Jim Ross Hails Former WWE Mid Card Wrestler as “One of the Best Minds” Who Missed Out on the Chance to Fight Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1998

Several WWE wrestlers are forgotten even months after their in-ring retirement. While some of them still appear in our conversations often, we tend to forget others until they are a part of some striking news. Jim Ross recently brought up one such WWE star in his podcast. Not only did he praise the former wrestler’s work, but he also revealed a crucial detail about a potential match of his that could’ve taken place.

William Regal could be considered WWE’s underrated gem. The former wrestler who was known for his technical ability in the ring was later indentified greatly for the time that he served as a non-performing member of WWE. However, despite being “one of the best minds in the business”, Ross wishes Regal had fought this specific match.

William Regal could have taken it up against Steve Austin

The friendship between Regal and Steve Austin started back when Austin joined WCW. Regal also performed in the same promotion. Austin mentioned how he was star-struck by Regal’s performance. The friendship then grew deeper after they started hanging out together.

Later both wrestlers came to WWE during the late 90s. It has been reported that in 1998, there was a plan to pull the two wrestlers into a storyline rivalry, twisting their friendship on camera.

However, this plan never came through. In his podcast, Ross said, “You gotta have your motor tuned up and ready to rock and roll, and at that time, he needed some work in that area.” So, Regal was probably not in the ‘wrestling’ shape when the offer to wrestle Austin was introduced. Fans never got to see him wrestle against Austin in 1998. However, Ross doesn’t back off from appreciating the 54-year-old. 

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“Still due today, he’s one of the best minds in the business,” added the Hall of Famer. Ross’ reason to say this is because Regal has been an integral mind behind WWE’s growth.

Why is William Regal so important to WWE?

Regal remained largely a mid card act during his in-ring tenure with WWE. Although the former wrestler first debuted as a performing star, he eventually switched his roles. Regal played an important role in NXT. He began working for WWE’s developmental brand in 2014. In the beginning, Regal’s role was to be a talent scout and a matchmaker.

During his tenure as the talent scout, Regal introduced several talented wrestlers to NXT. These wrestlers went on to become important WWE stars in the future, including Sami Zayn.

He then went on to become the General Manager of NXT. Regal handled the on-screen position for several years while uplifting the developmental brand behind the scenes as well. He eventually left the promotion but came back in January 2023 to become the Vice President of ‘Global Talent Development’ for WWE.

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Do you believe Jim Ross’ words when he calls Regal ‘one of the best minds’?