From Rob Adonis: In July of 2008, John C. Riley & Will Ferrell starred in a truly hilarious comedy film called Step Brothers. Almost im...
In July of 2008, John C. Riley & Will Ferrell starred in a truly hilarious comedy film called Step Brothers. Almost immediately, this became one of my top “go-to movies” to watch.
Micah and I had met each other in North Carolina. Along with a host of other Georgia-based talent, we would fly into Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina to wrestle (just down the road from Duke University). Micah & I always hit it off. We almost never talked about wrestling unless it was something ridiculous that “popped” us both. He was always so fun to be around in the locker room. Micah was one of those guys who was just good at everything he did. He was a true professional’s professional.
For a few years, Micah & I lost touch. We re-connected in 2007 when the Rampage Pro Wrestling Bookers (Jason Cross & A.J. Steel) brought Micah to the Rampage roster. The day he showed up, we picked up where we left off in North Carolina. Micah was given the book at Rampage Pro in 2008.
Micah was a great booker. He paired me with Bobby Moore (who is still my partner in THE APPROVED) & manager Charlie Cash. Micah booked RPW shows at the Warner Robins Civic Center and The Macon City Auditorium for RPW. He led the company to one of its highest points. I was able to work with him behind the scenes during that year. I always thought helping him book was fun. During that time, we always had a hard time staying focused on booking & not laughing about all the dumb stuff that would surround the wrestling business. I always knew that a conversation with Micah would result in laughter.
Adrian Hawkins is the best gear maker I know. Before Adrian, Micah also made some of the best gear I have ever worn in the ring. Before Adrian started making gear, Micah was where I got all my stuff. I still have and use Micah’s gear to this day (15 years later).
When Micah and I did get serious about wrestling, there was nobody better at breaking down techniques, logic & in-ring psychology than Micah Taylor. Micah would make you better whether you wanted to get better or not. He was that good. He was a great teacher I was fortunate enough to get to learn from him for that whole year.
I am a pretty good size guy. I go about 6’5” & 275 lbs. Kyle Matthews & Todd Sexton are two of the best technical grapplers in Georgia. Todd and I have only grappled once in our lives, but Kyle has put me in more holds and tied me up in more knots than I can count. Micah was technically like a 240 lb. Todd Sexton/ Kyle Matthews… who could also pick me up and launch me across an 18 ft ring. Micah was truly an anomaly in the ring. He was strong as a bull. Wrestling with him was a 12-minute clinic that had an hour worth of knowledge packed into it.
On a side note, Micah loved to drop toe hold me and float over to a crossface submission. (Part of that crossface was a rib on another worker on the roster) I used to have a bad habit of selling with my eyes closed. It was a small detail that he would rib me about. He would lock in that crossface and wrench it back say, “Keep your eyes open kid – so you can watch yourself tap out.” I would usually say, “Bro, Do I owe you money?” He would “pop” for a second and wrench it back. I would eventually get my feet to the ropes to force him to break it. (I won’t tell you how I would pay him back later in the match…. But it would send us both to the back giggling.) Micah and I ribbed each other all the time. He was way better at it than I was. It was always in good fun and left me laughing (often laughing to the point of tears).
After Step Brothers came out, we would stop using Rob & Micah to talk to each other. He became “Nighthawk” & I became “Dragon.” I love Ricky Steamboat, and this was our favorite move and we referenced it constantly. We were forever asking if we “just became best friends,” and if “we wanted to go do karate in the garage.”
Micah decided to move on to other project at the end of 2008. Micah went to the RPW Brass and recommended me for the booker spot I was given the book at Rampage in 2009. It was the second worst booking experience I would ever have in professional wrestling. Parts of it were great, but most of it was a nightmare from which I could not wake up. I later learned that this was his best and most elaborate rib of them all. I won the GWH “Booker of the Year” for 2009. After I won that, “Nighthawk” called me and said… “Hey Dragon, is booking still fun– hahaha lol ?”
Fortunately, Micah and I stayed in touch for the next decade and a half. We got to work together on other shows from time to time, but we always kept in touch. Often, it was just a simple text that came in at random times from him that said, “You have to call me Nighthawk” or “What’s up Dragon?” I truly value my friendship with Micah more than my words can express.
He never met anybody that he wouldn’t help, and I don’t know anybody who didn’t like him. I also never saw him lie to anyone about their in-ring performance. He would tell you how to fix what was wrong, and he didn’t mince words. He did not politic himself into top spots. He let his work speak for itself. I never saw him have a bad match, and I never saw his opponent look less than stellar. He was a legit wrestler & tough guy in his own right.
Micah’s passing has hit me hard. These last several days have been rough. I have cried a lot of tears over it. He had such a positive impact on both my life and on the Pro Wrestling scene in Georgia.
… Rest in Peace “Nighthawk.”
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