So why not Regal?

[Trill Co$by]

So over the past like four or five years, we've seen a relentless barrage of fans constantly trying to get their favorites over. From guys like CM Punk to Zack Ryder, crowds constantly chanted their names even when they weren't on TV. Hell, Zack Ryder chants cut The Rock off from his speech [thankfully]. And for the most part, within these last few years, every single one of those strong chants helped stars get that television time they needed.

Unfortunately for Ryder, it exposed how lame he is. But for guys like Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and even Dolph Ziggler... it got them to that moment of glory. They all were able to be pushed to the World title, and all of them even had great matches with Cena. The Shield, despite being heels for the most part, stayed a constant focal point mostly because fans constantly loved them.

So with all of that in mind, and knowing that William Regal wrestles and talks circles around everybody... why hasn't he been put into that category of people we should want to see? This man is undoubtedly a legend, and certainly has a lot left in his tank to give. His match with K.O. on NXT a while back proved that, so why on Earth is he relegated to being a rotating commentator in Development? And furthermore, why do the supposed "die hard wrestling fans" that cheer for botchtastic nobodies not dare try and get Regal to the promise land he should already be at?

 

[laodaron]

So over the past like four or five years, we've seen a relentless barrage of fans constantly trying to get their favorites over. From guys like CM Punk to Zack Ryder, crowds constantly chanted their names even when they weren't on TV. Hell, Zack Ryder chants cut The Rock off from his speech [thankfully]. And for the most part, within these last few years, every single one of those strong chants helped stars get that television time they needed.

Unfortunately for Ryder, it exposed how lame he is. But for guys like Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and even Dolph Ziggler... it got them to that moment of glory. They all were able to be pushed to the World title, and all of them even had great matches with Cena. The Shield, despite being heels for the most part, stayed a constant focal point mostly because fans constantly loved them.

So with all of that in mind, and knowing that William Regal wrestles and talks circles around everybody... why hasn't he been put into that category of people we should want to see? This man is undoubtedly a legend, and certainly has a lot left in his tank to give. His match with K.O. on NXT a while back proved that, so why on Earth is he relegated to being a rotating commentator in Development? And furthermore, why do the supposed "die hard wrestling fans" that cheer for botchtastic nobodies not dare try and get Regal to the promise land he should already be at?

I would imagine that at 46 years old, William Regal is enjoying not having his body battered and broken weekly. He's certainly a legend, but at this point, he's a developmental legend, and deservedly so.

But I think that the answer to the question is that he probably wants it this way.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

The main was never that good. He never caught on that well with the audience. He looked like a man from a bygone era. Even in his younger days he had a body like current day Flair without the dilapidated fake tan. He wasn't that good on the mic. He was nothing more than cartoonish in his words and facial expressions. He never made you feel like he was being much more than a character.

Oh, and the drugs, apparently he couldn't stay away from the drugs. Sorry British people, he wasn't that good of a talent.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that William Regal is someone who may have been born a little too soon. By the time Regal came to the United States to wrestle in the 90s, his old school way of working inside the ring was no longer fashionable. While it was great to see someone with his legit technical ability and old school love of wrestling, at least for me it was, it just didn't click with a lot of other fans. There was also the fact that Regal came about during a time in which he was using a gimmick that was becoming very dated: the arrogant, European aristocrat who viewed himself as a superior wrestler and human being all around. While a look, to me, isn't the end all & be all, Regal also came about during a time in which having a certain "look" seemed far more important than wrestling ability and Regal has never had a particularly great look. He generally wasn't all that athletic, he didn't have a great body, didn't have movie star good looks, etc. When you look at guys who were king of the hill in WCW during the mid to late 90s like Hogan, Hall & Nash, Regal could've wrestled circles around them with both hands tied behind his back and blindfolded, but he didn't have that presence. By the time he came to the WWE for an extended time after WCW closed, they still had guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H, Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels, etc. in the center of things. By 2005, the rise of the Cenation had begun and Regal just wasn't there.

If he'd have been born say around the early to mid 80s and had broken into the business over the past 10 years, I think he'd have a better shot of being a major player. Whereas a lot of fans were more interested in pure spectacle, insane spots and presence during the Attitude Era and throughout much of the next decade, a lot of fans now are back to being interested in seeing great, classic, technical matches to some degree. For instance, the few times Regal has wrestled while down in NXT have been a real treat; the matches got rave reviews from the other wrestlers and the fans enjoyed them. As of right now, at age 46, it's too late really. He can still deliver really good wrestling matches, he knows how to tell a story and knows psychology. Personally, I think he's doing a great job in NXT on commentary and he obviously has a great eye for talent. If reports are accurate, Triple H trusts Regal implicitly and takes whatever advice or opinion he has seriously. Again, it's just something of the differences between Triple H & Vince. Triple H is a wrestler, hence he believes that pro wrestlers have the knowledge necessary when it comes to talent and how to develop them, whereas Vince is a corporate executive who feels that similar men are ultimately what's needed to steer the company in a certain direction.

 

[Mustang Sally]

He possesses technical wrestling excellence but doesn't look attractive applying it. In today's era of beautiful bodies, Regal looks like one of the beer-bellied wrestlers of the 1950's who trained at the local tavern and performed in smoke filled arenas.

Regal never had much of a body, but in recent years, he's really let it go. As a result, he doesn't fit today's mold, instead coming off as a dinosaur. Yes, there are other performers with unattractive physiques, but guys like The Great Khali, Hornswoggle and Santino bring different characteristics and fill unique roles the company wants them for.

