Ryan Taylor

Russell Gene Taylor (January 26, 1987) is an American professional wrestler previously signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its NXT brand under the ring name Tyler Rust. Before signing with WWE he was known by the ring names of Ryan Taylor, Russ Taylor and Rust Taylor.
==Professional wrestling career==
===Empire Wrestling Federation===
====Debut; Cruiserweight Champion (2004-2007)====
At 16 years old he began training at the EWF's training school, Jesse Hernandez's School of Hard Knocks and had his match for the EWF on March 27, 2004. Taylor wrestled to gain experience and won the 2004 Rookie of the year award in the company. In the spring of 2006 Taylor had his first feud with Joey Harder and after a series of hard matches, Taylor won the EWF Cruiserweight Championship on June 9, 2006. Taylor also won the 2006 Most Improved Award, becoming the first recipient of it. Taylor's reign as the Cruiserweight Champion lasted for 399 days until ending on July 13, 2007 when Markus Riot defeated Taylor in a Best of 3 Falls match to win the EWF Cruiserweight Championship. Ryan won back the EWF Cruiserweight Championship by ending Markous Riot's reign after only 22 days. At EFW's Meltdown, Taylor forced Riot to submit to win back the title. Taylor's second reign as the EWF Cruiserweight Champion only 77 days until October 10, 2007 when Maximo defeated Ryan Taylor to win the EWF Cruiserweight Championship. In November, Ryan Taylor competed in the EWF's Inland Title Series Tournament against J.T. Blackstar, Scorpio Sky, and Brandon Gatson. He placed third with a final score of 1-2-0. Taylor also won the 2007 Match of the Year Award for his match against Marcus Riot at the Covina Classic on June 9.
====The KOS (2008-2009)====
In the early part of 2008 Taylor formed a stable known as the KOS alongside Mondo Vega and Hook Bomberry. On August 23, 2008 in San Bernardino, California, Taylor defeated Vizzion in the main event at Flirting With Disaster for the EWF American Championship and had new female wrestler Aiden Riley join the KOS as well. The KOS then feuded with TJ Perkins and Liger Rivera until the end of the year in a very intense feud that not only won the Feud of the Year 2008 Award but Taylor would win the Match of the Year 2008 Award for his Belt on a Pole match against Perkins in which Taylor would win the NWA Heritage Championship from Perkins. Taylor also wrestled the main event of the first ever So-cal supershow featuring the combined companies of EWF and AWS against TJ Perkins and Scott Lost in a triple threat match for the AWS Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Championships and Taylor's NWA Heritage Championship, in which Taylor retained his title. Taylor held and defended both the EWF American Championship and the NWA Heritage Championship in the early parts of 2009 until losing the Heritage title to Oliver John in a Fatal 4-way match at the main event of the Cauliflower Ally Club Show after pinning Chris Hero and he lost the American title to Liger Rivera at the EWF's 14th Anniversary Show.
====EWF Heavyweight Championship (2009-2011)====
On October 30, 2009, after returning from Japan and being set on climbing the EWF to the top, Taylor defeated Brandon Gatson to win the EWF Heavyweight Championship. Taylor began to feud with his former stable the KOS in late 2009 and the early parts of 2010, ultimately ending with a Street Fight between Taylor and Mondo Vega, that ended the KOS as Taylor prevailed. During his 567 reign as EWF Heavyweight Champion, he would successfully defended his title 25 times against some of the independents top talent including Human Tornado and Scorpio Sky as well as EWF talent such as Extreme Loco, HJ Starr, Liger Rivera, Mike Mountain, Roger Ruiz, Shaun Ricker, SoCal Crazy and Terex. On May 20, 2011 Taylor lost the EWF Heavyweight Championship to Johnny Starr. However, several weeks later on August 12, he would regain the championship, only to lose it 21 days later to Shaun Ricker. Taylor participated in Inland Title Series Tournament in November and made it to the finals but lost to Jeremy Jaeger.
===Championship Wrestling from Hollywood (2008-2020)===
Taylor made his debut for NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood on December 21, 2008, defeating Jay Streets. During the early years of the promotion, Taylor was used sporadically but that would change in 2011 when he would become a regular competitor. Taylor began feuding with Peter Avalon in April and would continue throughout the year and into 2012. Avalon initially had the upper hand winning two out of two matches, however, Taylor's fortunes would change on July 10 when he defeated Avalon in a six-man tag team hair vs. hair match where Avalon and Taylor's hair were on the line. Avalon would bounce back by defeating Taylor in a number one contender match and an "anything goes" match. The feud culminated on February 12, 2012, when Taylor defeated Avalon once and for all in a steel cage match.
