You WILL respect the king - Hulk's Regal review

For my first edition of my yet-unnamed but still taking suggestions column I'm going to profile your 2008 King of the Ring and Raw GM William Regal.

Titles - WWE European Champion (4), WWE IC Champion, World Tag Team Champion (4), Hardcore Champion, WCW TV Title (4)

Gimmick - Basically, Regal is a cocky, arrogant, better-than-thou heel. It's a gimmick he plays very well. I'll give Regal his due here, he's a very, very good heel and is easy to hate. Although he's the King of Ring I find it refreshing that he's not playing up the king gimmick. I never was a big fan of that gimmick in the first place. Sure Lawler does it well and so did Booker a few years back, but aside from that it's a bad gimmick. But I digress.

Ringwork - Regal is primarily a technical wrestler, but he is an above average brawler as well. He's not a flyer of any sort and his hardcore skills are about average. To my knowledge he has no major injuries that hamper his ringwork. He's not a good worker in matches that require him to fly or do a lot of hardcore spots. Aside from that he can work with pretty much anyone and is the type of worker that is the backbone of any wrestling company.

Mic work - Regal is very charismatic on the mic and one of the better mic workers in the business IMO. He has the mic skills of a world champion even if he doesn't have the look and the "it" factor to take him there. He cuts a good promo and comes across well in backstage segments as well. His reactions, often, are priceless.

Charisma - Regal connects well with the fans during his matches. People boo and chant "Regal sucks" as he pulls another pair of brass knucks from his trunks. (There's no way it can be comfortable to store them there.) Some guys use heel tactics and no one cares. When Regal does he gets booed mightily. His promos connect well with the fans as well.

Intangibles - Regal lacks the look and "it" factor of a world champion. He is a solid mid-carder to upper mid-carder but doesn't seem to have what it takes to be a permanent fixture in the main event. The look is just not there, nor is the "it" factor. He has a history of drug and alcohol problems. He has bad hair.

Backstage - I have heard nothing but good things about Regal backstage. To my knowledge he is generally very well respected and is a locker room leader.

Overall - Regal is the type of worker who is the backbone of a wrestling company and is an excellent choice to train newbies to the business and put over up and coming stars. His good mic skills and charisma make him an excellent choice for minor and major storylines as well.