Did You Know CNM Has a National Wresting Champion?
If you just knew Sale Taylor as a wrestler, you might think he was a jerk. Fighting under the name “4Sale” he's a trash-talking menace inside the ring. But as soon as Sale steps out, he goes back to being one of CNM’s friendliest faces.
His history with the sport goes back a long time. Family members have wrestled professionally for decades, and wrestling with cousins is a core memory from his youth. After he decided to wrestle professionally, Sale went all in, studying a wide variety of techniques including Muay Thai and Greco-Roman.
“4Sale is the biggest heel in the ring, and doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him,” he says. “This is the total opposite of what I’m like in my everyday life, so this persona is my opportunity to explore a really unique and fun storyline.”
Last fall, after coming out of a mid-career retirement, Sale won the regional championship for Duke City Championship Wrestling (DCCW), a chapter of the National Wrestling Alliance. It was a notch in his belt, but also a big win for New Mexico.
“Part of being the champion is understanding that this title means something beyond yourself, and it is my honor to represent DCCW, CNM, and New Mexico in this way,” he says.
Sale is busy outside the ring as well. You can see him in hit shows like “Pluribus” and “Matlock,” and he’s constantly auditioning for new parts. His band, also called “4Sale,” performs around Albuquerque and he’s a wizard on the piano.
At CNM, Sale brings the same passion and energy he does to all his other pursuits. He’s the Executive Assistant to the Office of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness, where he plans and coordinates important cultural events across the college. You’ll see him at nearly every campus event, where he’s either helping or hosting. Most of CNM got a glimpse of Sale’s talents when he hosted last year’s Convocation, where he kept the crowd pumped and laughing the entire time.
Watching Sale entertain a crowd, work in front of the camera, and constantly find ways to improve his community, it would be easy to label him CNM’s ambassador of exceptionalism. But if you tell him that, he’d say he’s a small part of a larger movement.
“Be Exceptional is the value that comes through when you’ve lived out CNM’s other core values; Be Caring, Be Kind, Be Ethical, Be Connected, Be Inspiring,” he says. “Exceptional work is not something I can produce on my own; it can only be accomplished by the help of those around me and their willingness to be caring or ethical or connected as well. If I am exceptional, it is only because the people around me have given me the time and space to do so.”