by Alfonso Castillo
Showdown.net/OnlineOnslaught.com

His match last Sunday with Edge did not exactly set the Milwaukee crowd on fire. For that matter nor has the three month long feud between the two wrestlers that has seemingly dragged on for three years.

But that's long been the story of William Regal. In a business where athletes compete for the title of "most electrifying," Regal has about enough juice to power a night light for ten minutes. With his plain colored tights, modest physique and deliberate ring style, many fans who have been raised on people's eyebrows and beer trucks find Regal to be downright dull.

But truth be told, if book publishers were looking to capitalize on the success of wrestlers' biographies, they may be well served to tap WWF's European goodwill ambassador. You wouldn't know it from looking at him, but the tale of Steven "William" Regal is about as fascinating, gritty, and inspiring as they come.

But while WWF management and a select bunch of wrestling fans are impressed by Regal's work ethic and marvel at his unique and subtle ring style, many fans just don't get him and don't understand the justification behind his Intercontinental championship push.

Will Regal ever get over, or just remain over people's heads?

He is your World Wrestling Federation intercontinental Champion, William Regal.

The Title Victory

In the weeks leading up to his Intercontinental title match with Edge, Regal replaced his old finisher - whatever it was - with a brass knuckle-loaded right hand that proved effective. Regal and Edge bloodied each other several times leading up to the contest held last month at the Royal Rumble.

Referee Nick Patrick frisked Regal before the match and discovered the knux buried in his tights. Patrick placed them on the ring apron and Edge started the match by attacking the challenger. Edge backdropped Regal then choked away at him. Fans chanted "Regal sucks!" in the early minutes of the match. Regal connected with a  knee lift, but Edge surprised him with a backslide for a two-count. Just minutes into the match, the lack of chemistry between the two was evident and the crowd was dead.

Regal slapped on a facelock with Edge on the ground. Edge connected with an inziguri that knocked regal to the mat. The challenger responded with a release German suplex that looked brutal because Edge landed square on his head.

Regal continued to dominate with a tedious chinlock then went for a double underhook powerbomb, but Edge reversed it and scored another two-count. Regal managed to maneuver from the pin attempt into a powerbomb of his own also for a two-count.

Regal knocked Edge to the outside as he stood on the apron, but Edge came back to DDT him on the apron. Back in the ring, Edge got another nearfall. Both men were exhausted and started trading blows. Edge suplexed the champion for another two-count. Regal hit another release German, but Edge sprung up and clotheslined him.

Edge tried for the implant DDT, but Regal managed to synch in the Regal Stretch. Edge reversed it, but Regal got to the ropes. Edge went for another pin and then climbed to the top and dove off with a leg lariat.

Regal reached into his trunks and found a second pair of brass knuckles. Edge attempted the spear on Regal, but connected with Patrick instead. With the ref down, Regal KO'd Edge with the knux. Patrick awoke to make the three-count and award regal the championship.

Post-match celebration saw Regal interviewed at ringside. He thanked God for blessing him with the "power of the punch."

The Title Reign

Looking back, it seems as if Regal's month-long title reign has consisted of nothing but rematches against Edge, but in reality the champion has had some variation in his opponents, but not much.

His first defense was in fact a rematch with Edge in Greenville, SC on the RAW following his title victory. The brass knuckles once again came into play. This time Edge was disqualified when he intercepted Regal's weapon and used it against him. When Nick Patrick saw Edge wearing the knux, he called for the bell.

Regal lost to Rob Van Dam at the following Smackdown! in North Charleston in a non-title match. Edge interfered in the match. RVD got a rematch for the title on the Jan. 8 RAW from Richmond and won by disqualification that time when Regal kicked the challenger low right in front of the ref. The Dudleys interfered at the end of the match, setting up a match between them and Edge & RVD at Smackdown! Regal was at ringside doing commentary during that match and was attacked by his rival Edge.

Regal defeated Rikishi on the Feb. 4 edition of RAW from Las Vegas. Edge ran in costing Rikishi the match. That set up a tag confrontation with the champion teaming with the Dudleys against Edge and Rikishi. A 3D on Rikishi got the heel team the duke. Regal once again brutalized Edge with the brass knuckles. Edge sold the injury by sporting taped ribs during his non-title match against Chris Jericho on the following Monday's RAW.

Nearly a month after winning the championship, Regal had his first successful title defense on Smackdown! on Feb. 14. He knocked out Val Venis with the brass knuckles and got the pin. Then at No Way Out, he defeated Edge in a brass knuckles-on-a-pole match. He chose not to use the weapon hanging from the pole, but rather one he smuggled into the ring.

Lest you think the tedious feud between Edge and Regal ended there, the two were back in the ring together the next night on RAW, when Regal teamed with Goldust and lost to Edge & Rob Van Dam. Regal tapped out to a leglock from Edge.

