5 things WWE should thank William Regal for
Few performers have racked up as many incredible achievements in WWE as William Regal. This is why the wrestling world was shocked - and delighted - when he showed up at AEW Revolution 2022. It was awesome, yes, but it was also strange to see him in another promotion.
Regal had been with WWE for 21 years, and it always seemed like he would be a lifer there. Which made his firing in January 2022 that much more upsetting. Letting such a great company servant go was simply hard to comprehend.
As part of WWE, William Regal won the Intercontinental Championship twice and the Tag Team and European Championships four times each. But he also achieved five incredible things, both on-screen and behind the scenes, that WWE should truly be thankful for.
#5. Being instrumental in bringing so many current Superstars to WWE
I truly can’t overstate this:
There is no chance I would be where I am today without William Regal.
I’m so grateful for his advice and guidance throughout the years.
An absolute example of what I aspire to be when my time as an active performer in the ring is done. twitter.com/RyanLoco/statu…
William Regal was integral to the success of NXT during its incredible "Black and Gold" era. During this time, he functioned as Triple H's right-hand man and was a key figure in WWE's recruitment policy. In fact, Regal held the positions of Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting.
In these roles, Regal oversaw the recruitment of a host of wrestlers from the independent scene. The list includes NXT and main roster stars stars Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, Shayna Baszler, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
That's an impressive list of Regal-spearheaded hires, whatever way you look at it, and WWE has reaped the benefits.
#4. Believing in Sasha Banks when no one else did
Forever gratefulThere would be no Sasha Banks if it wasn’t for @RealKingRegal thank you for giving me a chance and believing in me. 💙 Forever grateful
Sasha Banks is a five-time Raw Women's Champion, a one-time Smackdown and NXT Women's Champion, and a two-time Women's Tag Team Champion. She's been one of the biggest female stars in WWE for the better part of a decade. And yet, without William Regal, she might not have even been hired!
In 2021, Regal spoke to The Daily Star in his native UK and revealed that he saw something in Banks when no one else did. He said:
“She was the first person I went to bat for to hire, because the people who were doing the job that I do now wouldn’t even give her the time of day.
William Regal was so impressed by Banks, in fact, that he put his own job on the line to convince WWE to bring her into the fold. As incredible as it sounds, he admitted:
“When it came to me getting this job… I went to them [about Sasha] and said ‘look, if this doesn’t work out, you can fire me.’
Thankfully, it all worked out for the best for Regal and Banks.
#3. Nailing the on-screen authority figure role
On top of being a genuinely brilliant technical wrestler, William Regal has always been gifted on the mic. He is as capable of conveying menace as he is at making an audience laugh, and is superb at portraying authority in a realistic, non-exaggerated way.
Regal put all of these talents to use during his stints as Raw Commissioner in 2000/01 and NXT General Manager from 2014 to 2016. Commissioner Regal was mainly played for laughs, with the snooty heel constantly winding up the butt of the joke. He even had a comedy sidekick in Tajiri!
But when he began playing the authority figure role again in NXT over a decade later, things were different. This version of Regal was a straight-down-the-middle, morally upright boss who did what was best for the brand. He wasn't a heel and he wasn't a face, but he was someone you didn't want to mess with.
Regal's ability to nail such different authority figure roles will always be something WWE should be thankful for.
#2. Showing WWE he had what it took to be a main event talent
Speaking of authority figure roles, William Regal also had a memorable run as Raw General Manager in 2007/08. During this period, he feuded with Triple H and showed the company that he had what it took to be pushed to the main event.
In 2008 he won the King of the Ring tournament, having used his power as GM to stack the deck in his favor. He even defeated CM Punk in the finals, becoming the first superstar to make Punk tap out on WWE TV.
The future seemed bright, but it would all come crashing down within a week. Sadly, he violated WWE's wellness policy for the second time and was suspended for 60 days. By the time he returned, he had an Intercontinental title run, but the potential for a world championship push had gone.
Still, what this run did was prove to WWE that, if they needed it, Regal could be put into main event level programs. He never looked out of place and always excelled in whatever they gave him, and this is undoubtedly something WWE should be thankful for.
#1. William Regal stayed a classy company man to the end
Thank you to @WWE for a wonderful 21 year run. You gave a lad who was happy and in wonderland wrestling on a carnival have a charmed life for 21 years. No complaints and please no one waste time replying as I won’t have a bad work said against the company.x
Usually when someone is let go from WWE, there is a blast of sour grapes at some point. Whether it's in the form of a tell-all podcast or a pithy comment during a promo for their new company, wrestlers tend to throw shade at the promotion in some way.
This wasn't the case for William Regal, though. For instance, his tweet immediately upon being fired was the very definition of class. It read:
“Thank you to @WWE for a wonderful 21 year run. You gave a lad who was happy and in wonderland wrestling on a carnival have a charmed life for 21 years. No complaints and please no one waste time replying as I won’t have a bad work said against the company.”
In a second tweet, Regal added:
“I will add that @WWE saved my life in 1999 when they didn’t need to, kept my family fed and took me all around the world. You have my gratitude forever. You allowed me to live a charmed life.”
There's something to be said for refusing to burn bridges - after all, it means William Regal has an easier path in returning to the company someday.
But it also truly seems like his overriding feeling upon leaving was gratitude. He came across as an ambassador for WWE, even in negative circumstances, and the company should be thankful for that.