William Regal and the Importance of Learning from Those Who Came Before

Back at the end of December, William Regal made a rare social media post. In the post, he takes the time to explain the dangers of moves that end with someone getting dropped on their neck. He also talks about how he broke his neck twice. He never told anyone because he was worried about his spot. And he figured since it didn’t hurt, it was fine.

He goes on to explain that once your in-ring career is done, it’s your quality of life that matters. He cites Bryan Danielson’s struggles with his neck, as well as his own, as examples. I appreciated his point that most fans are unaware of the distinction between a Vertical Suplex and a Brainbuster. Trying to get a momentary pop by getting dropped on your head is not a way to build a long-term career or, more importantly, a post-career.

Wrestling Done Right is Hard Enough

As we’ve seen this year, injuries can occur at any time, even during routine moves. Morgan dislocated her shoulder taking a standard front bump. The same thing happened to Penta and Dominik this year. If you can be hurt doing a routine move, why add something less safe into the equation? My own pro wrestling career was only about a year or so, but the injuries that forced me to stop will be with me forever.

Belair’s finger is another injury that happened during a routine move. It was just a matter of bad placement, and her finger got trapped under Ripley as she landed a move off the top rope. And that broken finger has put Belair out for the rest of 2025. So, again I ask, if wrestling done right is hard, why add moves that can lead to serious injury or worse?

Broken Necks and Death are Not Cool

The laundry list of broken or injured necks in wrestling is probably too long to list. But just for the sake of argument, I’ll list a few. Big E, Steve Austin, Edge, Lita, William Regal, Saraya, Bryan Danielson, and TJ Wilson. Big E and Wilson were lucky in the fact that they were able to walk away. Reading Natalya’s book, the only thing that saved Wilson was that his neck was so strong. The others have all had various neck injuries and had their careers shortened or put on hold. And now deal with the long-term effects of their neck injuries.

Others weren’t so lucky. Droz and Hayabusa were paralyzed for life. Perro Aguayo Jr. and Mitsuharu Misawa both died from their injuries. And that is just neck injuries; Katsuyori Shibata had to take four years off after he had a subdermal hematoma from repeatedly using the headbutt. This is a very similar injury that led to the death of MMA fighter Tim Hague.

It Isn’t Tough

The sleeper suplex off the top rope is what many believe prompted Regal to write this. And I’ve got to say I agree with him. This looks brutal and dangerous, and not in a pro wrestling way. It’s one thing when a botch almost or does lead to an injury. A botch isn’t planned; it is an accident, and you just hope you are coming out the otherside okay. But to plan for this kind of spot? It is just reckless and unnecessary.

You get a gasp or a pop, and then keep going. This wasn’t even the finish to the match. This also connects with another article I wrote about how fans expect more every time. A chair shot used to be a big deal, and now it’s just a thing that happens. So, the next time Mox and Fletcher have a match, how are they going to top this one? It’s the law of diminishing returns.

And look, I’m not saying that wrestling should go back to being mat grappling only. As Regal said, Wrestling done right is hard. It is always going to hurt; the risk of injury is always there. But there are ways to do it that minimize the risk of serious injury. Not getting dropped or dropping someone else on their head is an easy thing to get away from. A piledriver done right is very safe, but you can only be so safe doing something like the Avalanche Sleeper Suplex. As the adage goes, work smarter, not harder. And I really hope younger wrestlers will listen to Regal, because he has lived it and now lives with the repercussions of it.