Regal's forte is wrestling.....and if he doesn't look good doing that, there's not much for him to do in WWE....although, there's obviously some function he fills, otherwise he would have been a part of yesterday's siege.

 

[Ace Amoeba]

I'm with Jack-Hammer that Regal was ahead of his time and born too soon. One of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time. I loved his book especially the stories of him wrestling in a ring floating in the middle of the sea for a yacht club.

He had his chance to have that one top level run and then he failed wellness. He's beeen totally open about his demons and how they have held him back. it's a shame but at least he's still alive as he himself said he should have been on the list of wrestlers who have died too soon.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Regal wasn't born too soon at all, he along with Davey Boy, Dynamite Kid, Chris Adams and Fit Finlay all benefited from being able to start in the UK in an era where Wrestling was the biggest thing on TV and able to get that TV exposure at insanely young ages.

Smith was MAIN EVENTING, teaming with Big Daddy on TV aged 15! Guys like Regal were not much older and getting just as many chances. There were veterans to learn from like Mick McManus, Johnny Saint, Kendo Nagasaki and even guys like Brian Glover who was later was a famed actor in movies such as American Werewolf, Alien 3 and others.... Regal learned a lot from guys like that, how to be a heel and the holds, moves and way of carrying himself that stood him apart when it came time to cross the pond...

He wasn't a bland Brit babyface like The Bulldogs, a tough shooter like Billy Robinson, Al Hayes or Chris Adams... he was able to play the snob, who acted superior but could literally wrestle rings round the opposition.

Where Regal had issues was translating that character into something OTHER than the guy people wanted to get creamed. He was almost too good a heel to get a serious push in WCW and by the time he made it to the WWF he couldn't break it. He was one of the guys people knew when he came over... guys like Hunter, Diesel, Razor had all been "under the radar" but everyone knew Regal and when they gave him the "Man's Man" stuff it was never gonna work... when they finally got his groove it was more as a GM type and he remains the best GM character WWE has had. He was out of the ring due to his health, he'd wrecked his heart with his drug taking and in many ways SHOULD have retired.

It was very hard once he'd gone down that route to ever make him a main eventer but he did come very close with his KOTR/GM combined stint. That he was able to turn it round was simply miraculous and he became the lynchpin of the mid card and a respected trainer. But the drug use reared its head and killed that final shot at the main event. Not recreational, but just to fit the WWE look cos without them he wouldn't have got the push he was getting...much less the title he deserved and finally seemed to be close to... it was Catch-22 for him.

Regal now is 46 and has made clear his in ring days are limited if not over, this isn't just age catching up, this is the damage he did that meant they had to stop his heart to keep him alive. He has no right to be alive in many ways much less still wrestling and he seems happy to accept that and turn his hand to his other love... talking.

Regal is and has been one of the top 5 guys on the mic/in skits in the last 20 years. Go back and look at all those gold moments he was part of, be it being besmirched by Jericho, exasperated by Tajiri, joining the Kiss Vince's Ass club, his arc with Eugene and the best? When he shut down RAW because he could...

Much is made of there never being a Brit world champion and while Davey really was robbed in 96 of a deserved reign by Shawn not losing to him cos of Bret... Regal was just as close, only his own journey to that greatness robbed him.

But Regal is a guaranteed Hall of Famer and I would expect this next year for him, he helped shape some of the top guys in the business and will continue to do so by calling their matches and training in NXT... World titles don't "make" careers... Regal has achieved far more than one token World reign ever would... it would merely be the exclaimation point. If he'd got it they'd call him a "transitional champ" but as it is he's a top 5 guy to never hold a World belt of any description.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Regal was never a good fit for the WWE, and particularly the Attitude Era of the WWE. His drug problems were the icing on the cake, but he was good enough in both the ring and the mic to hold on to his job. The thing is that he has never been used well outside of the UK. Regal came into WCW in 1992/1993, and should've received a stronger push than just the TV title and a fair to middling feud with an over the hill Larry Zbyszko. Early 90s WCW should've been a perfect fit for that character.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Always liked Regal, he had some decent runs but he most likely screwed up his one big shot with that wellness violation. As of now he's better off using his impressive skills as a trainer to help the future generation, I can't see them pushing a 46 year old when there's so many up and comers that are more than a decade younger than him.

I love his NXT work and it would great if he got promoted to at least SD. I don't see it ever happening but I would go nuts if he replaced Jerry on Raw, that would do wonders for the show.

 

[TheICChampion]

I personally am not a huge Fan of Regal, but I do appreciate what he has done for WWE and what he has accomplished in his career. While I understand the drug use was part of the reason he didn't make it to the top, Jericho has said in his book 'Undisputed' that Regal was diagnosed with a Heart parasite during a trip to India which still affects him. I don't know in what way, but you have to think that if he became a main-eventer/World champion that the schedule he'd have would definitely jeopardize his health. I think that's one of the reasons why we haven't seen him wrestle a full schedule for so many years.

 

[milkman12]

First of all I would not consider some of the people you mentioned as nobodies. Second, although wrestling purists may love Regal and is ability to be a sound and technical wrestler along with his mic work which is obviously solid he is not exciting to most. Additionally, he is way to old to really want to push in any capacity and no matter how sound he is in the ring or on the mic he does not portray that great charisma and energy that is needed for a push nor is he big enough or intimidating enough to merit any sort of push at his old age. Regal is perfect in his role and behind the scenes but we don't need any more old guys, let the young guys have their moment and stop trying to push has-beens i don't care if they could wrestle or not they have had their chance.