William Regal

[10.0] "TREMENDOUS speaking ability, I LITERALLY could listen to William Regal speak for the rest of my life. I love how he wrestles as well. He was a part of WCW & the WWF in my favorite years of those promotions. William Regal is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time."

[10.0] "William Regal was among the most talented workers I had ever had the pleasure to grow up with as a teenager during the Ruthless Aggression Era. He knows so much about the craft & he did not fall into frequent traps that many older talents fall into. The way that he gracefully retired & adapted to his role as teacher is fantastic."

[10.0] "William Regal was one of the best pure wrestlers of all time. Seriously, how the hell was this guy never a world champion in WWE? Regal then became one of the greatest minds in the business working for NXT. And he's assisted in the training of some of the best ever, Bryan Danielson included. Regal is one of the best and 10 is a perfect rating for him."

[5.0] "I can't immediately think of any wrestler who has gotten more acclaim as some hidden gem all time great because he made funny faces on TV, has the right friends, and could cut a decent promo. Completely fine wrestler where if substance abuse didn't get in the way, and he was given more opportunities to showcase what he had the highest level, there's a chance I could rate him higher. But when you really look at his career for what it was, and the types of matches he had, he was just "fine". Good matches against greater opponents. Not much else."

[10.0] "Few men from his generation have quietly influenced wrestling for years to come than Regal. His in-ring abilities were incredible, his charisma understated and compelling, and he aged gracefully into a fantastic general manager, trainer and commentator. His brief stint in AEW showed exactly how good of a talker he was, his promos with MJF are must see."

[10.0] "Regal to me is honestly one of the greatest what-ifs in wrestling. Because despite how good he was--and trust me, he was fucking good--he could have and should have achieved so much more. He was set up to be a top heel in WWE in 2008 with his King of the Ring win, but unfortunately, as with multiple times previously, personal demons and addiction get in the way of his success, and it's a shame to see. The thing about Regal was he combined classical British catch wrestling with his own troubled, violent youth, which made watching him "feel real". I know that phrase has become a bit of a chestnut these days but it's the best way to put it. Regal made you forget you were watching two men in spandex panties roll around in a cooperative, athletic performance art and instead made you believe it was a legitimate sporting contest, all while simultaneously keeping up kayfabe and consistent character work. It's a tricky tightrope, and Regal did cartwheels across it. Everything he did in the ring mattered. It led to something else. It *had a reason*. We heard Jim Ross say it a million times: "No wasted motion". I love that shit. It's one thing to know *how* to do the moves, but *why* and *when* are just as important. It's the same reason ZSJ is the best wrestler in the world right now (too bad we never got to see THAT match, goddamn). But I haven't even gotten to Regal's contributions outside the ring. His promos? Bro, I don't get it. Darren Matthews could've chosen a career path in acting and he'd be a multiple-time Oscar winner by now. Again, it feels real. He immerses you in his promos. You can feel what he's feeling, what he's felt. It's powerful. On top of all of THAT, he's a magnificent color commentator, trainer, scout, and agent. There's nothing about pro wrestling that the man doesn't excel at. Like I said earlier, it's just a shame that he struggled so much with his personal issues during his career."

[10.0] "No wrestler is perfect, but Regal really had no holes in his game. He's most well known for his technical prowess, built off catch-as-catch-can wrestling a la World of Sport in the UK, and was one of the most believable wrestlers in North America, every move of his and every action had some form of logic behind it, which was refreshing in a time where wrestling was often more cartoonish and devoid of reasoning in exchange for marketability. As much as he played the stereotypical blue blood British heel, in which he probably was the best at doing it, Regal was arguably even better as a face worker, especially as he got older, portraying a sense of fire and vulnerability that almost seems like he was auditioning to be Randy the Ram. Regal also always knew when to turn it up, he could go from a slower, methodical, counter-heavy style to a pure bruising brawler within an instant if the moment called for it. He's also one of the very few elite workers who also had the promo skill to match, certainly as a heel, but especially as a face. One of the best promos in the history of the World Wrestling Federation revolves around Reign of Terror Triple H and EUGENE, and Regal was somehow able to thread that needle. Honestly, if you put prime William Regal in an ECW, ROH, NJPW, or even AEW, there's no doubt in my mind that he's a top guy and, yes, certainly a world champion."

