William Regal on a WWE scouting trip in 2000 where he met many of today's top stars
Former WWE Superstar and talent scout William Regal recently reflected on a scouting trip he made in 2000. The veteran met many young performers during the seminar, who would go on to become some of the industry's biggest names.
In 2000, WWE sent Regal to the independent wrestling promotion UPW (Ultimate Pro Wrestling) to scout some of the company's top stars. UPW has played host to a plethora of talent over the years, including the likes of John Cena, The Miz, and Christopher Daniels.
Speaking to Renee Paquette on The Sessions, Regal listed off the many young stars he encountered during his scouting at UPW. He mentioned some former world champions, including Bryan Danielson, John Cena, Samoa Joe, and others.
"In March 2000, WWE sent me over to California for a three-day seminar with the UPW people. So I met, at the same time as meeting Bryan (Danielson), I met John Cena, Samoa Joe, Chris Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Victoria, all these people that were there."
Pretty cool seeing John Cena and Samoa Joe go at it at #SurvivorSeries. They trained together at UPW in 2000. https://t.co/SNbtS0Rl3h
Regal later added how many young stars in the industry started to become aware of his eye for talent as they began to ask him for spots in WWE's weekly programming.
"All these younger wrestlers started. If they were extras for WWE, or even if not, they were somehow getting a hold of me and asking me to watch their stuff." (H/T WrestlingNewsCo)
With vast experience in the wrestling business under his belt, William Regal is a veteran of the industry, not just as an in-ring performer but as a talent scout too.
William Regal praised WWE following his release
After spending over two decades with the company, the Blackpool native was released from WWE on January 5th, 2022.
Regal took on many roles during his time in WWE, from superstar to general manager of both Monday Night RAW and NXT. He was also the head scout and trainer for the next generation of WWE Superstars.
The former Intercontinental Champion took to Twitter to thank WWE for changing his life after his release.
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
Despite his WWE departure, William is still involved in the wrestling business after making his debut for AEW in March 2022 at the Revolution pay-per-view. The veteran is now part of an incredibly violent stable known as 'The Blackpool Combat Club.'