YMMV / William Regal

• Award Snub: In the pre-determined world of pro-wrestling, he has never been a world champion in WWE or known to be world champion in any other promotion. It could also be related to the WWE Triple Crown Championship (WWE/World, Intercontinental, and Tag Team tiles) and WWE Grand Slam Championship (WWE/World, Intercontinental, Hardcore/European, and WWE/World/Unified Tag Team titles), since before Drew McIntyre won the WWE Championship in 2020, he only needed either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship to become the first British (and overall European) Triple Crown Champ and Grand Slam Champ.
• Awesome Music:
  • His long-time ring entrance theme, the aptly named "Villain."
  • His "Real Man's Man" music from his brief spell as a lumberjack type character in WWF in 1998. Any video from this career will have people singing the lyrics in the video comments. The music is regarded as epic sounding and standing in amusing contrast to the ridiculous nature of the gimmick and the fact he was always completely high whilst performing it. The popularity of the music has far outlasted the actual gimmick, which ended after Regal was fired for his drug use (which was the reason he'd been fired from WCW beforehand). When Regal returned to the WWF in 2000, now named William Regal, he returned to his blue blood gimmick he had portrayed in WCW, and used a trumpet-heavy theme for a while before adopting the dramatic-sounding "Villain".
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Regal is really, really, really good. Like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit good. However, in his decades-long career, Regal has never really been a top-level superstar, mostly due to lifelong struggles with substance abuse. By the time he kicked the habit, age and long-term damage had taken their toll. Still, WhatCulture Wrestling listed him as the most underrated wrestler of all time and when you think about it, it's hard to disagree. If you want to get an idea of how much potential Regal had, just watch his most famous protégé, Bryan Danielson, who copies a lot of his moves and mannerisms.
• Harsher in Hindsight: While every interview in WWE's well-meaning but ill-fated memorial show for Chris Benoit suffers from this severely, Regal's interview might be the eeriest of all. Regal lived in the same town as the Benoit family and apparently was aware of some of the domestic issues Chris and Nancy were experiencing. Throughout the entire interview, he declines to discuss Benoit as a person, only referring to his technical achievements and skill at his craft. The whole time, and in direct contrast to everyone else there, Regal looks like he's suspected something horrible has happened but doesn't want to say it - assuming this is true, the fact that he turned out to be correct makes it absolutely chilling to watch nowadays. ^note  Regal has stated that John "Bradshaw" Layfield suggested Benoit may have been behind the murders right before Regal filmed his interview, which prompted the reaction. Regal was not close personal friends with Benoit nor did he know anything more than the general public. His obvious discomfort was prompted by the mere suggestion that Benoit may have been involved.
• Heroic Build/Hollywood Pudgy/Top-Heavy Guy: Barrel-chested, lack of six-pack abs, disproportionately skinny arms compared to his chest, rather long legs that are good enough to hold up his torso. Notable when he's in his ring gear.
• Ho Yay: When asked about perceived homo-eroticism in "rolling around on the floor" with The Rock, Regal joked that The Rock "always closes his eyes when I kiss him."
• Memetic Mutation: "Youmanga" really caught on. As he expected it to.
  @Realkingregal (on the 4th anniversary of Umaga's death): People ask me a lot why I used to say Umanga the way I did.It was so people would remember it.I'm glad I did.A great man.
  • “WARGAMES!”
• Older Than They Think
  • William Regal's been wrestling since 1983. That's longer than Cody Rhodes has been alive. (Rhodes was born in 1985.)
  • He was using the Punt long before Randy Orton.
• Shocking Moments: His AEW debut. People had been calling for Tony Khan to sign him ever since he was released from WWE because of his vast experience and genius wrestling brain, but when he appeared at the end of Revolution's Moxley/Danielson match to force the two men to shake hands the IWC exploded as an already mouth-watering prospect^note Mox and Danielson teaming up to lead a stable of vicious young talent suddenly became sumptuous with the inclusion of the man who had mentored them both.
• Signature Line: Starting 2017, William Regal's answer to settle a feud including multiple people in NXT is to put them into one of the most barbaric matches that was used in NWA and WCW, and suffice to say, his manner of announcing it has become synonym with both him and the match.
  William Regal: These three teams will be in two rings! In one cage! In WARGAMES!!!
• So Bad, It's Good: His "A Real Man's Man" theme. The gimmick as a whole is viewed as this or Audience-Alienating Era, sometimes both.
  "He's a man/Such a man/Such a man/He's a real real real real, a real man's maaaan!"