With this win, Taylor would go on to challenge Scorpio Sky for the NWA Hollywood Television Championship in April but lost. He would move onto the Percy Pringle III Cup where on the way to the finals, he defeated Peter Avalon once again. The finals took place on July 22, where Taylor would win the tournament by defeating Shaun Ricker and guaranteeing a shot at the CWFH Heritage Heavyweight Championship. After winning the tournament, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood split from NWA and would subsequently change the name of their championships so the CWFH Heritage Heavyweight Championship became the Hollywood Heritage Championship. In the beginning of 2013, Taylor defeated Tyler Cintron in a qualifying match for the Red Carpet Rumble. This match took place on May 5, where Shaun Ricker would win the match and the Hollywood Heritage Championship. Straight after the match however, Taylor cashed in his Percy Pringle III Cup title shot and lost.
===Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2009-2012)===
On November 20, 2009, Taylor made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut at the first night of the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles, where he teamed with Malachi Jackson in a losing effort against the Cutler Brothers (Brandon and Dustin Cutler). Taylor continued to perform on every PWG show since, including having a standout and stellar match against Brandon Gatson at Titannica and teaming with Roderick Strong at the DDT4 tournament in May 2010, where they were eliminated in the first round by the Cutler Brothers. On September 4 Taylor entered the 2010 Battle of Los Angeles, but was eliminated in the first round by Brandon Gatson. The following day Taylor formed a new alliance with Chuck Taylor and Brian Cage (who would adopt the ring name Brian Cage-Taylor), called the Fightin' Taylor Boys. In the early portion of 2011, Fightin' Taylor Boys lost a number one conders corners match and partook in the Joey Ryan invatational and lost. The Fightin' Taylor Boys lost to the RockNES Monsters in the first round of the 2012 DDT4.
===World Wrestling Entertainment (2019-2021)===
On the June 17 episode of RAW, as Russ Taylor, he teamed with wrestler Gustin Uberstud as Randy Taylor in a tag team squash match won by The Viking Raiders.
==In wrestling==
*Finishers and signature moves
:*Gaia Lock (modified headscissors armbar)
:*Multiple kick variations
:**Roundhouse
:**Super
:**Switchblade
:*Split-Legged Moonsault
*Nicknames
:*"The SoCal Kid"
:*"The King of Submissions"
*Tag teams and stables
:*A-List with - Roger Ruiz
:*Fallen Empire with - Mondo Vega
:*KOS with - Hook Bomberry
:*Perfectly Rude with - Brandon Gatson
:*Soul Burners with - Tomaste
:*Faction with - JT Allen, George Michael, Erik Baeden, Dustin Snyder, Tommy Wilson, Mary Jane Payne, Jonas Albert Robinson & Mike Santiago
:*Fightin' Taylor Boys with - Brian Cage-Taylor & Chuck Taylor
:*Vermin with - Johnny Yuma, Johnny Goodtime, Nick Madrid & Tito Escondido
*Wrestlers trained
:*Allie Parker
:*Country Bear
==Championships and accomplishments==
*Championship Wrestling From Hollywood
:*CWFH Heritage Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
:*CWFH Heritage Tag Team Championship (1 time) with - Joey Ryan
:*UWN Tag Team Championship (1 time) with - Tomaste
:*UWN Television Championship (2 times)
:*Percy Pringle III Cup (2012)
*Empire Wrestling Federation
:*EWF Heavyweight Championship (2 time)
:*EWF American Championship (1 time)
:*EWF Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
:*EWF Tag Team Championship (3 times) with - Mondo Vega
:*Great Goliath Battle Royal (2008)
:*Wrestler of the Year (2008)
:*Match of the Year (2008)
:*Match of the Year (2007)
:*Most Improved Wrestler (2006)
:*Rookie of the Year (2004)
*Millennium Pro Wrestling
:*MPW World Championship (1 time, current)
:*MPW World Title Tournament (2010)
*West Coast Wrestling Connection
:*WCWC Pacific Northwest Championship (1 time)
==External links==
*Profile
Category:1987 births
Category:2004 debuts
Category:American wrestlers
Category:California wrestlers
Category:Millennium Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:West Coast Wrestling Connection alumni
Category:NWA Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Pro Wrestling Guerrilla alumni
Category:Empire Wrestling Federation alumni
Category:Championship Wrestling from Hollywood alumni
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