Profilin': Chuck Taylor

“The Kentucky Gentleman” Chuck Taylor is a well-traveled independent star, logging considerable time in Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Dragon Gate USA, and Evolve.  In fact, Taylor’s been working his way up the indy scene for so long, it’s easy to forget that he’s still just 25 years old.  The man once billed as hailing from Raccoon City began his training when he was just 15, was wrestling professionally before his 18th birthday, and competed in one of wrestling’s most prestigious tournaments at just 20 years old.

Part of Taylor’s allure is his sense of humor.  As you could probably deduce by his choice of fictional hometowns, the often sleazy Chuck Taylor doesn’t take himself too seriously.  He’s been a part of tag teams such as F.I.S.T. (Friends in Similar Tights) and Men of Low Moral Fiber.  His trademark maneuvers include breaking his opponent’s face with his foot in a move that’s aptly titled Sole Food and an unbelievable piledriver variation that he calls the Awful Waffle.  The dude’s hilarious, and he’s a good performer to boot.  He also utilizes a nasty modified Boston Crab, some very entertaining elbow drops, and a straitjacket headscissors submission.  If you’re still not sold on his radness, know this: Chuck Taylor makes his way to the ring to the sounds of Polaris’ Hey Sandy, most famously recognized as the opening theme from Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete.

Smooth Chucky T is one of Chikara’s most celebrated contestants, having won three of their major tournaments, and has also been bestowed honors by Evolve and held titles in CZW & IWA Mid-South.  He even shares a dubious distinction with Harvey Wippleman, having reigned as a recognized women’s champion. 

Taylor’s first taste of national spotlight came in 2006 as part of Chikara’s Young Lions Cup IV Tournament.  Although he fell short of winning the event, he made quite an impression on the crowd and the locker room, earning a spot in the Kings of Wrestling stable.  Along with Icarus and Gran Akuma, Taylor comprised the F.I.S.T. sub-stable, which eventually broke away from the rest of the Kings.  In the Spring of 2007, less than a year after his debut, Chuck Taylor entered Chikara’s first ever Rey de Voladores tournament, ultimately winning by defeating Lince Dorado in the finals.  That same year, he entered the Young Lions Cup tournament for a second time, a luxury many wrestlers don’t have because of the age qualifier required to participate.  This time around, Chuck Taylor won the prized Cup, last defeating Riccochet.  Taylor and his fellow Friends in Similar Tights have also competed together in the King of Trios Tournament in each of the last five years, winning the event in 2009 with a win over Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Squire David Taylor.

On the West Coast, as part of Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Chuck Taylor engaged El Generico in a feud with one of the most ridiculous(ly awesome) premises I’ve ever heard.  Generico sought to achieve his lifelong dream of opening an orphanage, Los Angelitos de El Generico.  Standing in his way was Chuck Taylor, who possessed an intense hatred of orphans.  This led to an alliance between Taylor and fellow orphan-hater Kenny Omega, and the resulting team was appropriately named Men of Low Moral Fiber.  Later, after Omega went on to win the PWG Championship, Taylor found a new tag team partner in the form of Human Tornado.  The duo became known as 2 Skinny Black Guys of Low Moral Fiber.  After Tornado’s sudden retirement, Raccoon City’s Favorite Son teamed with his longtime enemy El Generico.  Naturally, the pairing retained the tag team name of 2 Skinny Black Guys of Low Moral Fiber, despite neither one of them fitting the bill.

In Evolve, Chuck Taylor amassed quite a winning streak for himself before being defeated by Mike Quackenbush eight months into his tenure.  The loss was not enough, however, to prevent him from being named both the company’s Breakout Star and the MVP of 2010.  Meanwhile, in Dragon Gate USA, Taylor was impressive enough to garner an invitation to CIMA‘s Warriors International stable.  Instead of accepting, Taylor started his own stable alongside F.I.S.T. partner Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann, collectively known as Ronin.  The trio have since toured Japan as part of the original Dragon Gate promotion.  Today, if you wish to see the Kentucky Gentleman compete, you can take your pick of shows to attend.  He still wrestles in all of the aforementioned promotions, and he’s still an All Star.  Oh, and making little kids cry is part of his schtick.

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