Last Sunday on Heat, he defended the title against Rikishi once more in the show’s pseudo-main event. Rikishi used the Stink Face. Regal used a fistful of brass. Regal’s finisher proved more effective.

Finally, Regal sat ringside at RAW this past Monday and watched as Rob Van Dam, the Big Show and Lance Storm competed in a Triple Threat Match to decide the number one contender for his title. RVD won the match.


The Breakdown

Try as we might, many of us have not forgotten Regal's gimmick from his first stint in the WWF back in 1998. Suffice to say "the Man's Man" did not exactly catch on, but that was probably the least of the reasons why Regal found himself out of the federation within weeks of his debut.

To repeat a term used often in wrestling, Regal's "demons" had returned. So instead of having a prominent role on WWF television during the company's peak, Regal spent the next several months having those demons exorcised at a rehab facility.

That is just one of the many tales of Regal's career, which in recent years has received almost legendary status among "those in the know." If there ever was a wrestler who produced tons of great fodder for wrestling Internet sites, dirt sheets, radio shows and hotlines, Regal the one.

The story begins somewhere in Blackpool, where a teenage Darren Matthews first tried his hand in pro wrestling by starring in carnival shows, where he'd take on other wrestlers and even the occasional fan in shoot matches that would sometimes get pretty hairy. 

He wrestled the UK circuit for a while before landing on our television screens as Steve Regal in the early-1990s WCW. And before any of you ask, no this Steve Regal is not the Mr. Electricity of mid-1980s AWA "fame," although I once heard Steven "William" Regal talk about his namesake in a radio interview. Suffice to say it was Regal at his best and there was a lot of use of the word "bloody" in his description of his predecessor.
Unfortunately Regal hadn't mastered the fine art of cutting a wrestling promo during his early days in WCW. Even if he did, he wasn't given much of a chance to cut his teeth as a very-0rdinary babyface. His mat wrestling skills were sharp even back then, but without any kind of packaging, he fell flat with fans.

Within months WCW realized Regal's potential as a snobbish aristocrat and started portraying him as such. He would wear fine suits, drink tea, and was even paired with Sir William - Memphis wrestling mainstay Bill Dundee, who was known to use aid Regal during matches with a loaded parasol. Funny stuff.

Regal received a decent push with the gimmick, racking up some gold in the mid card. He was later paired with Earl Robert of Eaton - tag team legend "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton - to form the memorable tag team of the Blue Bloods. Regal took part in a second incarnation of the Blue Bloods later with "Squire" David Taylor, but never captured the momentum of the first version.

By the mid-to-late 90s, Regal's star had faded somewhat. He did engage in a memorable feud with Sting just before the bleach-blond, spikey-haired babyface took on his trademark dark, brooding persona. From then on, regal was relegated mostly to midcard status and using his experience to help establish new stars. But even in the role of a jobber Regal managed to get people talking. He was to be just another hurdle in Goldberg's in streak when he decided not to cooperate in his Nitro match with "Da Man." He eventually did the job, but not before exposing Goldberg's technical shortcomings in the much-talked about match.

Around the same time, Regal made headlines once again for all the wrong reasons. As the story goes, Regal brought his "demons" onto an airplane and released them all over a flight attendant (and no, he did not throw up on her).

He was gone from WCW weeks later.

After Regal's first brief run in the WWF, as the story goes, the WWF picked up the tab for his rehab even after they had parted ways. A new, clean Regal returned to WCW, where he made a minimal impact and appeared almost exclusively on the company's weekend programming. After Jim Duggan beat him in a "loser leaves WCW" match, the WWF welcomed the sober Brit with open arms.

He worked for several months in the WWF's farm system and received rave reviews by all. He was sober, in great physical condition, and motivated. All indications were that the WWF higher-ups were very high on Regal and saw him as a potential main eventer. He was called up to the majors about a year ago and took on the gimmick of the WWF's European Goodwill Ambassador, complete with in-ring dining etiquette lessons. Feeling the WWF's had enough prominent Steves than it knew what to do with, regal adopted the first name "William." Within months, WWF management's high appraisal of Regal became evident as he was scripted as the right hand man to Vince McMahon and soon became WWF commissioner.

But despite the praise given to Regal by WWF officials, it became apparent from his first match in the WWF that it would take some doing for fans to make fans receptive to Regal's unique wrestling style. "Unique" is a term used a lot in the business, but with Regal it was literal. Simply, nobody wrestles like him. Some would say that's a good thing - that wrestlers should aspire to technical heights pioneered by Regal.

Most fans just think he's dull. And it's hard to argue against them. Spending ten minutes rolling on the mat with an opponent, using every variation of an arm bar, and reversing wrestling holds with remarkable ease may impress purists, but it also draws loud "boring" chants from fans. It's a tricky balance for Regal. ON one hand, it's indisputable that Regal is a terrific athlete and a craft technician - perhaps the best on American soil. But his style is so different than what fans are accustomed to that it plays over most of their heads. He is yet to be involved in one very memorable WWF match nor a meaningful rivalry.

