William Regal On Learning Tag Team Wrestling From Bobby Eaton, Forming Blue Bloods With Eaton In WCW

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, William Regal discussed the passing of “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, Eaton’s impact on tag team wrestling, and much more. Here’s what Regal had to say:

William Regal on asking to be paired with Bobby Eaton after Triple H (then Jean-Paul Levesque) left WCW for WWE: “I was only 24 when I came to America, and I was still trying to figure everything out. Even when I lost the TV title, I was never doomy or gloomy. It was always a pleasure to me. I enjoyed the title runs, and then I had been teaming with Triple H, but I knew that he was leaving to go to the WWE. I went home for Christmas, and when I came back for the first TVs, I was at Center Stage [Theater in Atlanta] for our tapings, ready to fit in anywhere. [WCW head booker] Ric Flair came up to me and said, ‘Levesque’s no longer here; we need to think of something for you to do.’ Instantly, I looked around, and there, sitting in the bleacher stands, I was hit with a lightning bolt. I said, ‘Please put me with Bobby.’”

On Jody Hamilton’s passing and forming the Blue Bloods team with Eaton: “Jody Hamilton also passed a few days ago, and I’ve been thinking a lot about him, too. There’s another wrestling great. Before I teamed with Bobby, he’d spent a lot of time working with me and Triple H, harnessing our skills as a tag team over a six-week period. Then I had the chance to work with Bobby, so it was the best thing possible for me to learn. When I started teaming with Bobby, immediately, we clicked. Everything we did, in the ring and out of it, I learned so much. As a travel partner, he was a complete and utter joy to be around. It was incredible for me. I got to learn tag wrestling from Bobby Eaton.”

On Eaton’s legacy in wrestling and his impact on tag team wrestling: “Bobby brought such incredible precision to everything he did. So much so, it would take me out of the moment. I’d be standing there with my mouth open, and I’d ask myself, ‘How does he do that?’ Then I’d remind myself to get back in character and go. He had an old-school skill, and we never planned anything out. His timing was precise, and in the ring, he was in total control. I was so in awe of him. He was incredible to watch. His work will never go out of style. It will never run its course. If you put those matches on today, it will still draw a reaction. Bobby’s tag matches are timeless….tag team wrestling is a spectacular thing to watch. When done right, there is nothing quite like it. Bobby laid the blueprint of what it looks like today in modern-day wrestling. The double-team moves, he was an innovator. Bobby is at the top of that list. When you talk to experts of tag team wrestling, the Midnight Express and the Rock ’n’ Roll Express will forever be the greats. It was so incredibly good. Anyone interested in wrestling, I urge them to watch that and learn.”