How? VP of Global Talent Development for WWEWilliam Regal consistently evaluates talent’s in-ring performances and in turn provides them with ways they can improve. Sometimes, Regal takes its guidance to the public forum as well.
Such was the case this weekend, when the 42-year-old industry veteran offered valuable tips on game hook attempts and shots.
“We feature trained professional fighters with instincts (even comedy fights),” he said. wrote in X. “If you don’t win, you’ll make less money in the story we’re telling. Every televised fight, if there is a pin, the cameras focus.
As an example of the strikes and pins he was looking for, Regal referenced an early 2000s match between legends AJ Styles and Amazing Red, where both competitors aggressively applied each pin, with their opponent’s shoulders both covered and lined up. Regal noted that each subsequent blow was just as powerful, almost as if “their lives depended on it.” After 20 years, he believes the art is lost.
“Let’s not insult the intelligence of our audience who give us their precious time,” Regal continued. “In a fight scene in a movie (which is wrestling) we know that the punches aren’t really hitting, but if we saw that we would eventually stop watching it. Your audience and fans deserve better. If you don’t feel uncomfortable for a few seconds when you get stuck in a nipple, maybe this isn’t for you.
I work for WWE, but I watch a lot of wrestling around the world. This applies to all wrestlers in all companies. I worked in wrestling for 42 years. Observation: We portray trained professional fighters with instincts (even comedy fights). If you don’t win, you will earn less money…
— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) October 16, 2026
Regal himself has spent several decades competing in the ring The official match of his tenure against Claudio Castagnoli (formerly WWE’s Cesaro) in 2013. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion has remained involved in the business in a non-wrestling capacity ever since.
