William Regal is one of the inevitable players on the current WWE management team today. He played a significant role in the formation of NXT as the official developmental territory of WWE and worked closely with Triple H over the years to recruit a number of talented wrestlers for the promotion.
his friendship with Triple H it’s well documented over the years, going back to their time together in WCW. They traveled together all these years and developed a close bond in the process, eventually leading to The Game bringing Regal back to WWE following his release in 2022. With that being said, let’s take a look at ten things fans should know about Triple H and William Regal’s relationship.
10 Worked as a tag team in WCW
Triple H and William Regal first met during their time together in WCW between 1994 and 1995. Regal and Triple H had similar aristocratic tricks in WCW, which eventually led to them working as a tag team for the company. .
William Regal took Triple H under his wings during that time and helped him learn the trade of competing in the big leagues. However, their association was short-lived and they only competed in one match as a team when Triple H left WCW to sign with WWE in 1995.
9 Regal supported Triple H’s decision to jump into WWE
William Regal and Triple H became close friends during their time in WCW, with Regal taking a personal interest in The Game’s career. After WCW denied Triple H’s request for a solo career, he opted to leave the company for WWE in 1995.
However, he reportedly consulted with William Regal before making the big decision, and the latter supported his judgment and wanted The Game to have a successful run. Regal believed that Triple H needed to work more matches to improve his skills and thought that he would have that opportunity in WWE and fully supported The Game’s decision to leave WCW.
8 They continued to be in contact until Regal made his WWE debut.
Despite leaving WCW to sign with WWE in 1995, Triple H remained in contact with William Regal, as the latter stayed with WCW. Regal stated that Triple H used to talk to him at regular intervals during their time apart, competing in different companies, which only strengthened their friendship.
They eventually reunited in WWE after William Regal signed with Vince McMahon’s company in 1998. Since then, they have been working together for more than two decades, barring the year Regal spent in AEW in 2022 following his release from WWE.
7 His early screen time in WWE
After a brief struggle with painkiller addictions and being released from the company, William Regal came clean and returned to WWE in 2000. He became a part of Invasion history, and following the end of that angle and his time with the Un-Americans stable, William Regal first worked alongside Triple H in WWE in 2004.
Regal acted as the on-screen guardian of Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff’s mentally challenged nephew, Eugene, and the angle soon led to him starting a program with Triple H’s Evolution faction. Regal and Triple H also worked together in 2008 during the former’s time as Raw General Manager. Regal assisted Ric Flair in his feud against Triple H at the time, and it resulted in Regal suffering a loss against The Game in a First Blood match.
6 They used to talk more about music
William Regal opened up about his relationship with Triple H on his The Gentleman Villain podcast and revealed that he and The Game don’t speak to each other often. Regal claimed that despite working together in NXT, he and Triple H did not often have serious conversations, but he claimed that they were close enough to know what was on each other’s minds.
However, the only subject they used to talk about was music, especially heavy metal, as Regal stated that they talked a lot about the band Motorhead, who performed the main theme of Triple H.
5 His contributions in the creation of NXT
During his later years as an in-ring performer, William Regal competed in a couple of matches against Dean Ambrose in FCW. His association with the development territory eventually led to his becoming a part of NXT.
He worked as a commentator for the brand at first, but soon became the on-screen General Manager. Behind the scenes, Regal played a key role in recruiting new wrestlers to NXT, which led him to become Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting.
He stepped into that role and worked closely with Triple H in grooming the next generation of WWE Superstars, some of whom are doing well on the main roster today.
4 Regal and Triple H shared the same vision regarding the new NXT signings
As previously mentioned, Triple H and William Regal didn’t usually have regular conversations during their time together in NXT, but they did know what the other had in mind. Regal stated that he and Triple H shared the same ideals when recruiting new talent to WWE and the two discussed what type of wrestlers they wanted to bring in.
As a result, Regal and Triple H brought in some of the best wrestlers from the independent circuit and other promotions, who contributed greatly to the success of the brand.
3 Arn Anderson once called them a pair of woodpeckers.
William Regal and Triple H may have had a brief partnership in WCW, but it caught the eye of backstage officials, who really liked their chemistry.
They shared a similar character and in-ring attire in WCW, which brought them closer as a team, but wrestling legend Arn Anderson saw another common factor between Regal and Triple H. He once called them a pair of woodpeckers, making a digging in the sizes of their noses.
2 William Regal once said he didn’t care if Tony Khan fired him for supporting NXT UK
Triple H and William Regal spent years working together to make NXT the third official brand of WWE, and NXT UK was its brainchild. However, things took a turn for the worse in development territories after Triple H went on hiatus after going into cardiac arrest in September 2021.
It was around this time that WWE repackaged NXT into NXT 2.0 and also released William Regal from his contract. The company also decided to shut down NXT UK last year, and William Regal gave his honest opinion on the decision, despite being signed to AEW. He even stated that he doesn’t care if AEW fires him for showing his support for NXT UK, as it was a passion project that he helped build.
1 Bringing William Regal back was one of Triple H’s first decisions
Following Vince McMahon’s departure as WWE CEO, Triple H took over as the company’s chief content officer. He became WWE’s main booker and set out to bring back some of the wrestlers the company released as part of budget cuts, including Bray Wyatt, Karrion Kross and Braun Strowman.
He also tried to bring William Regal back, but it took a while since the latter had signed with AEW. Triple H was reportedly very upset when WWE released Regal and took the first opportunity to bring him back after he became the CCO. William Regal returned to WWE in January 2023 and took over as Vice President of Global Talent Development.