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Thread Save: William Regal Appreciation Thread


tom

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I've never been a big fan of his ring work. Even when I went through my "workrate wanker" phase, I still found him boring. I have the same dislike for Finlay. I like some of what he's done but only a small proportion. He really needs to be in with someone I really like for me to take an interest.

 

Outside the ring, he's absolutely brilliant. One of the best actors you'll ever see in wrestling. His delivery, timing and facial expressions are amazing. I watched the links Gladstone posted on Friday and thought the stuff with Eaton was absolute gold. That Hogan interview is one of the best ever skits too. Wouldn't make me want to watch them wrestle though.

 

I'm not trying to change your opinion but I don't understand this logic as I've always thought that he carries the fantastic deliveries of facials and timing over to his matches. It's one of the best things about a Regal match, he's always projecting some form of body language that helps further tell the story which stops him from being boring like most English people who try to emulate that style. Agreed on the acting, as far as wrestling comedy goes he's at the top.

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I've never been a big fan of his ring work. Even when I went through my "workrate wanker" phase, I still found him boring. I have the same dislike for Finlay. I like some of what he's done but only a small proportion. He really needs to be in with someone I really like for me to take an interest.

 

Outside the ring, he's absolutely brilliant. One of the best actors you'll ever see in wrestling. His delivery, timing and facial expressions are amazing. I watched the links Gladstone posted on Friday and thought the stuff with Eaton was absolute gold. That Hogan interview is one of the best ever skits too. Wouldn't make me want to watch them wrestle though.

 

This is largely my take on Regal as well. I think there have been exceptions (I remember him having a decent little match with Orton at a UK Raw a few years ago), but I've not enjoyed many of his matches that I've seen. And I don't remember seeing much of his work prior to joining the WWF. I'd take Regal over Finlay any day of the week though, I don't think I've ever liked Finlay's work apart from a brief spell when he turned babyface with Hornswoggle and feuded with JBL. And even then, I got fed up after about two weeks.

 

But Regal the character is one of my favourite ever in wrestling. Even now, when he turns up on Zack Ryder's Youtube videos and in the WWE OMG Moments DVD I'm watching now, he's great. But his onscreen character pretty much went to shit after he returned from his suspension in 2008 and became Generic Serious Wrestler #703. His book is one of the better WWE books, as well.

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How would people rank Regal in terms of "The best UK exports to the World of Pro Wrestling"?

 

I was thinking about this after reading this thread the other day, and personally I think Regal has now gotten to the stage where I consider him the best export we've ever produced.

 

For all the highs that Davy Boy had at his peaks, and the name and legacy that Dynamite made for himself in Japan and on the world stage, i can't help but think that ultimately, that left one of them dead before the age of forty and the other living off of welfare in a wheelchair.

 

Despite nearly becoming a wrestling tragedy himself, Regal has bounced back from that and is heading for his 20th year as a pro wrestler on TV in America. Sure, he barely wrestles now, but he's had a bloody good run. The only real shame is that he failed that wellness test just as they were about to give him his biggest push ever. A 6 month run as a maniac GM and occasional Top Heel would have solidified Regal as "our best" I think.

 

He's had IC, European and Tag Title runs, a former King Of The Ring, RAW GM, Commissioner to the WWF and an Alliance turn-coat. Willy has done a hell of a lot of good stuff. Amusing runs with Jericho, violent matches with Benoit, being a major part of getting Eugene over as a top star for a little while; Regal has been one of the best value-for-money guys on their roster for years.

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I wouldn't even put Regal close in terms of actual importance. Davey Boy was the figurehead of the WWF expansion over here, he was tantamount to Hulk Hogan on these shores. He main-evented SummerSlam in an all-time classic. He main-evented multiple pay-per-views (In Your Houses, but still) against the three babyface world champions of the mid-nineties. Everyone's heard of the British Bulldog. Nobody who isn't a wrestling fan has ever heard of William Regal.

