Black Widow
02-16-2009, 01:59 PM
WWE’S British lion William Regal has revealed a major heart scare nearly derailed his career after the British tour last November.
The good news is since Christmas he’s fighting fit and back to busting heads and spitting teeth in a terrific feud over the Intercontinental Championship he won on these shores.
Regal, speaking exclusively to FT, has revealed things weren’t as they seemed on TV. Isn’t that often the case?
He said: “I had a bit of a strange episode after the tour – I thought it was a touch of flu, but it turned out to be trouble from years ago with my heart.
“When it happened before, I kept it quiet on medication, but this time I had ablation therapy just after Thanksgiving, where they put the tubes up through my hip.
“I’m not sure if they could have done it years ago!
“Everything’s great and we worked around it. It was a blessing really because they got to do that great tournament. Boxing Day was my first day back.
“It was a serious procedure. but they said I’d be ready to wrestle the next week.
“I passed two lots of cardio tests within a week of the op.
“I thought it was like a mind game, are you sure you’re all right?!”
Well played WWE for working through the problem. But even more for sticking by Regal through his difficulties.
And when Regal was able to return he found himself up against an ideal foe in CM Punk.
A lot of people have nothing good to say about him, but Regal is full of praise.
He tells me: “It was from Eddie Guerrero that I first heard about Punk – when he went away and worked some independents he came across him.
“I’ve been fan of Punk for a long time now. I’d heard about him from his work with ROH.
“He came to Dave Taylor’s wrestling school and he didn’t tell anyone who he was; he just picked our brains and paid the money.”
Regal goes on: “If I liked him before, I’m very impressed now.
“It’s been a long time since I found anyone in the ring who I have this sort of special connection with.
“His rep doesn’t bother him or me; some like him, some don’t.
“What I like about him is he learns and is a real student of the game, despite that dirty, scruffy exterior badly in need of soap.”
With wrestling matches on RAW seeming to get shorter and shorter, what does go on in the ring has to make a sufficient impact.
Regal is keen to be looking after that aspect of WWE TV rather than, shall we say, demonstrating his comedic range.
He says: “I honestly believe we haven’t scratched the surface on what we can do together.
“I’ve always kept it different and sometimes not good different because I can do it, the comedy and all that.
“At the moment the kind of wrestling I’m doing is hard hitting and has a real edge to it. Next week I could be back to wearing a red nose, making animal balloons or something, so I’m enjoying it.
“I am getting more and more comfortable with my deranged character.
“When I signed up it was for pro-wrestling, not to be a monk. And 150 years ago I would have been a pirate.” Well, there’s one bonus. It can’t possibly be as funny as Christian running in on Jack Swagger.
My word, Cage must have felt sick when he heard that.
FT knows a few people in Nashville who are going corset shopping this week because their sides have officially split.
* No Way Out airs on Monday morning at 1am on Sky Box Office. See channel 755 or wwe.com for details.
The Daily Star
The good news is since Christmas he’s fighting fit and back to busting heads and spitting teeth in a terrific feud over the Intercontinental Championship he won on these shores.
Regal, speaking exclusively to FT, has revealed things weren’t as they seemed on TV. Isn’t that often the case?
He said: “I had a bit of a strange episode after the tour – I thought it was a touch of flu, but it turned out to be trouble from years ago with my heart.
“When it happened before, I kept it quiet on medication, but this time I had ablation therapy just after Thanksgiving, where they put the tubes up through my hip.
“I’m not sure if they could have done it years ago!
“Everything’s great and we worked around it. It was a blessing really because they got to do that great tournament. Boxing Day was my first day back.
“It was a serious procedure. but they said I’d be ready to wrestle the next week.
“I passed two lots of cardio tests within a week of the op.
“I thought it was like a mind game, are you sure you’re all right?!”
Well played WWE for working through the problem. But even more for sticking by Regal through his difficulties.
And when Regal was able to return he found himself up against an ideal foe in CM Punk.
A lot of people have nothing good to say about him, but Regal is full of praise.
He tells me: “It was from Eddie Guerrero that I first heard about Punk – when he went away and worked some independents he came across him.
“I’ve been fan of Punk for a long time now. I’d heard about him from his work with ROH.
“He came to Dave Taylor’s wrestling school and he didn’t tell anyone who he was; he just picked our brains and paid the money.”
Regal goes on: “If I liked him before, I’m very impressed now.
“It’s been a long time since I found anyone in the ring who I have this sort of special connection with.
“His rep doesn’t bother him or me; some like him, some don’t.
“What I like about him is he learns and is a real student of the game, despite that dirty, scruffy exterior badly in need of soap.”
With wrestling matches on RAW seeming to get shorter and shorter, what does go on in the ring has to make a sufficient impact.
Regal is keen to be looking after that aspect of WWE TV rather than, shall we say, demonstrating his comedic range.
He says: “I honestly believe we haven’t scratched the surface on what we can do together.
“I’ve always kept it different and sometimes not good different because I can do it, the comedy and all that.
“At the moment the kind of wrestling I’m doing is hard hitting and has a real edge to it. Next week I could be back to wearing a red nose, making animal balloons or something, so I’m enjoying it.
“I am getting more and more comfortable with my deranged character.
“When I signed up it was for pro-wrestling, not to be a monk. And 150 years ago I would have been a pirate.” Well, there’s one bonus. It can’t possibly be as funny as Christian running in on Jack Swagger.
My word, Cage must have felt sick when he heard that.
FT knows a few people in Nashville who are going corset shopping this week because their sides have officially split.
* No Way Out airs on Monday morning at 1am on Sky Box Office. See channel 755 or wwe.com for details.
The Daily Star