Ever since AEW Revolution, there’s been a lot to make about William Regal and his appearance in the promotion. Fans were ecstatic to see him break up the brawl between Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley. That energy traveled to AEW Dynamite where he gave an emotional promo that ended with him warning the rest of the roster of what’s to come. But who is William Regal? That’s a question that many newer fans may have as his legacy in professional wrestling dates to before some were even watching.
Staring directly into the camera on Wednesday, Regal implored the AEW roster to either “step up or get stepped on.” Those are powerful words coming from an individual with the credentials to back them up. But many may not know that. It’s been almost ten years since his last match, a 20-minute classic against Cesaro back in NXT. But it’s been even longer since Regal was truly in the spotlight. And the moment that he was there came at the cost of the proverbial blood sweat and tears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy08elCZ1EA?feature=oembed
Regal’s 30-years spanned continents and the biggest promotions in professional wrestling. The break came in the early 90s when both WCW and then WWF began to leverage him as an enhancement talent. He would also have brief runs in New Japan Pro, where his style of wrestling was very well received.
Many would say that his early break came as a part of WCW where he was a four-time WCW World Television Champion. Regal was the perfect embodiment of that booking if that was the promotion’s “work-rate” title. Go back to watch his matches against the likes of Chris Jericho, Meng, Rey Mysterio, Alex Wright, as just a small sample of the greatness that Regal displayed in the ring. Plus, his tag team with David Taylor was another bright spot in his WCW tenure, even though they did not capture the tag team titles.
Regal’s run in the WWE/WWF was similarly successful. He would pick up multiple mid-card titles along the way, along with four different runs as tag team champions with Tajiri, Eugene, and twice with Lance Storm. His run featured several strong feuds, including a classic angle against Danielson surrounding the WWE United States Championship.
During the latter portion of his tenure with the WWE is where many will say he had his greatest impact. As a part of NXT he helped build that brand and the careers of some of the favorites seen on the main roster today. Many top stars such as Sasha Banks and Bayley took to Twitter to thank Regal for his help when they were first stepping into the WWE Performance Center. Those are the types of contributions that outlive and build a wrestler’s real legacy. And Regal has many of them.
In many ways, Regal is a gift that should be respected in the world of professional wrestling. This budding angle with he, Moxley, and Danielson should be fun to watch. Expect them to tear up the AEW roster in a way that hasn’t quite been seen to date.