Chuck Taylor Has a Bum Shoulder

Taylor's shoulder has an ouchie-spot
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Chuck Taylor has been the subject of WWE developmental contract signing rumors. His name has been associated with the leaks of people who have been offered contracts, he's deleted all his tweets, and his "retirement tour" feels like a cover for him moving onto something bigger. On the counter, he and nearly everyone close to him in the business have vehemently denied his signing with the company. On the latest Best Friends video shoot, featuring Rocky Romero, Taylor divulged his contract status. The below news was transcribed by the intrepid @DeathToAllMarks:

Dustin says the Fed told him during his tryout that if they were to sign him, he would need to get shoulder surgery.

— DTAM (@DeathToAllMarks) September 14, 2015

So as of right now, Taylor is being held out of a WWE contract because of health reasons, or at least he's letting on that it's a condition of his employment. One might think that if WWE really wanted Taylor aboard, it would pay for said shoulder surgery, especially since indie wrestlers don't make a ton of money and can't readily afford things like "surgery" or "health insurance." This also would not be the first time WWE has withheld a contract or terminated one early because of health concerns. Nigel McGuinness and Willie Mack are both wrestlers who had deals in place that were rescinded for medical reasons.

However, I'm not ready to confirm anything, because the hiring process WWE goes through has become more and more secretive over the years. Perhaps Taylor will get his surgery paid for by WWE and make a delayed debut at the Performance Center. Maybe he really is retiring. Maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt and throw poop at the next Republican primary presidential debate. Who the heck knows. Either way, it's a bummer that Taylor's shoulder is messed up to the point of needing surgery, and no matter what happens with his career, here's to a full and speedy recovery.