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Why Terry Taylor Is Hated In The Wrestling Business, Explained

Posted: Mar 21st 2023 By: Michael Chin - TheSportster.com

Terry Taylor had a memorable career in the ring, but his work behind the scenes didn't exactly endear him to wrestling locker rooms.

Terry Taylor had a respected career in wresting, featured as one of the top stars in the Mid South and having stints working in fairly prominent roles for WWE and WCW alike in his day. In time, his work in the ring bled over to working backstage in roles as an agent who helped put matches together and coaching talents, in addition to contributing as part of the creative team in WCW in particular and stepping into other backstage roles.

Even today, Taylor notably works as trainer for WWE’s Performance Center, working with developmental talents before they make it to the main roster. For as diversified as his career has been and all his accomplishments, there’s nonetheless also no shortage of criticism for Taylor from people who once worked with him.

Eric Bischoff Criticized Terry Taylor For Talking To Dirt Sheets

Terry Taylor spent a period of years working backstage for WCW where he contributed to the creative team and served other executive functions. Eric Bischoff has spoken about Taylor’s work in these capacities in not entirely negative ways on his 83 Weeks podcast. The former head of WCW acknowledged Taylor thought outside the box and occasionally interjected important ideas to the conversation behind the scenes.

However, Bischoff has also signaled a number of times that he heavily suspected Taylor was a key source of information to Dave Meltzer and other dirt sheet writers. Bischoff has made no bones about his disrespect for Meltzer’s reporting over the years, and it appears that Bischoff came to mistrust Taylor from what he saw him being a leak to the wrestling news media.

Bruce Prichard Critiqued How Terry Taylor Handled The Red Rooster Gimmick

On his Something to Wrestle podcast, Bruce Prichard has more than once come down on Terry Taylor. The context for these conversations tends to have been co-host Conrad Thompson bringing up The Red Rooster gimmick and citing it as a particularly bad example of WWE creative, and a time when a poorly conceived gimmick really undermined the success of a talented in-ring performer.

Prichard has not accepted that the Red Rooster gimmick was to blame for Taylor’s limited success, though. On the contrary, Prichard posits that the issue was Taylor not embracing the gimmick fully enough—treating as if it were a bad gimmick and correspondingly never giving it a chance to work. While most critics seem to agree The Red Rooster gimmick had a pretty significant glass ceiling over what it might allow Taylor to accomplish, there may well be a kernel of truth to Prichard’s thoughts. After all, if the powers that be had seen Taylor giving the character his all, maybe they at least might have rewarded him with the opportunity to change over to a more appealing gimmick.

Not Everyone In Wrestling Hates Terry Taylor

Like virtually any topic in wrestling, the actual wrestlers don’t all necessarily agree in their perceptions of Terry Taylor. Disco Inferno, for one, addressed heat on Taylor in an interview with The Hannibal TV and indicated he had very positive experiences working with Taylor. Disco acknowledged that some people might have found Taylor condescending, and also referenced WCW legend Konnan referring to Taylor as a “stooge” for reporting bad behavior from the boys back to WCW management.

From Disco’s perspective, the issues that wrestlers wound up taking with Taylor stemmed less from anything wrong with how Taylor handled himself. Rather, he suggested that Taylor's heat came from the roles he had working in management positions, or often striking a balance between having a foot in each world--both an on-air talent and serving a backstage function that often came with a personal conflict of interests.

Terry Taylor has now worked for roughly a decade at the WWE Performance Center, where he at least at one point was reported to have taught the “finishing class” with Shawn Michaels for top developmental talents. That the largest wrestling company in the world would trust Taylor with such an instrumental role in shaping its future has to say something. It’s clear the former Red Rooster has a mind for the business and a good bit to offer, but it would seem a combination of personal choices, how he responded less than ideal work conditions, and positions he was in as a “player-coach” both wrestling and working with management all left him a far less than popular figure among his colleagues.

Supplemental Information

Spotlight in History

1984 Bill Dundee def. Adrian Street for the MSW Television Title
2008 The Gentlemen Thugs (Cast-Iron Cothern & Shane Morbid) def. The Old School Express (Jason Jones & Jake Boulder) for the MStW Southern Tag Team Titles
2009 Dustin Heritage def. Randy Price for the IZW Impact Division Title
2015 The Terror Squad (D Money & Montego Seeka & Marce Lewis, Nytronis A'Teo & MVP) became the IWR Tag Team Champions