"William Regal is one of the sharpest minds in wrestling history. Flawless technician, master of ring psychology, and a promo guy who didn't need to yell to be intense. He adapted to every era, from classic British villain to charismatic GM to backstage mentor. Never needed titles to be respected, he earned that with pure skill and presence. A true master of the craft."

[8.0] "William Regal is one of the most criminally underrated minds and technicians in wrestling history. While others chased spotlights and title belts, Regal chased craft -- mastering the art of grappling, storytelling, and psychology. He wasn't flashy, but he was real -- snug, believable, and respected by everyone who ever laced up a pair of boots. He could outwrestle you, outtalk you, and out-think you, all while making you look better in the process. And then there's his second act -- as a mentor, scout, and NXT general. Regal shaped the modern era more than anyone gives him credit for. He helped mold stars like Bryan Danielson, Cesaro, and countless others, not by hogging the spotlight, but by generously passing down everything he knew. He's the anti-Goldberg: a worker's worker who bled for this business, respected it, and left it better than he found it. Whether in the ring or behind the scenes, William Regal is wrestling royalty in the truest sense."

[6.0] "He is the perfect embodiment of the saying 'your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestler". He taught and guided a lot of well known talents and the respect shown to him is very much deserved. I didn't appreciate him as much I could have when he was active but I enjoy all of his work whenever I revisit it. He sadly kept self destructing with addiction and he really is Triple H's lapdog. Both are a disease."

[9.0] "His style was not for everyone given the context and style of wrestling during the time he was employed by American promotions, but hands down one of the finest mat technicians to lace up boots. Had some truly elite level matches against Hashimoto, Finlay and Benoit (not to mention numerous others) and developed surprising chemistry with guys like Psychosis, Ultimo Dragon and RVD. Had a great run in WCW and in the twilight of his career tore it up on the ECW and early NXT brands. Amazing range and versatility - could play the dastardly villain, the cowardly heel, the smash mouth no-nonsense wrestler. The definition of a heat magnet and to top it all had great comedic timing. Hugely underappreciated in his day but has garnered well deserved plaudits over the years as a trainer and mentor. One of the more significant wrestling figures of the last 3 decades."

"Addiction ruining William's only push is so tragic. Vince gave him one chance after playing circus monkey for him and making the stupid gimmicks he was given work just to have it cut short is so unfair. Love Regal, love his ring work and promo skills."

[8.0] "William Regal is an example of someone who had a great career but could have been so much bigger. Addiction hurt him but he had all the tools. Great technical wrestler with mic skills and charisma. If he did not have the drug suspension then could have seen him being a world champion in WWE. Could do serious and comedy. What he has done in NXT is amazing. Liked his AEW run although the ending was weird."

[9.0] "A personal favorite of mine who always deserved way more, yet still had a remarkable career considering the demons he faced in the past. A fantastic technician, very charismatic, a unique humor, and sense of authority that just feels right regardless. Was great as a heel both as an authority figure and as a wrestler, but even better as a face, and is probably one of the best in the manager role in the history of managers in WWE. Deserved to be world champion."

[8.0] "Always had potential to be a great main event talent but even without that big push he as had a great career. Brilliant career as the NXT GM, great comedic character in the attitude era, and then a brilliant run in the early PG era. Deserves so much credit for how he brought up the current generation of wrestling stars in NXT"

[8.0] "Regal was an incredibly talented wrestler, with a seemingly lacklustre career. His promo work was exceptional and his in-ring work was ahead of his time but it never quite connected with the higher-ups. I'm glad he came back for NXT and has been doing more amazing work developing the next generation of WWE talent."

