Part 7: An interview with one of wrestling’s elite

Hello and welcome back to Public Kayfabe, your one-stop shop on how to land and execute top interviews with wrestling’s elite!  We have a special treat for you, as Public Kayfabe sat down with one of wrestling’s elite free agents, for an on-record interview! 

WWE Hall of Famer and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development (left) and Taylor in Orlando, Florida, in 2020. | Photo courtesy of: Russell Taylor

Russell Taylor, otherwise known as Ryan and Rust Taylor is a former NXT superstar and 15-year professional wrestling veteran.  Dubbed as the “earthly grappler” Taylor is a southern California native and has been mesmerizing audiences long before his star-making debut performance on NXT in December 2020.

Taylor featured as part of the original lineup of the NXT stable, the “Diamond Mine”. Members from back to front : Taylor (back left) , Hideki Suzuki (back right), Roderick Strong (center) and Malcolm Bivens (front right). Orlando, Florida – June 2021 | Photo courtesy of: Russell Taylor

At its core, professional wrestling is cyclical in nature.  Every decade witnesses a popularity boom where the business has a spike in global notoriety.  The 1980’s saw Hulkamania, the 1990’s had the Attitude Era, while the early 2000’s saw John Cena begin his ascension to main event status.  The 2010’s pro-wrestling shift saw independent promotions begin to boom in popularity, and companies like Ring of Honor and southern California’s Pro Wrestling Guerilla (PWG) taking center stage, showcasing a product not seen with WWE.

A promotion shot, advertising Taylor and Strong, representing “Diamond Mine” (right) against Bobby Fish (far left) and Kushida tag-team match, on NXT episode #: 464. | Photo courtesy of: Russell Taylor

“Talent could run a little faster and hit a little harder than what you see in WWE,” Taylor said.  Throughout the “independent wrestling boom”, various options outside of the “big time” began to present themselves globally, for pro-wrestlers.  Taylor continued and said, “there was a life outside of WWE where you could make a living without them.”  Throughout the decade, independent talent found themselves in a WWE ring, with prestigious contracts once solely attainable by a collegiate type, muscle bound non-wrestling athlete.  One who fit a certain physical aesthetic, and who could be molded into a wrestler rather than being one naturally.  With the odds stacked against him, Taylor persevered, working relentlessly while gaining global recognition from audiences in Japan, Mexico and Germany.  Standing amongst his peers with natural talent and exceptional work ethic, he landed one of those prestigious spots on the NXT roster.  Despite Taylor only being with WWE a year, he marks it as an incredibly fulfilling experience, and hopes to pass down his knowledge to the next generation.  Currently working with ROH for their final 2021 engagements, Taylor is optimistic about anything that comes his way.  Noting that “so long as you keep focused on your craft, everything will fall into place.”  That’s a wrap on part seven, folks!  Stay tuned as we roll into our main event, and final installment of the eight-part series, next week!

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