Week of Sun 11-01 to Sat: 11-07

11-01 1960 Tony Jiminez & Jesse Jiminez became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champions
11-01 1981 Ted DiBiase def. Paul Orndorff for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
11-01 1982 Al Madril def. Frank Dusek for the WCCW Television Title
11-01 2008 El Hoto def. Martin Justice for the OECW Southwestern Title
11-01 2008 The New Age Syndicate (Scott Sanders & Shawn Matthews III) def. The New York Express (Jeff Knight & Thomas Knight) for the OECW Tag Team Titles
11-01 2013 Steven Sterling def. Bobby Starr for the ComPro Showtime Title
11-01 2014 Guy Atticus became the IZW Impact Division Champion
11-01 2014 Kevin James Sanchez def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Title
11-01 2019 Brock Landers def. Tego for the ASP Inter-County Title
11-01 2020 Double D became the EPW Heavyweight Champion
11-01 2020 Drake Gallows became the EPW All-American Champion
11-01 2020 Revan became the EPW Internet Television Champion
11-01 2020 The Sidekicks (Kevin James Sanchez & Gemini [2nd]) became the EPW Tag Team Champions
11-01 2020 High Times (Father Padge & Dean Lambert) def. The Sidekicks (Kevin James Sanchez & Gemini [2nd]) for the EPW Tag Team Titles
11-01 2025 Iron Mountain (Duke Blanchard & Jack Davenport) def. The Trendsetters (Andre West & Nelly Rivers) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
11-02 1978 Ray Candy def. Ernie Ladd for the TSW Arkansas Title
11-02 2002 Terry Montana def. Shadow of Death for the OCW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
11-02 2003 Ty Magnus def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
11-02 2003 John O'Malley def. Ty Magnus for the ACW Hardcore Title
11-02 2003 X-Cal def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
11-02 2003 Outcast def. X-Cal for the ACW Hardcore Title
11-02 2013 Kevin Morgan def. Drake Gallows for the IZW Impact Division Title
11-02 2013 What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) def. Team Bull (The Bronze Bull & Bobby Starr) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
11-02 2013 Miss Diss Lexia def. Erica for the IZW Queens Title
11-02 2014 Les Mayne def. Rick Russo for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
11-02 2019 Clint Poe became the EmpCW All American Champion
11-02 2019 War Party (Gorgeous Garcia & Nytronis A’Teo) def. The Saints of Pro Wrestling (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) for the EmpCW Tag Team Titles
11-02 2019 Dexter Hardaway def. Double D for the EmpCW Heavyweight Title
11-02 2019 Karnage def. Naiomi Sanders for the BPW 365 Title
11-02 2019 Unicorn def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
11-02 2019 Karnage def. Unicorn for the BPW 365 Title
11-02 2019 C. M. Burnham def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
11-02 2019 Karnage def. C. M. Burnham for the BPW 365 Title
11-02 2019 Naomi Sanders def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
11-03 2001 The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) def. The Texas Outlaws (Beau Dalton & Butch Dalton) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
11-03 2001 Splash Jackson def. Big Daddy Moore for the OPW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
11-03 2012 The Old School Suckas (Randy Price & Bryan Cruize) def. Big Business (Damon Windsor & Kevin Morgan) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
11-03 2012 Erica def. Angel Blue for the IZW Queens Title
11-03 2018 Damon Windsor def. Randy Price for the WCR Revolutionary Title
11-04 1985 Rick Rude def. King Parsons for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
11-04 1988 Kerry Von Erich def. Jerry Lawler for the WCCW World Title
11-04 2005 Beau Dalton & Bobby Dalton became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
11-05 1979 Jim Garvin & Herb Calvert def. Oki Shikina & Sugar Bear Harris for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
11-05 1980 Hector Guerrero & Ron Sexton def. Ron McFarlane & Doug Somers for the TSW Tag Team Titles
11-05 2002 Jeffrey Parker def. Li'l Joe for the ACW Hardcore Title
11-05 2004 Luc Lapointe def. Prophet for the SRPW Boys and Girls Club Title
11-05 2004 Dirty Harry Sanchez def. Beau Dalton for the SRPW Hardcore Title
11-05 2004 Beau Dalton def. Dirty Harry Sanchez for the SRPW Hardcore Title
11-05 2005 Justin Lee & Michael Faith became the TPW Tag Team Champions
11-05 2011 Michael York & Ignition became the ComPro Tag Team Champions
11-05 2011 Brandon Walker def. Steven Sterling for the ComPro Showtime Title
11-05 2011 X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & David Kyzer) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
11-05 2016 Kareem Sadat def. Dean Lambert for the EmpCW Independent Hardcore Title
11-06 1977 Dick Murdoch def. Jerry Oates for the TSW North American Title
11-06 1978 Jerry Stubbs became the TSW Mississippi Champion
11-06 1999 Joey Casanova became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
11-06 2010 Jermaine Johnson def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
11-06 2010 Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) def. Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
11-06 2021 Koko became the WAH Living Hope Champion
11-06 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Oklahoma Champion
11-06 2021 For God And Country (Pastor Brent & Cpl. Punishment) def. Most Wanted (Dan Webber, Reese, & T-Arsenal) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
11-06 2021 Danni Bee became the NCWO Women's Champion
11-06 2021 Samedi def. Tommy Dean for the CPW Heavyweight Title
11-06 2021 Ky-Ote became the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
11-06 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Heavyweight Champion
11-06 2021 Akbar Farat def. Tino Valentino for the NCWO Heavyweight Title
11-06 2022 Jason Jones def. Dimitri Alexandrov for the WFC Prime Title
11-06 2022 Leo Fox became the ASP Mid-American Champion
11-06 2022 Olivier Vegos def. Skylar Slice for the ASP Women's Title
11-06 2022 High Ratings (Maui Mike & Beau Betten) def. Chosen Influence (Malik Mayfield & Luke Richmond) for the ASP Tag Team Titles
11-06 2022 Gatekeeper def. Mr. Nasty for the ASP 5-Star Title
11-06 2022 Tino Valentino became the ASP Heavyweight Champion
11-06 2026 Ronnie Morton def. Nate Bourne for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title
11-07 1984 Bill Dundee def. Adrian Street for the MSW Television Title
11-07 2008 The Gentlemen Thugs (Cast-Iron Cothern & Shane Morbid) def. The Old School Express (Jason Jones & Jake Boulder) for the MStW Southern Tag Team Titles
11-07 2009 Dustin Heritage def. Randy Price for the IZW Impact Division Title
11-07 2015 The Terror Squad (D Money & Montego Seeka & Marce Lewis, Nytronis A'Teo & MVP) became the IWR Tag Team Champions

