RETURN OF WILLIAM REGAL

 

Being a long time wrestling fan, I have a more historical viewpoint of wrestling.  I often time admire qualities less obvious to every fan.  It is simply a comparative context.  A twenty year old probably never saw Bruno Sammartino or Harley Race wrestle at their peak.  Their memory of Ric Flair is of an aging clown who desperately needs to retire.

 

I find that being ab out to compare today’s grappler with the heroes of yore adds another dimension to my wrestling obsession.  I won’t go too much into detail about the past now.  I want to salute an underrated wrestler of today:  William Regal.

 

The former Lord Steven Regal has returned to the WWF after a lengthy hiatus.  He appears to have lost some weight and regained his health.  I, for one, am ecstatic to see him back in action.  This is a guy who has great mike skills, a good character and real bona fide wrestling skills.

 

And I should point out that as a former carnival brawler in England, Regal is a hooker—one of the few wrestlers that can do it for real in the ring.  He is a brilliant tactician in the ring.

 

It was great to see him capture the European title from Al Snow last night.  This is a grappler that deserves to wear gold around his waist.  This should guarantee that we will be seeing more of Regal in the future and I’m okay with that.

 

Now Regal doesn’t have the pure charisma of a Stone Cold or a Triple H.  He is not quite as gifted as the Rock but he will add to the quality of Raw and Smackdown.  His ability will allow him to compete well with anyone.

 

He also make a great heel with his British aristocratic sneer and upturned nose.  Guys like I mention before could learn a trick or two from Regal before he lets them win the match.  (This guy was fired from WCW for emasculating Goldberg in a shoot before.)

 

Welcome back to Lord Regal.  I can’t wait to see what he does next.  This is a great role wrestler that can enliven the WWF even more.  He adds texture and nuance to a blatant, extreme profession.  It is a most welcome return.

 

10-17-2000

 

 

Author's Notes/Comments: 

William Regal was a great wrestler for a couple decades and recently returned to action as a manager.  I found this piece that I wrote 22 years ago that is a nice tribute to an often unheralded ring legend.

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allets's picture

Afficianado

Thanks for the update. From one who has not seem a match in over 50 years. My daughter was a fan andloved boxing! ~A~
 


 

 

georgeschaefer's picture

no problem.  Regal is a great

no problem.  Regal is a great performer