William Regal Reveals Prediction Vince McMahon Made About Bryan Danielson

During the most recent episode of Talk Is Jericho William Regal recalled getting the chance to work with Bryan Danielson at the end of his career. However, the day before they worked together on television, Regal ended up with a serious knee injury.

"I did a match with Bryan, I don't know how, it was when I wasn't really wrestling," he said. "We did a match on Superstars, we wrestled each other for two weeks in England, or in Europe. I couldn't believe it, I was getting two weeks with Bryan, and we went out and tore it up every night. The night before the TV, we were in Birmingham, and he gave me that dropkick in the corner. And my good knee, I tore the meniscus in it.

"But, I knew I was on with him the next day. I was going to go out, because I thought, 'this is it.' Because I know that my neck is not right. Oh, not long before that, I tore my pec and my other bicep, which I never got fixed."

Despite doctors telling William Regal to not wrestle against Bryan, he refused the situation. The wrestling legend demanded that he faced his friend because he wanted to put him over. Regal praised the work that Danielson put in because he couldn't even walk that day.

"The next night I am on with Bryan," he said. "And there were going, 'no, you can't wrestle, you can't wrestle.' I said, 'no, I want to put him over because he's the person who's stuck around me and listened to all my nonsense, and come and called me and sent me his stuff. I have sent him to places and put good words in for him and whatever else. No, if there's one person I want to have my last match with, it's him.' So, if you watch that match, you will see me walk down to the ring, and they actually played a rib on me.

"They played my old Man's Man music halfway down the ramp, and I am glad. Because they had to help me in the building that day, I couldn't walk. I don't like giving away wrestling, I am that old-fashioned, but if you watch that match it is 17 minutes of him carrying me because I can't walk. He did a masterful job, he actually even wrestled and did stuff on my leg without bending it. If you know that and watch what a masterful job he did of carrying me. He even looked like he bent my leg around the corner post, and never bent."

The match that they had ended up impressing Vince McMahon, who was waiting for them both in the Gorilla position. It was at this point that Vince saw the potential in Bryan as a heel, which William Regal revealed.

"I came back, and Mr. McMahon was there, I never thought he watched Superstars. He was right there to meet us, and he shook our hands," Regal revealed. "Bryan walked off, and he went, 'thank you very much, that was a good old proper wrestling match.' He said, 'that lad's going to make a good villain, isn't he?' Because we were in England, the kind of reactions I used to get, I don't know why. Well, I do know why, because I think people always knew they were in on the ride with me.

"They always knew I wasn't this whatever I was playing, this character, this Disney villain or pantomime villain. But this character that I used to play, or still play if I have to. I'll turn into it in the blink of an eye. People used to cheer me, but they were booing him, so Bryan turned it up. Just snarled a bit, and did his bit, and Mr. McMahon said, 'he's going to make a good villain.' It's funny because I don't even know if Bryan even knows that. Then two months later, they started turning him villain."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.