William Regal’s Career Told In Photos, Through The Years

William Regal has had a long and fascinating journey through the professional wrestling business. He started out wrestling as a teenager in the mid-1980s, became a mid-card star in WCW, and arrived at his most famous work in WWE as not only a wrestler, but also an on-air authority figure and behind the scenes mentor to younger talents.

Related: William Regal's 10 Greatest Matches, According To Cagematch.net

Regal has had his demons that may have prevented him from realizing his full potential. Nonetheless, it's telling that top tier stars like Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson would be all too eager to enter the Blackpool Combat Club fold with him for his current run in AEW.

10 William Regal Around 1987

William Regal has become such a fixture in pro wrestling across the last three-decades plus that it's hard to imagine a time when he was just figuring out his craft. Regal himself posted this photo from quite early in his career, that he projected to be from around 1987. The man first got into wrestling at the age of 15, and this is at least a bit after that point, but Regal is still an objectively young man in this shot, and had not yet crossed over to performing in the US.

9 William Regal And Robbie Brookside Form The Golden Boys Tag Team

Robbie Brookside is a legend of international wrestling who started out in the UK, but truly worked around the world across the three decades to follow. After some occasional extra work for WWE, he showed up more prominently on the radars of modern WWE fans when he started mentoring young talent in NXT. Much earlier on, though, he spent the late 1980s in a tag team with William Regal. This was long before either man was a legend revered among the greatest English wrestlers of all time.

Related: 5 Reasons British Bulldog Is The Best English Wrestler In History (& 5 Why It's William Regal)

The young pair of budding talents called themselves The Golden Boys and were a noteworthy tandem.

8 William Regal Vs. Sting In WCW

Though William Regal is most famous for his efforts in WWE, the US audience first got to know him on WCW programming. His combination of technical savvy, ability to work a stiff style, and charismatic character efforts planted him as a fixture in the upper mid-card, including reigning as TV Champion four times and more than holding his own opposite no lesser opponents than Sting, Ric Flair, and Ricky Steamboat.

7 William Regal's Blue Bloods Team In WCW

Some of William Regal's defining work in WCW came as part of The Blue Bloods. Starting out as a tag team with Bobby Eaton--rebranded as Earl Robert Eaton--they were an excellent pair. The unit made the most each man's respective talent, and particularly the tag team experience Eaton had accumulated with The Midnight Express, The Dangerous Alliance, and elsewhere to arrive as arguably the greatest tag team wrestler to never sign with WWE. With Jeeves as their manager, later versions of the team incorporate hard-hitting Englishman Dave Taylor as well to further diversify and improve on what The Blue Bloods could do.

6 William Regal, A Real Man's Man In WWE

In between residencies in WCW, William Regal had his first, brief stint in WWE. In what may have been a calculated step to separate him from the aristocratic underpinnings of his WCW character, WWE branded him as "A Real Man's Man" who wore a hard hat and flannel. It's a testament to Regal's talent that he pulled off the gimmick, and his theme music at the time became a bit of a cult favorite. Nonetheless, injuries and Regal's real-life demons cut the run short.

5 William Regal Vs. Chris Jericho In WWE

Wrestling fans on the whole likely remember William Regal best for his efforts in WWE's Attitude Era and the years to immediately follow. He was frequently cast in heel authority figure roles, often in league with the McMahon family, The Alliance, or Eric Bischoff. Part of the act was that Regal could still go in the ring at a high level and enjoyed reigns with the Intercontinental, European, Hardcore, and Tag Team Championships at various times. One of his most famous feuds of this run saw him clash with babyface Chris Jericho, who went so far as to "besmirch" the Englishman's tea. Their issue came to a head when they worked the opening match of arguably the greatest WrestleMania of all time in 2001.

4 William Regal And Eugene Win The WWE Tag Team Championship

From a purist's perspective, William Regal's best tag team work probably came during his time with The Blue Bloods in WCW. In WWE, he had multiple noteworthy tag runs as well, though. They included heel pairings with Dave Taylor and Lance Storm. The most memorable and most fun teams Regal became a part of, though, were with Tajiri and later the controversial Eugene character. In each of these odd couple pairings, Regal played the straight man to the outlandish behavior of his talented, younger partner. The Eugene angle was particularly heart-warming for the lovable new babyface actually winning over Regal, who developed an affection and protectiveness around his mentally challenged partner and turned babyface over it.

3 William Regal, The King Of The Ring

WWE shrewdly gave William Regal one last high-profile heel run that threatened to see him break the main event glass ceiling that had hovered over his head for the length of his career. In 2008, Regal won the King of the Ring tournament.

Related: 10 King Of The Ring Winners: Where Are They Now?

That accomplishment, paired with him being Raw General Manager, made him a dominating heel presence and his feud with a newly babyface Mr. Kennedy shaped up to look something like a poor man's Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon. Unfortunately, Regal's personal issues caught up to him once again, resulting in a suspension that derailed his momentum and cut off what some fans have theorized might've been his road to finally winning a world championship. Regal did spend some time as the top heel of ECW in the years to follow, including presiding over the forgotten Ruthless Roundtable faction, but was a clear step removed from the heights of his career.

2 William Regal The NXT Authority Figure

William Regal became a beloved figure to a new generation of WWE fans as an on-air authority figure for the NXT brand. In addition to doing some early broadcast work and serving as a behind-the-scenes mentor to a lot of the company's up-and-coming talent, Regal's combination of real-life credibility and acting chops made him a pitch-perfect fit for his role on screen. He thrived in announcing big matches, asserting his control over chaotic situations, and generally being a well-loved face for the hardcore fans who were particularly drawn to the black-and-gold version of NXT.

1 William Regal And The Blackpool Combat Club In AEW

When AEW landed William Regal, there was no shortage of pundits who recognized him as one of the company's most important signings. While some of that has to do with his excellent work on screen as a manager for The Blackpool Combat Club, it also relates to his remarkable record as a mentor and scout behind the scenes who helped WWE land and sculpt a number of key talents. Regal's a trusted voice for wrestling executives, talents, and the fans. As such, he's off to a strong start in AEW.