William Regal Reveals Request Vince McMahon Made When WWE Went HD

In January of 2008, WWE officially began broadcasting its programming in high definition under the tagline "WWE HD". At the time, WWE had three brands, "Raw", "SmackDown" and "ECW" and the company created new sets for each show to celebrate the switch to HD.

With the product transitioning to high definition, WWE needed someone to help talent become accustomed to the change and during a recent episode of the "Gentleman Villain Podcast," William Regal revealed who Vince McMahon wanted as that person.

"Mr. McMahon pulled me to the side and he said 'Darren (Regal's real first name), can I talk to you? I want you to be the one, the first one who changes everything as far as facial wise. This HD TV picks up everything in a completely different world than we're used to. You're always the one known for pulling faces and big expressions. I want you to take it the other way which is you do it as little as possible and the little nostril flares and glances.' Regal said.

"He might have asked a couple of people but he asked me, early on in that day of the first taping, 'I want you to do that. Tonight go the exact opposite of what you have ever done before.'

Regal spent over 20-years with the WWE working several roles for the company including his infamous run as WWE NXT Geneal Manager. In general, between his in-ring and out-of-ring antics the pro wrestling legend made a major impact during his time there. Unfortunately, Regal's time with WWE ended earlier this year, signing with AEW immediately after where he currently manages the Blackpool Combat Club consisting of Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Gentleman Villain with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.