When Bryan Danielson first signed a WWE developmental contract, he was still a teenager: so green that he hadn't yet settled on a convincing style to wrestle in. He received the opportunity purely because he was a student at Shawn Michaels' Texas Wrestling Academy, and Michaels treated his kids like they were the next big thing in pro wrestling. Still working a high risk, high flying style which didn't suit his physique or his temperament, Danielson was in need of a change. When he arrived in WWE's developmental promotion of the era, Memphis Championship Wrestling, he met the man who'd give it to him: English wrestling icon, superworker and man's man Darren 'William Regal' Matthews.
" ended up being the most influential person in my career... Regal took to Brian and me right away when he saw how eager we were to learn. He introduced us to the European style of wrestling, which was heavily based on submissions holds, counters, and advanced mat-based wrestling... Since I was trying to switch to a less risky style, Regal was the perfect teacher for me. He would go into detail explaining the finer points of basic holds, and why certain counters make sense and others dont, given the intuitive visual intelligence people have about the human body... the way Regal thought and talked about wrestling transformed the way I thought and talked about it. It made sense to me... Even though we were only in Memphis a couple of months together, Regal became my mentor, and he has remained my mentor ever since. Hes the person I go to for advice to this day." - Yes! My Improbable Journey To The Main Event Of WrestleMania
It's no exaggeration to say that William Regal is the single greatest man who ever lived*. Danielson took on board his words of advice like they were shipwrecked supermodels, basing the entirety of his new style on the wisdom that Regal brought to bear. He even took to wearing maroon colours to the ring in honour of Regal. Regal would later repay the favour by assisting him in attempting to win the JBL & Cole Show's talent contest with this display of the Iron Arts: https://youtu.be/GIoBF3l6M6I?t=3m43s *May still contain traces of exaggeration.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
