10 Wrestlers Who Had No Business Being In The Ring

3. Man's Man Steven Regal

The Executioner
WWE.com

In a gross byproduct of the old wrestler's mentality, Steven Regal broke his neck in 1993 without realising it and worked for several years afterwards. As a wrestler, a tough man, he thought that this - rather than being the cumulative effect of a very serious injury - was just the general pain that every worker is told on day one that they must withstand, every day, were they to choose the life.

Medical screening wasn't what it is now back then. Regal worked several major promotions without realising that every bump was exacerbating his injury, which was such a constant source of pain that he developed insomnia. He paced up and down planes when all around him caught precious sleep because he could not work out how to sit down without enduring blinding pain.

He masked the debilitating agony by abusing substances, and while it should be noted that he later thanked WWE for saving his life in 1999 by saving him from himself, he should not have been in the ring in late 1998. He himself agrees with this, writing in his autobiography that he shouldn't have been allowed within a thousand miles of one.

When he cut pre-match promos, appealing to find a real man of an opponent, he slurred over his words. It was almost impossible to ascertain what he was saying, and when he got in the ring, the brutal technician was nowhere to be seen.

He got lost frequently, and bumped in an unsettling, delayed way because he didn't know where he was and had to be reminded where he was.

 
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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!