Eric Bischoff Discusses William Regal's Backstage Value In WWE

No matter how good they are in the ring, not every wrestler is suited for a backstage role. Some have no desire at all, while others, like WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, have tried their hand at producing and admitted it wasn't for them. But then there's the rare talent who could do both well. 

On his "83 Weeks" podcast, Eric Bischoff touched on Arn Anderson's behind-the-scenes aptitude, before mentioning another name he felt belonged in the same category — William Regal. 

"Another example of someone who did it, but is probably more valuable as a coach or teacher than he ever could've been in the ring. Not because he wasn't that good in the ring. But because he's so phenomenally good at teaching the art," Bischoff said.

After his final WWE in-ring feud with Antonio Cesaro in 2013, Regal transitioned to an on-screen authority role in "WWE NXT," which is where he began dipping his toe in producing, coaching, and scouting young talent. WWE promoted him to both WWE Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting as the years progressed, but he was released in early 2022 as part of wider staff cuts at the WWE Performance Center. Regal joined AEW a few months later, but didn't last a full calendar year there before returning to WWE.

Bischoff commended Regal for being in tune with some of wrestling's more subtle aspects, which he said is his greatest asset.

"[Regal] was telling me about some of the things he's working on in WWE, and they're all, like, little things," Bischoff said. "But someone once told me that great television, whether it's storytelling or action, is really the culmination of a lot of little details all coming together. And guys like William Regal, Arn Anderson — and there are others — are so critical to that process."