[9.0] "William Regan is the biggest "what if's" when it comes to pro wrestling. What if WWE gave him the world title run he deserved. What if he had that one memorable feud that he would have thrived in. What if he had that one absolute barn burner that everyone goes back to watch. He was one of the best on the mic in an era where everything was so scripted and came off as so bland... William Regal made you believe everything he said."

[8.0] "With all due respect, William Regal is the greatest "never was" in pro wrestling history. He never was world champion, never had that iconic feud, never was a part of a revered classic match, never cut a promo that we'll talk about decades from now, but he always had the capabilities to do so. His work in the ring and on the mic has burned it's way in to the brains of every wrestling teacher and student that makes any serious claim to be a professional wrestler. If we were ranking a man on what he COULD have been, William Regal would sit atop the mountain on a throne of brass and ivory, but as it stands I will always have a slight twinge of sadness in my mind when I think of the career he wound up having. The greatest professional wrestler who never was."

[10.0] "One of the most underrated personas of wrestling ever, whether in the role of a wrestler or a backstage helper. The fact that he never had a World Title run is downright criminal and shows how out of touch Vince was for a long while. If HHH was the man back then he would have been given a Gunther-like run."

[10.0] "Just one of the greatest promos, technicians and such EVER! and a true class act outside of the ring as well who has helped flourish countless careers for nothing in exchange, a true legend."

[7.0] "Regal was a good wrestler with a different style to his American colleagues in WCW and WWF but I do find him overrated. Most of his appeal is his style and I've seen his style done better by other British wrestlers from the WOS days."

[9.0] "A tremendously versatile performer who can do it all, William Regal can truly do it all. He always worked best as a dastardly heel and could do just about anything, no matter how ridiculous or degrading it could be. In terms of in-ring work, Regal is as technically gifted as they come and another guy who could get in the ring and make it look real without hurting his opponent."

[6.0] "I'm sure he probably was a very good wrestler, and maybe some day I'll see some of his old matches that change my opinion of him, but frankly, every match I've actually seen him in has been pretty ho-hum, which makes me wonder if he's slightly overrated..."

[6.0] "Funny wrestler with great body language, it was entertaining to watch him wrestle. He was interesting as RAW general manager because if his comedic chops "UMANGAA". Never cared about his work outside WWE, but i think his rating here is way too high in my opinion."

[9.0] "His old theme tune called him a real mans man, and William Regal is a wrestlers wrestler. A highlight of any card during his illustrious career, incredibly entertaining, and those dulcet tones only add to his presentation. Like Stirling Moss in Formula 1, and the Netherlands in soccer, Regal is quite possibly the greatest wrestler to never win a world championship."

[9.0] "His work gets better with age, put any William Regal match on and try not to be entertained. He made the best of every scenario he was given."

[9.0] "One of the best wrestlers to never be world champion. Regal is one of the best technical wrestlers ever, and he backs it up with amazing character work. Few wrestlers can switch between being a posh comedic goof to a vicious killer as well as Regal. He also helped to train some of the best wrestlers in the world, such as Bryan Danielson and Chris Hero. I'd love to give him a ten, but I have to take a point because of how badly his work was affected by his demons in the late 90s and early aughts. Thankfully, he's sober, and he will hopefully continue to improve the wrestling world for years to come."

[9.0] "The greatest WWE wrestler to never be world champion? Quite possibly. Regal is the epitome of "your favourite wrestler's favourite wrestler", and while he was best as a dastardly heel, he also had pretty good chops on the off chance he played the babyface, usually only because there was a heel being even more evil than him like when he exploded on HHH in that legendary promo over what HHH had done to Eugene."

"When i was a kid I hated Regal. I've been going back through all the old material now as an adult, and can say he's earned a ton of respect in my book. One of the best technical wrestlers I've ever seen, and his promos are hilarious too."

