AEW recently made an announcement that one of their AEW originals, Chuck Taylor, would possibly be retiring from in-ring competition. This came as a surprise to the AEW audience and fans of the Best Friends stable as it seemed very sudden. Prior to his match against Trent Beretta on AEW Rampage in April in a Parking Lot Fight he had been forced to choose between his best friends, leading to him attacking Beretta and requesting the match. In the end, Beretta came out on top, solidifying his heel turn on his friends.ย
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“Man, I feel good. I mean, I’m beat to sh-t, but this is the best I’ve felt in years. Chuck Taylor’s career is over. He needs surgery. He’s never gonna wrestle again,” Beretta said following the match in an AEW digital exclusive. “You want me to feel sorry? Sorry that the guy that rode my coattails, coasted by on my coattails for ten years is done? Chuck hasn’t had his head in the game for a long time now. So I took him out of the game, and I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry. Orange Cassidy, it’s your turn now.”
It was then revealed by Orange Cassidy that Taylor’s injuries that he’s currently sidelined with may make it to where he will “never wrestle again.” At the time of that match, he was well aware of the extent of his injuries according to Fightful Select. Taylor reportedly wanted the match as it could very well be his last, but even if he is forced to retire, Sean Ross Sapp has learned that Taylor has been training as a coach/producer for a number of months. Taylor has been dealing with a foot injury that took place last August at AEW All In‘s Stadium Stampede match. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter also noted that on the May 8 edition of AEW Dynamite, Excalibur revealed on commentary that due to the nature of the fracture and the presence of necrosis of the bone, the fragments are now underneath the cartilage.ย
Before that singles match against Beretta, Taylor hadn’t competed in AEW since last October when he teamed with Beretta and the Hardys against Angelo Parker, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager and Matt Menard. Taylor is regarded as an “AEW Original” as he’s been part of the promotion since its early days.ย
He competed at AEW Double or Nothing 2019 with Beretta and the both of them quickly helped kickstart an abundant tag team division. Though they never won a set of tag team championships in AEW, they certainly challenged for them many times and became a team that fans really rallied around. Taylor has been wrestling for over two decades, competing in companies like Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling and TNA/IMPACT.
Comicbook sends its well wishes to Taylor.ย