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I wouldn't even put Regal close in terms of actual importance. Davey Boy was the figurehead of the WWF expansion over here, he was tantamount to Hulk Hogan on these shores. He main-evented SummerSlam in an all-time classic. He main-evented multiple pay-per-views (In Your Houses, but still) against the three babyface world champions of the mid-nineties. Everyone's heard of the British Bulldog. Nobody who isn't a wrestling fan has ever heard of William Regal.

 

Davey was definitely a bigger star, of course, but I'm talking about success from more than just that perspective.

 

If Davy had retired at 40 a rich man, then he'd certainly be the biggest overall success story, but with the way it ended, I can't really call his wrestling career a fantastic success.

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Davey was definitely a bigger star, of course, but I'm talking about success from more than just that perspective.

 

If Davy had retired at 40 a rich man, then he'd certainly be the biggest overall success story, but with the way it ended, I can't really call his wrestling career a fantastic success.

 

His in ring career was a glittering success though, he definitely had a massive impact on US based mainstream pro wrestling from the late 80

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Yeah I get what you are saying, Richie, and like Pity said, as far as career highs go, Davy was miles ahead.

 

I'm just looking at things from a wider perspective.

 

For example, if you were to summarise their careers/lives in a sentence or two...

 

Davy Boy - the biggest wresting star to ever come from England, a brilliant 14 year career, died at 39 from a (steroid related) hart attack.

 

Dynamite Kid - a top star in the USA, Canada and Japan, career cut short due to serious health issues. Wheelchair bound and living on low means in the North of England.

 

William Regal - a near 20 year career spent mostly in the WWF/E, he came out of a dark period around 1999/2000 but came through to have another 10 years working for the biggest promotion in the world, still semi-active.

 

That's not to say Willy might not fall into the same category if he was to (heaven forbid) not wake up one morning next week, but at the moment, compared to the bloke who died from a heart attack before hitting 40 and the bloke penniless in a wheelchair, Regal is doing very well for himself.

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I dunno, it's like saying some sixty year old bloke who worked in an office all his life and saved up a few grand to leave to his kids was more successful than Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. I'll always equate most successful with whoever was on the most pencil cases in Woolworths.

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William Regal - a near 20 year career spent mostly in the WWF/E,

That's hardly true, is it? Spent the mid-late Eighties and early Nineties touring UK, South Africa, France, Germany and other countries. Went to WCW from 93 to 98. Had a cup of coffee in WWF in 98, only to return to WCW in 99 for another year. He also managed at tour or two of NJPW and the UK during his WCW time. Returned to WWF in Autumn 2000, so he's been there about 12 years in total, which is probably about half of his active career.

 

Edit: I think it's pretty clear that The Bulldog was by far the more recognisable of the two wrestlers, as someone said - nobody outside of wrestling fans will have heard of Regal, whereas Bulldog will still get a mention if you ask a normal person to name wrestlers from the past. I'd say Regal is easily the better performer though, both in and out of the ring.

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That's hardyl true, is it? Spent the mid-late Eighties and early Nineties touring UK, South Africa, France, Germany and other countries. Went to WCW from 93 to 98. Had a cup of coffee in WWF in 98, only to return to WCW in 99 for another year. He also managed at tour or two of NJPW and the UK during his WCW time. Returned to WWF in Autumn 2000, so he's been there about 12 years in total, which is probably about half of his active career.

 

 

Sorry, my mistake. I meant to say "nearly 20 years in WCW or the WWF/E". 18 to be more accurate.

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I dunno, it's like saying some sixty year old bloke who worked in an office all his life and saved up a few grand to leave to his kids was more successful than Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. I'll always equate most successful with whoever was on the most pencil cases in Woolworths.

 

It's nothing like that, at all.

 

Unless the 60 year old bloke also had a successful 20 year career in Pro Wrestling on the side, and Hulk Hogan was now broke and in a wheelchair, while Ric Flair had died at 39.

 

Not even slightly the same.

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That's hardly true, is it? Spent the mid-late Eighties and early Nineties touring UK, South Africa, France, Germany and other countries.

 

Off the top of my head I can think of stories in his book about wrestling in India and Egypt. His stories including having his image painted on murals on the walls in India to advertize the wrestlers coming over, stories of watching old, mining Indian stripper women in a weird

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