The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana
Episode 284 – Dave Taylor
Release Date: January 7, 2016
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Report by Chris Davidson
Hot Topics
– Dave Taylor has a career-spanning interview with Colt Cabana.
– Dave Taylor gives his opinions on various aspects of British pro wrestling.
Timestamps
0:00 – Introduction
5:11 – Song of the Week
8:38 – Dave Taylor Interview
17:16 – Taylor talks his pedigree in wrestling
21:48 – Taylor and Colt talk British Wrestling
32:54 – Taylor talks his early career
41:41 – Taylor talks touring, WCW, and comedy matches
55:17 – Taylor and Colt wrap up their chat
1:01:10 – Colt wraps up the show
Episode Summary
0:00 – Introduction – Colt opened the show welcoming in 2016 and apologizing to any fans who ordered keychains from his website, since they are having issues being shipped from Mexico. Colt brought up being ill and taking some time off to relax before getting back on the road this weekend. Colt said he was excited to have Dave Taylor on the show because he is a locker room veteran who doesn’t lord that over other wrestlers. Colt recommended googling some of the names mentioned in the interview, as they are legends of the British wrestling scene.
5:11 – Song of the Week – The song of the week this week is “Young, Strong, and Healthy” by the German wrestlers of the CWA.
8:38 – Dave Taylor Interview – Dave Taylor opened the interview talking about his Popeye tattoo that he got at age 13. Taylor and Colt joked about regretting tattoos in and out of the ring. Taylor talked about growing up with a father that was both a farmer and a wrestler, which led to Taylor talking about castrating pigs growing up.
Colt asked what Taylor has been up to. Taylor said he hasn’t wrestled in about two-and-a-half years, since he got his hip replaced. Taylor discussed his neck and how everything done in the ring affects your neck. Taylor said that his hip replacement was hereditary, though wrestling didn’t help, and discussed with Colt how certain people need surgeries, while others do not. Colt asked if Taylor had a picture of what his life would look like today when he was younger, and Taylor joked that he had enough trouble focusing on the next day. Taylor isn’t sure if he’s retired, but said that he has been keeping busy so he doesn’t go crazy.
17:16 – Taylor talks his pedigree in wrestling – Colt jokingly asked if Taylor started wrestling at two or four-years-old. Taylor said he started training at 14 and got into the business at 18. Taylor discussed his father and grandfather as Olympic wrestlers, and his dad as a professional wrestler. Taylor went in depth about the Olympics that his grandfather participated in, and the man who “lured” his dad into professional wrestling. Taylor initially didn’t like professional wrestling since it was fake, even though it looked real and he didn’t want to be told to lose. Taylor came around on wrestling because there is no money in “fighting real.”
21:48 – Taylor and Colt talk British Wrestling – Taylor joked that his first wrestling show paid three pounds for wrestling, and four pounds for setting up the ring, which was comparable to the nine pounds he was making per week in a factory. Colt was very interested in the pay, and Taylor told him that some wrestlers made a good living, but nowhere near what Hulk Hogan and similar wrestlers made. Taylor and Colt talked about wrestlers getting over, and Taylor talked about Big Daddy as one of the few wrestlers who got a push in England. Colt brought up Les Kellett, a comedy wrestler who was a “horrible man” behind the scenes according to Taylor. Taylor told various stories of Kellett being mean to fans, his pets, and himself.
32:54 – Taylor talks early career – Taylor said that he went to Sweden and wrestled his younger brother in a circus and earned enough money to buy a sports car. Taylor mentioned that whenever anyone asks who trained him, he says no one because he learned on the road. Colt admittedly was “fanboying out” bringing up other British wrestlers. Colt asked Taylor when wrestling “clicked” for him and Taylor joked it still hadn’t. Taylor talked about an early match where he was asked if he could “do an elbow” and he had to be shown the next day what that meant, which was the first training he can remember. Colt brought up Mal Kirk, a friend of Taylor’s who died in the ring, and Taylor remembered that he broke down when he heard about Kirk’s death. Taylor talked about a tour he did in Israel, as well as what tours in Germany, Austria, and England entailed. Taylor said that Brian Dixon of All Star Wrestling never liked him, and Colt joked that he was booked by Dixon for 35 years. Taylor said he wasn’t even listed on Big Time Wrestling’s website.
41:41 – Taylor talks touring, WCW, and comedy matches – Colt asked when Taylor would work little tours if he was in Germany so much, and asked if he toured Ireland. Taylor said he didn’t work Ireland because they wanted to pay him English wages, and he considered it overseas. Colt brought up Taylor wrestling in WCW. Taylor’s first match was the World War 3 match, which Colt mentioned was the first PPV he ever bought. Taylor said he came in for a taping, did World War 3, and then he came back to America in 1996 full-time. Colt asked Taylor about a tournament he won in Germany as “Dancing” Dave Taylor, and Taylor said that wrestlers today think dancing is a new gimmick, but he did it 30 years ago. Taylor talked about various spots he would do in comedy matches which he felt put him in the good graces of American wrestlers, since he used comedy spots to help put them over. He specifically brought up Sting not knowing he was going to take a bump for him when he had him in a hold he couldn’t escape. Taylor said that some people didn’t want to do comedy spots since they were worried they would be too unrealistic. Taylor said there were not a lot of people who went to America, and he blamed Billy Robinson for giving British wrestlers a bad reputation. Colt asked about “Gentleman” Chris Adams and Taylor told a story about getting knocked out in the ring multiple times and confronting Adams about it, as well as other issues with Adams.
55:17 – Taylor and Colt wrap up their chat – Colt asked if Taylor became a goofy guy because of wrestling. Taylor joked that if he wasn’t a wrestler, he’d probably still be doing manual labor. Taylor said that wrestling makes you too wise for the world, because you see everything as a work. Taylor brought up getting attacked by a band of soccer hooligans about a year ago. Taylor said he likes talking to fans, because he doesn’t want to get a bad reputation. Taylor told Colt he’s doing a lot of seminars in England and plugged his Twitter and upcoming shows.
1:01:10 – Colt wraps up the show – Colt said he did some fact checking, and Dave Taylor is listed on Big Time Wrestling’s website, but Colt Cabana is not. Colt mentioned a book he was sent called “Working Stiff” that has some wrestling poems, stories, and art. Colt plugged his upcoming events, thanked Taylor, his sponsors, and tech help, and signed off.
OVERALL REVIEW
Score: 6.0 – Colt Cabana has a love of old wrestling and a fascination with all the colorful characters that dot the British wrestling scene over the past 50 years. While learning Dave Taylor’s opinions on a lot of wrestlers was interesting, this interview didn’t seem to focus much on Taylor’s career itself. Colt is a good interviewer, and he clearly wanted to know more and more about British wrestling as Taylor kept bringing various aspects up. For those who are fans of Taylor, or who are interested in wrestling’s history, this is a fun listen. For those who may not know Dave Taylor, or only know him as “Squire” Dave Taylor in WCW, this episode might be a little too unfocused.
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