William Regal reveals the severity of his neck injury as of 2016.
Pro wrestling fans have not seen William Regal in a ring since December 2013, when he took on Cesaro (now known as AEW’s Claudio Castagnoli) on WWE NXT. According to Regal, this is due in part to a long-standing neck injury, which extends back to the 1990s.
Recently on X, the former WWE Intercontinental Champion shared an MRI taken of his neck in 2016. Per the doctor, the damage was so extensive that it mirrored a patient who was wheelchair-bound.
“The MRI of my neck when I finally couldn’t go anymore. Broken twice. Very unpleasant,” Regal wrote alongside the image. “I’ll let any medical people figure out this. The Dr told me ‘I’ve only seen one this bad before and they were in a wheelchair’. 2016, 4 disk fusion. It holds up my big carnival head.”
Last year, Regal opened up about his neck issues, which can be traced back to two breaks that occurred in a wrestling ring, then a car crash in the 90s. Based on his own experiences, Regal now cautions wrestlers to focus on their in-ring safety, and moreover, not ignore neck-related injuries.
Following his in-ring retirement, Regal has taken on a mix of backstage and on-screen roles in WWE and AEW. Currently, he serves as WWE’s Vice President of Global Talent Development. On occasion, he appears on WWE NXT television as well.
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