Interview:

WWE's William Regal

I recently worked with Lord Steven Regal-formerly of WCW / MCW, and currently with  WWE. We began talking and soon after- Steven began to tell me the drama that he had gone through over the past few years. After hearing his story, I felt that what he told me was very important and should be heard by other workers and fans everywhere. I asked him for an interview, and this is what I got:

J: Towards the end of your brief stay in WWE, there were reports that you were leaving for drug/alcohol rehabilitation. What lead you to leave WWE?

SR: As anyone who saw me in WWE in 1998 knows I was in a bad way. I was addicted to pain pills and muscle relaxers. WWE suggested I went to rehab, which I did on the 4th of January 1999. After 10 weeks of treatment was still not getting with the program, so I was released from my contract. I stayed in rehab until I was ready to live life without drugs ( after 4 months ). WWE paid for all my treatment, so to anyone out there who thinks they don't care for their employees, believe me they do.

J: What advice can you give to other wrestlers who depend on painkillers to keep them going?

SR: This may sound selfish but I'm not going to tell anyone how to live their lives. I take care of myself and my family. To me there's nothing worse than someone trying to tell you how to live your life. (As anyone who knows someone who has turned to religion can tell you)

J: Is it possible to take bump after bump-night after night and not have to rely on pain killers?

SR: Yes I believe it is. There are lots of pain medications that are non-addictive. There are times when certain types of pain can only be controlled by narcotics, if your an addict like me you need to put the responsibility of administering it into someone else's hands (someone you can trust). It needs to be someone who understands addictions. You wouldn't believe how little most doctors know about addiction.

J: A few years ago, you and Chris Benoit were involved in a very serious car accident-what happened?, how badly were you injured?, and is it true that instead of going to the hospital you went straight to the arena for a WCW ppv?

SR: We were badly injured. I suffered a severe neck injury and a concussion. We had the police take us straight to the arena, very foolish. We were lucky to be alive. I was mad at WCW for a long time after that because they let me go to the ring and wrestle when I was obviously in no shape to and I didn't know where I was. I have no recollection of the day after the crash. I've seen the match I had on tape and I have a blank look on my face and just going through the motions.

J: You recently left WCW for Memphis, a stop on the way back to WWE. What is the state of Memphis and the guys involved?

SR: Memphis has only been in existence for about 3 months. Everyone who works there are putting in a lot of effort to make it work.

J: In the show that we recently worked, I saw a new Steven Regal. You have a style like no one else today and I know that it is just a small amount of time before we see you at the top of the game. Where do you see yourself in a year, and what kind of character would you like to use that would best represent yourself?

SR: Apart from major injuries I can see the next few years being my best. I'm in the best shape I've been in since my early 20's and I'm now 32. I've got some ideas about what I'd like to do in WWE but nothing is definite yet so I can't really say what I'll be doing yet.

  J: Thank you very much and the best of luck to you. I hope that anyone with a painkiller addiction can learn from this and get help before it is too late. You have done a 180, and I'm very glad that you overcame this problem.