But while it is a widely held opinion that regal is a bore in the ring, most fans agree that he is a hoot on the mic. His most memorable WWF moments came not during matches, but during hi stint as WWF commissioner, when he regularly cut hysterical promos at his snobbish best. Regal is alarmingly quick-witted, articulate and very clever. The WWF may be catching on as well. In a recent Internet column, Jim Ross implied that color commentary may be in Regal’s future.

Whatever the WWF’s plans, it’s clear something has to give.  Regal’s IC title reign has been all out disaster. He has yet to put on one very good match since winning the championship. The title deserves better than that. It should be competed over in a strong matches and defended by a wrestler capable of entertaining. Right now, Regal can do neither. What’s more, in an era when a wrestler’s success has so much to do with his look, Regal looks about as plain as they come. He is very difficult to market outside of a speaking role.

By all accounts, Regal is a company guy and will likely do what his bosses tell him to, but he probably wouldn’t be too happy to see his in-ring career put on hold while he is still in his early 30s. Regardless of fans lukewarm receptions, regal still thinks himself the wrestler’s wrestler. That fervent passion for his craft landed him in the headlines once again. As the story goes, Regal was watching a couple of WWF developmental workers practicing a match and voiced his disgust over the young workers’ reliance on planning every move. “Why don’t you learn to work first?” Regal supposedly said, with a few expletives thrown in.

Some things never change.

Championship Grade: C

The Outlook

I may be speaking too soon, but it looks like the Regal-Edge feud may finally be over. Thank God. And it appears regal is moving from one mismatched feud to another, as last’s week RAW revealed Regal will be taking on Rob Van Dam at the biggest show of the year, WrestleMania just three weeks away.

Regal has no momentum going into WrestleMania, which only makes the decision to keep the title on him for what is traditionally a very important match that more unusual. With the world title match at ‘Mania being overshadowed by the Rock vs. Hogan and the tag team title match looking pretty weak with Chuck and Billy facing the APA, the fed should be trying to put on a meaningful IC title match. To do that, the WWF should have taken the belt off of Regal first.

Van Dam will likely pick up the strap at Mania in a match featuring another clash of styles.  Regal will then probably return to mostly a speaking role and perhaps pick up color duties on one of the shows when the WWF split finally happens.

Championship Options

A byproduct of the WWF having almost ten legitimate main event stars is that there are several very talented mid carders who will likely be staying in the mid card for a long time. While they may not be happy about having main events just out of reach, the situation does make for a wide range of strong candidates for the IC belt.

A lot of fans are surprised by how badly Edge’s singles push has failed in the last year. When he was teaming with Christian, everyone talked about Edge’s main event star power and waited anxiously for the team to split. But since the split, Edge has stagnated terribly. That said, I hope the WWF doesn’t give up on Edge altogether. He still has all the qualities we saw in him a year ago. At least part of the reason Edge has failed as a singles star has been the poor storylines and feuds he’s been written into. His feud with Christian lasted way too long and was being pushed even after it became clear that the two just did not click in the ring.

When the feud finished, Edge needed desperately to have a strong opponent to help him regain his momentum. Instead he was saddled with Regal for three months. What’s more, regal punked him out every step of the way, leaving Edge looking even weaker now that the feud is apparently finished. Edge would be better paired with wrestlers like Rob van Dam or Booker T – two wrestlers with an exciting style that should mesh well with Edge.

Speaking of which, Booker and RVD are both ideal candidates for the IC Title. Yes, it’s a big step down from the main events both were involved in just months ago, but they – and we – just have to accept that they are not going to be part of the main event mix again anytime soon. Booker deserves better than to be half of a mid-card tag team with Test. RVD, who will get his shot at the title at WrestleMania, has been equally wasted in week-long feuds with assorted mid-carders. An IC title might be a step down from their past successes, but a big step up from their recent doldrums.

Others: Goldust used to be a very strong IC champ back in 1996. Since returning last month, he looks as good as he has ever looked and his character is fresher than it’s been in years. His style is still a bit sluggish, but that never stopped him from getting over huge as a heel; Like Goldust, Mr. Perfect returned at the Royal Rumble looking in great shape and very motivated. He was among the last men standing and was seemingly moving towards a feud with Steve Austin. Less than a month later, he’s doing quick jobs on television and teaming with WWF developmental wrestlers in dark matches. It’s clear now that the WWF signed him just to help put the startup XWF out of business quickly and has no real plans for Hennig. It’s too bad because he was one of the great IC champs of our time; Test, Christian, DDP and Tazz have all also looked good in recent months and may be in line for the belt also.

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Alfonso Castillo, 24, is has been a wrestling fan since he was six-years old.
He has been writing the "Fonzo's Title Wave" column since 1999. The host of
the Showdown radio audio program on www.Showdown.net currently lives in
Queens, NY and works as a reporter for a New York metropolitan area newspaper.

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