[10.0] "One of the most beloved wrestlers of all-time and arguably the best ever to have never won a world title anywhere. Theres so much to love about William Regal. His work in the ring as a sublime technician, especially as a heel, where he always looked sharp and brutal. His work on the mic, where he always seemed to find the right words and spoke with confidence, whether he was cutting a serious or comedic promo. His work as an authority figure, whether as the comic relief in the late days of the Attitude Era or the imposing presence on NXT Black & Gold. His work as a manager and mentor for the Blackpool Combat Club where he brought credibility and experience to develop the various characters. His work as a commentator where he can be oddly hilarious or even insightful. Oh and his facial expressions my God his facial expressions! Whatever you are looking for in wrestling, it is likely that Regal will be amongst the best of them."

"A great authority role in NXT, a great talker on the mic, a great performer in comedy, and perhaps one of if not the most underrated wrestler that ever existed."

[10.0] "The best manager. The best general manager and most importantly the best wrestler. Always deserved more and still does. He's my boy."

[7.0] "About as good a technical wrestler as you can want, and Regal was quite good with the comical mannerisms and could do comedy or stiff as hell semi shoot fights. Wasn't the best on the mic though."

[9.0] "William Regal was truly a good worker and great wrestler. No matter what someone asked of him, even if it was ridiculous, he accepted it and played the part to perfection. His wrestling was also fun to watch because he really put in everything he had learned during his early years and parlayed it into a legendary career. He was also great as an NXT General Manager and coach for the Blackpool Combat Club in AEW. When he was the evil Brit, he made sure to get heat, and when he was the lovable face, he made the fans cheer. Good or evil, WWE or AEW, Regal was indeed a man's man. Like his original theme stated, he was as manly as you can be. Therefore, I have the greatest respect for him as a wrestler, commentator, and manager."

[10.0] "My criteria will always be based on "how watchable are they? " and WCW's Lord Steven Regal is one of those guys I can watch over and over, again and again. Could be a 4 minute squash, a well flowing enhancement match, a tag team affair or anything in between with practically any opposition or situation: I love reliving all of it and tend to rewind often and watch his stuff in deep detail. Moving on to William Regal: there is less ring time but the trade off is sooo much mic time and character work; it is arguable that Regal is the most underrated of all time when it comes to both. Regal is excellent at just EVERYTHING in regards to wrestling. One of those people "made for the business". Regal absolutely, positively made/makes wrestling a much better place/thing to enjoy. Highest recommendations!"

[10.0] "William Regal is absolute legend of the business who should have been pushed much harder during his wrestling career, but due to the big companies he worked for not appreciating his excellent technical skills he remained mostly a midcarder throughout his career. But if you watch those midcard matches they were often leagues better than the main event matches that followed them. I think if Regal could have entered a time machine and debuted in modern times he would have been pushed very hard by companies like AEW, ROH, or NJPW. Honestly he would have gotten more of a chance even in WWE. But he just didn't get that kind of support from the Fed or WCW back in the day, because they were still so obsessed with big men punching other big men and yelling at each other. Though the funny thing is Regal could cut a good promo especially as a heel!"

[9.0] "A really good wrestler and an even better wrestler, his life story is to be admired, the way he bounced back after addiction, I am so glad he is getting nothing but good things right now."

[10.0] "One of the greatest of all time. A tremendously versatile performer, William Regal can truly do it all. One of the greatest wrestlers to never be World Champion and an absolute legend of professional wrestling."

[10.0] "For me, William Regal is the gem. A true performer. He can do it all. Absolutely divine. Never been World Champion but in fan's hearts, he's almost matching Flair's record."

[9.0] "Great in pretty much everything he did. A great English wrestler who could be fantastic on interviews, both serious and comedic. Unfortunately in his run in North America he was made out to be a pretty one-dimensional character, and due to drug abuse and alcoholism, perhaps we never got to see a prime William Regal run. Despite this, he's overcome that, and has had a great body of work spanning multiple decades, and in retirement he was partially responsible for some of the better WWE wrestling in NXT."

[9.0] "A completely underrated and underutilised heel of a technician/brawler. Amazing in the ring and amazing on the mic. It's a shame he never got a title run as world champion as he would've been great. Even in NXT, backstage, he was great and you'd almost never hear anything bad about him."

