent relations, and has worked as a road agent, trainer, and interviewer.

Personal life

On April 12, 2004, Taylor had three vertebrae in his neck fused together. Two years later, on April 3, 2006, Taylor underwent a three hour cervical fusion surgery in which his sixth and seventh vertebrae were joined. Following the second operation, Taylor announced his retirement from the ring.

Terry is a born-again Christian and has appeared on some of the wrestling and religion shows that Ted DiBiase produces.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Cock of the Walk (Sharpshooter)^[1]
  • Five Arm (Flying forearm smash)^[1]
  • Rooster Wing (Lifting hammerlock)^[1]
  • Sit-out gutwrench powerbomb^[2]

• Signature moves
  • Jawbreaker
  • Neckbreaker
  • Roll-through counter into a Boston crab
  • Sunset flip^[1]

• Managers
  • Bobby Heenan
  • Alexandra York
  • Eddie Gilbert
  • Stevie Wonderful

• Nicknames
  • "Scary"
  • "Terrible"
  • "Terrific" Terry Taylor
  • "The Mecca of Manhood"
  • "The Taylor Made Man"
  • "The Computerized Man of the 1990s"

Championships and accomplishments

• Border City Wrestling
  • BCW Can-Am Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Cyrus^[3]

• Central States Wrestling
  • NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bob Brown^[4]
  • NWA Central States Television Championship (1 time)^[5]

• Continental Wrestling Association
  • AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (3 times)^[6]
  • AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Steve Keirn^[7]
  • CWA International Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[8]
  • NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[9]

• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • NWA National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[10]
  • NWA National Television Championship (1 time)^[11]

• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling
  • NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[12]
  • WCW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Greg Valentine^[13]
  • WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Richard Morton and Thomas Rich^[14]

• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling¹
  • NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rick Steiner

• Mid-South Wrestling Association / Universal Wrestling Federation
  • Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[15]
  • Mid-South Television Championship (2 times)^[16]
  • UWF World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Chris Adams (1) and Jim Duggan (1)^[17]
  • UWF World Television Championship (2 times)^[18]

• NWA Music City Wrestling
  • NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[19]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #197 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
  • Rookie of the Year (1980)

• Southeastern Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (1 time)^[20]
  • NWA Southeastern Television Championship (1 time)^[21]

• World Class Wrestling Association
  • WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[22]
  • WCWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Iceman Parsons^[23]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Most Underrated (1991, 1992)
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (1991) with Steve Austin vs. P.N. News and Bobby Eaton in a Scaffold match at The Great American Bash

¹The Mid-Atlantic promotion in which Taylor and Steiner won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship is not the same promotion that was once owned by Jim Crcckett, Jr. and sold to Ted Turner in 1988. That promotion went on to be renamed World Championship Wrestling and was sold to World Wrestling Entertainment in 2001. This current promotion, however, operates within the same region as the original and uses some of the same regional championships, primarily the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight and Tag Team Championships.^[24]

References

External links

Professional wrestling portal

• An Interview with Terry Taylor, conducted by Alan Wojcik
• TNA News Update: AMW, Traci, Taylor and more