11-07

Keith Watkins Nov 7th Today!
King Kong Bundy Nov 7th Today!
Joey Ryan Nov 7th Today!
Faded Ghoul Nov 7th Today!
Silverado Nov 7th Today!
Dominik Whiteheart Nov 7th Today!
Nigel Rabid Nov 7th Today!
Treach Phillips, Jr. Nov 8th
Rika Wildlee Nov 8th
Austin Mulitalo Nov 8th
Dizzy Davis Nov 8th
Kolossus Nov 9th
Lance Osburn Nov 9th
Joyce Grable Nov 9th
Gil Knutson Nov 9th
Menace 2 Society Nov 9th
Jean-Claude Boudreaux Nov 9th
Nick Patrick Nov 9th
Danny Savich Nov 10th
Kinzer Keel Nov 10th
Marshall Von Erich Nov 10th
Prince Tapu Nov 10th
Bob Orton, Jr. Nov 10th
Green Dragon Nov 11th
Luigi Columbo Nov 11th
Brandon Moxley Nov 11th
Little Cloud Nov 11th
Alex Perez Nov 11th
Varik Vayne Nov 12th
Austin Tacious Nov 12th
Terrale Tempo Nov 12th
Ty Thunder Nov 12th
Brett Taylor Nov 12th
Thud Powell Nov 12th
Vickie Lynn McCoy Nov 12th
Gary Tool Nov 12th
Big Smooth Nov 13th
L. J. McDaniels Nov 13th
Kyle Kelly Nov 14th
Tiny Bell Nov 14th
Shane Sanders Nov 14th
Kirk Castle Nov 14th
Super Beast Nov 15th
Killer Cross Nov 15th
Armin Syzlack Nov 15th
Killer Cross Nov 15th
Sean Pearl Nov 15th
Brieanna Bringle Nov 16th
Drake Gallows Nov 17th
Josh Hogan Nov 17th
Snowman Nov 17th
Kenny K Nov 17th
Johnny Graves Nov 17th
Johnny Weaver Nov 17th
Kikutaro Nov 17th
Chase Bristow Nov 17th
Brent Wall Nov 17th
Chris Russo Nov 18th
Reaper Nov 18th
Everett Kibbons Nov 18th
Turnbuckle Tim Nov 19th
Ricky Gibson Nov 19th
El Matador Uno Nov 20th
Red Berry Nov 20th
Casey Platinum Nov 20th
S. L. U. G. G. Nov 20th

1984 Bill Dundee def. Adrian Street for the MSW Television Title
2008 The Gentlemen Thugs (Cast-Iron Cothern & Shane Morbid) def. The Old School Express (Jason Jones & Jake Boulder) for the MStW Southern Tag Team Titles
2009 Dustin Heritage def. Randy Price for the IZW Impact Division Title
2015 The Terror Squad (D Money & Montego Seeka & Marce Lewis, Nytronis A'Teo & MVP) became the IWR Tag Team Champions

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Bizarre Underground Wrestling

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No Pressure Champion: Duke Blanchard
918 Champion: Trench Blythe

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