Update On Taylor Rust’s Status Amid Prolonged Absence From Pro Wrestling

Former WWE Superstar Taylor Rust has been away from the squared circle for over three years. He last wrestled at the NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed event in August 2022, joining forces with KUSHIDA, Trent Beretta, and Rocky Romero to take on Chase Owens, Hikuleo, Juice Robinson, and Jay White of The Bullet Club in a losing cause.

Since then, the 38-year-old hasn’t set foot inside the ring. In the latest edition of Fightful’s Q&A session, a curious fan asked Sean Ross Sapp about the whereabouts of Taylor Rust.

The wrestling insider revealed that Rust is “out of wrestling,” citing the toll that almost two decades of in-ring work has taken on his body. Sapp also revealed that New Japan Pro-Wrestling was very impressed with Rust when they brought him. However, the journalist added that with the company no longer having its US wing, many wrestlers aren’t being booked.

Having started his pro wrestling career in 2004, Taylor Rust made several appearances for WWE from 2008 to 2019 before finally signing a contract with the global juggernaut in December 2020. He performed as a heel for several months on NXT under the ring name Tyler Rust, alongside Tommaso Ciampa and Malcolm Bivens, before being shockingly released in August 2021.

Following his release, the 38-year-old competed several times in All Elite Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Taylor Rust.