[10.0] "One of the absolute best heels ever in Wrestling for my money, he played his gimmick so well. He brought the British-Style of Wrestling that he learned from the UK onto US stages. And whilst it may not have been to everyone's liking, it was always a talking point about him. He was absolutely amazing in WCW with his TV title runs, even getting really quite over when he probably wasn't meant to. His second WWE run (basically a copy paste of his WCW gimmick) was equally as good, sometimes becoming a bit like Eddie Guerrero with his brass knuckles. He was great at being WWE's commissioner, with Tajiri as his servant and later Tag team partner. Didn't think his Tag team with Eugene was so good, I just don't think he plays babyface so well. Definitely should have been a World Champion in WWE, especially with them having 2 of them at various points in time. Unfortunately his personal demons let him down more than once."

[10.0] "Hopefully Hall of Fame bound. I didn't appreciate how good he was back when the Attitude Era was in full swing, but he was hugely entertaining to watch and an outstanding technical wrestler that has been influential to many of today's stars, including Bryan Danielson. Of course his facial expressions lead to some timeless moments and it's an example of how much he was committed to his character work. Most of the time playing a villain who would portray himself as an upper class English snob, he would constantly talk down the fans making it all the more satisfying when he got his comeuppance. Kinda wish we saw him in the main event picture, or even as a face like he was around 2004 as he had some awesome fire promos in that time, but his love for the business shines through. It's the reason why he is so well respected by his peers today and why he is used as an authority figure on NXT. If only that King of the Ring win had lead to more."

[10.0] "On the Mount Rushmore of criminally underrated. Few performers are as gifted in so many ways as Regal."

[5.0] "No wrestler in history should be more thankful for the advent of gifs than Regal as his facial expressions and the 'little things' he does are incredibly entertaining, the problem hits when you actually have to watch his matches. He didn't have a single match better than good. Decent promo but doing 'snooty arrogant British guy' to an American audience is like taking candy from a baby. Goldberg match was funny though, I'll give him that. Just search for gifs and leave the matches well alone and you will be highly entertained."

[10.0] "One of my childhood favourites, I loved Lord Steven Regal. His style was so unique, his facial expressions, the Regal stretch leaves Cena s pathetic stf far behind in the dust. Regal is pulling on the move, not just holding his forearms loosely somewhere in the proximity of his opponent s face. Regal showed struggle and effort when performing his moves - he made it look like a competition, not just trading moves. He looks legitimately tough, as if he could really put you in a move for shoot - because he could. Along with Fit Finlay, he is a guy, in my opinion, most deserving to hold a World title of some sort, even if it was just for one night - because he deserved it. I am still upset, that when they had 3 brands (I guess they do now too), when they would give ECW title reigns to random people, but not to Finlay and Regal. They could have traded the title and than some young up and comer could have been built by defeating one of them."

[8.0] "So incredibly underrated. His work is realistic, his comedic timing is wonderful, and had it not been for his personal issues, and wellness policy violation in 2008 after his King of the Ring win, it seemed like he was finally going to get that chance to be a showcase."

[8.0] "Regal was one of the most entertaining wrestlers I've ever seen. His promo work was top notch, and he has off-the-charts charisma, with his incredible facial expressions and reactions. I don't know that I've seen him wrestle a *great* match, but he's definitely wrestled a ton of good ones. Always a joy to watch work."

[10.0] "Perhaps one of the most underrated and underappreciated people in the wrestling business over the past 25 years. William Regal was a remarkably talented wrestler. His heel run in 2008 might be one of the best I've ever seen. And his work as the GM of NXT has been a neverending treat."

[9.0] "It's hard finding a reason not to give Regal a 10/10 rating. He's literally done it all. Singles, tag teams, stables, admin roles, I guess the only thing I can't really remember him being is a proper face, but that's a point to argue too. Technically solid but understandable if his style isn't for everyone. Hilarious and heely. I guess the only drawback is that he didn't work well with the faster and more athletic wrestlers in the ring."