Wrestling with A Dream

From Morrowville and Fairbury to around the U.S. Miller Embarks on a Path to Wrestling Greatness Taybor Miller sits drenched in sweat in a makeshift locker room at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. The adrenaline is starting to wear off and the welt on his forehead begins to throb. The multiple handprints across his chest, still a bright red, begins to sting, sensitive to the touch.Miller looks down at a championship title, blue leather strap and a gold plate that reads, “National Welterweight Champion.” Despite the wincing pain beginning to set in on his body, the 27-year-old Kansas native can’t keep a smile off his face.It is Sept. 9, 2023 and it’s the culmination of a multi-year path converging to this moment, a victory over his arch nemesis, Alan Lyric, for the coveted title belt, which has a history going back nearly 100 years.There have been several bumps physically and mentally through this journey, but grasping the title belt has flattened that road out for Miller and set him forward on a new adventure.“It is a surreal moment,” Miller says of his championship victory. “After all the roads I have been on, to now have this championship. I know I will be ready for the next challenge when that comes. I know how hard I worked to get this championship and to keep it, I will have to work just as, or even, harder.”The bout between Lyric and Miller has been a hot topic in the independent wrestling scene since earlier in the summer. Traditional American Pro Wrestling (TAPW) hosted a bout for the title in Junction City, Kansas on July 8. Both competitors were even throughout the bout and obeying the rules, when Lyric used the ropes for leverage to pin Miller.Undaunted, Miller petitioned TAPW officials for another chance at the title. Several communities throughout the United States placed bids to host the rematch due to the controversy. After a groundswell of support through a grassroots online campaign convinced TAPW officials, Miller’s residence of Fairbury won out.Leading up to the bout, Miller was consulted by Mr. Fitness 2, a longtime legend in the professional wrestling scene. In fact, Fitness 2 even applied to the TAPW board of directors for a one-night referee license.“I knew Alan was up to something. Look, if he’ll cheat to win the belt, I just knew he’d cheat to retain that belt,” Mr. Fitness 2 said after the bout.During the bout, Lyric attempted to leave the arena, taking a tainted count-out victory to retain his title. However, Mr. Fitness 2 stopped him dead in his tracks and revealed he was the special referee for the bout.Even this bout, however, ended in controversy as Lyric attempted to use the ropes for an advantage, which was caught by Fitness 2, and a shouting match ensued. Lyric pushed Fitness 2, who reciprocated and pushed Lyric back, right into the arms of Miller, who rolled Lyric up for the pinfall.Lyric and his supporters have vehemently petitioned TAPW officials for several unfair advantages in Miller’s favor, from the choice of venue to the granting of a referee license for Mr. Fitness 2.“How many more advantages can this guy have? His hometown was chosen to host the bout, they gave someone who is not regularly an official a license to ref the bout, they might as well have just handed him the belt,” Lyric was quoted as saying after the match.Miller was confident no matter the situation, he was going to persevere in the end.“Although I was endorsed by Mr. Fitness 2, I think that only has merits to what I have done before and does not interfere in the match. In the match, I beat him clean, one, two, three and at the end of the day, that is all that matters,” Miller explained.Two of those ardent supporters are his parents, mom Shari Weber of Washington, Kansas and father Ed Miller of Morrowville, Kansas.“My parents have said it has been a joy seeing all of this, because, although they believed I could do this, they just could not see how it could all become a reality,” Miller said. “My siblings have heard me talk about this my whole life and are enjoying the ride as much as I am. This is a dream but I am making it my reality every chance I get.”The road to the championship started for Miller at the age of 10 with a chance encounter of walking through his living room. The Morrowville, Kansas native was passing through his living room when his father, Ed Miller, stopped on WWE program, “Monday Night Raw.”Miller remembers seeing Triple H and John Cena wrestle a wild battle. With the hair standing up on his arms, Miller turned to his father and declared he wanted to be a professional wrestler.“I remember distinctly he said if I wanted to be a wrestler, I had things to learn. He ‘whoo’d’ at me like Ric Flair. I asked what he was doing and he said, ‘You need to know the Nature Boy.’”Miller began studying as much ‘classic’ professional wrestling as he could from that point forward.“I saw the passion and energy from the crowd and if I ever had the chance to be the center of that, I am going to make sure it is a night to remember,” Miller said.“Since I was 10-years-old, I have told myself I was going to be in this sport,” Miller said. “At some point, friends and family have told me to think realistically, but when they see the drive I have, they tell me to keep at it.”At the age of 22, Miller started training to become a professional wrestler in Kansas City while finishing college at Emporia State University.Miller, currently sports editor for the Fairbury Journal-News, has traveled all over the Midwest and beyond in his pro career, from Chicago to Minnesota, Arkansas, Kansas and Nebraska.“This path has led me all over the country and eventually the path took me home to Fairbury to win a championship in front of my friends and family,” Miller said.The path to becoming a wrestler, and champion, has been paved with hard work by Miller and he’s had some help along the way.“Mr. Fitness 2 has been a huge help to me, as well as the late Jaysin Strife (professional wrestler who passed away from a prolonged illness on December 29, 2022).Without the help of fellow wrestler and Fairbury native, the ‘Irish Assassin’ Ryan Monroe, Miller said, “I don’t get in the door at all.”“Without my brother-in-law Blake, I don’t meet Ryan (Monroe), so I don’t know if any of this is possible. There have been so many people that have helped me along the way,” Miller said.The day of the bout, Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer Austin Storm visited Miller, sharing some insight and tips from his 25 year career.“Meeting Mr. Storm grounded me and gave me the perspective of what opportunity was ahead of me,” Miller remembered. “His lessons simplified how much of a challenge I had to go through that night. I understood all of the pressure that was on me and he made sure my fundamentals and the little things I could do in the bout, where in the front of my mind, and they were.”Being able to share a ring with a Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer paid dividends for Miller going forward.“He broke things down to another level I had never experienced,” Miller recalled. “His teachings are something I will carry with me the rest of my career.”Miller goes by ‘Timeless’ Taybor Miller because of the confidence in his ability to awe a crowd.“You can experience certain things in life and those things are timeless,” Miller explained. “Anytime you watch a match of mine, you will get lost in time, you will enjoy the moments right in front of you and be entertained like you never thought. You will look at me and say, ‘He is timeless.’”

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