WWE News: William Regal on scouting new talent for NXT, his match with Antonio Inoki and more
What’s the story?
NXT General Manager William Regal was recently a guest on former WWE superstar X-Pac’s podcast. During the interview, Waltman and Regal discussed various topics such as Regal scouting talent from all around the indy scene. They also discussed about Regal lacing up his boots for a match, as well as being choked out by Antonio Inoki.
In case you didn’t know…
William Regal is a former WWE and WCW superstar and the current general manager of WWE’s developmental territory, NXT. Regal was an in-ring performer till late 2013 and his last match was against Antonio Cesaro on an episode of NXT.
In 2014, Regal was removed from his commentary role in NXT and was appointed as the GM of the brand. Since then, Regal has recruited new talents for NXT, from the independent circuit and also from other major wrestling promotions.
The former WCW Television champion also became a trainer at the WWE Performance Center, after the death of Dusty Rhodes.
The heart of the matter
Regal was a special guest on the recent episode of Sean Waltman’s X-Pac 1, 2, 360 podcast.
During the interview, Waltman asked Regal what it is like to recruit new talent for the NXT brand, to which Regal said that the main goal is to make sure that the audience is happy. Regal said that one of the main reasons why he scouts talent from all around the globe is to keep the fans happy.
The former Intercontinental champion also noted that another major reason is to make sure that they are able to connect with the audience. He says that if the company’s product isn’t connecting with the fans, then there needs to be a major change in the product itself and if one is not able to do so, then he does not fit with the company
Regal was then asked if he can still lace up his boots and get into the ring for one more match, to which he responded in the negative. Regal believes that his time inside the ring is over for good and will not be getting back into the ring for any more matches.
"No. Where I wanted to get to and everything I tried to get to. I was doing it on my last run in ECW. The style and the things I was doing with CM Punk for the IC title," said Regal.
Regal also spoke about his match against Antonio Inoki in 1994 and said that the match went according to plan and Inoki wanted him to tap, but Regal refused to do so because he thought that it would increase the element and storytelling of the match if he didn’t tap out.
Regal claimed that once the choke was locked in by Inoki, it was over real quick and he was out before he knew it. He also claimed that he was very fortunate that the staff in the arena were there to lift him up once he went unconscious. Regal admitted that he was one of the few with the British style that was still a big thing in Japan, and it was a big achievement and was a huge honour for him to face someone who once fought against the legendary Muhammed Ali.
"I was very happy and honored. At the end of the day, who at my age can say that they fought somebody that fought Muhammad Ali," Regal added.
What’s next?
As for William Regal, he continues to do his job as the General Manager of NXT and has also been helping out superstars backstage. Working alongside Triple H and others, he has been helping NXT to get to the next level, as well as help the new signings in the Performance Centre.
Author’s take
In my opinion, Regal has been doing a tremendous job as the GM of NXT, and as a scout for NXT. We have already seen him at various Indy shows such as PWG and Evolve over the past few months.