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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Naveed Islam of Dhaka, Bangladesh
PWTorch.com Reader

It is no secret that William Regal is one of WWE's most underutilized acts. He is an accomplished wrestler, having won Tag Team, Hardcore, European, and Intercontinental gold, and is a great performer out of the ring as well, having been a part of many memorable skits and interviews. But despite all that he seemingly has going for him, he has been lounging in mid-card status for much of his WWE career. The 2008 King of the Ring marks a true step forward for William Regal's character in WWE. The tournament, once reserved for elevating young talent in the company, could be a stepping stone to making Regal a credible main event performer in 2008.

Regal's performance in the tournament establishes his mean streak as a wrestler and his cunning as a General Manager. His use of the Regal Stretch throughout the tournament reestablishes the finisher to those fans who are not accustomed to seeing him in the ring. He displayed an aggressiveness, particularly with C.M. Punk, which made him seem like a credible heel wrestler. And finally, the manner in which he, seemingly undeservingly, won the tournament fits his heel General Manager persona perfectly. The suspiciously poorly booked bottom brackets of the tournament could have actually been part of his grand scheme to win the crown. By ensuring an easy path for him to the final while make sure that his opponent, whether Punk, Matt Hardy, MVP, or Chris Jericho, was worn out before the match he secured his place on the throne. Finally, and most obviously, the "King of the Ring" title officially raises Regal's level of importance in wrestling history and marks him as a superstar the fans should keep an eye on.

What WWE chooses to do with William Regal over the coming weeks will be crucial to determining whether his winning the "King of the Ring" tournament was the right decision. WWE has a ready-made feud with Punk who lost after wrestling in two consecutive and competitive matches with Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy, and could claim a rematch when he is at a 100 percent. Or they could intensify the tensions between Jericho and Regal and put them both in a feud. Either way, the feud needs to start immediately after Regal's coronation, which could happen at Backlash or on Raw, so that WWE can continue the momentum coming off Regal's big win.

Despite being a General Manager on Raw, William Regal needs to be featured in more wrestling matches if he is to be built up as a main event worthy wrestler. These matches need not happen every week, but rather they should be less frequent to make them seem special when they happen. WWE wasted Regal's reportoire of moves in 2002 by making him repeatedly use the brass knuckles to finish a match instead of a conventional finisher. King of the Ring was only the first step in reestablishing Regal's moveset and perhaps new moves could slowly be incorporated to make him feel more fresh.

In future, perhaps as result of the WWE Draft or interbrand cross-overs, Regal could feud with other stars in WWE. Perhaps after facing Punk or Chris Jericho, he could move on to bigger fish such as Batista, Rey Mysterio, or Shawn Michaels. Regal could abuse his General Manager role, stacking the odds against his babyface opponent, remaining out of the ring and on the microphone leading up to their big matches. Regal's credibility as a wrestler will not falter as long as the announcers keep reminding the audience that not only is he an evil authority figure but he is also "King of the Ring" and a very accomplished athlete.

Another possible storyline would be to have him form his own stable. There is a growing number of European and specifically British-born wrestlers within the WWE now. By bringing Dave Taylor to Raw and with Paul Burchill and Katie Lea, Regal could lead his own faction or at the very least have Burchill and Taylor do his dirty work on Raw, like taking out a bothersome babyface or helping Regal win matches. There could be more storyline potentail with this group extending invitations to other European stars such as Finlay, Drew McIntyre, or D.H. Smith to join their ranks. As long as Regal is positioned in a prominent role, the faction could become a success while elevating other wrestlers who have yet to make it big in WWE.

Regal's win at King of the Ring has given WWE plenty of options. By choosing the right storylines, the right matches to wrestle and the right opponents to face, WWE could build up Regal to be one of the top acts at the end of this year and perhaps even a title-worthy superstar. Hopefully Regal will not go the way of former the Kings Mabel and Billy Gunn and instead become as valuable to the company as Bret Hart and Stone Cold were in their respective eras.

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