William Regal has issued a warning to today’s wrestlers, using his own painful history as a cautionary tale about the dangers of landing on the head in the ring.
In a lengthy post on X, Regal explained that he rarely speaks publicly, but felt compelled to do so after seeing what he described as an alarming trend in modern wrestling. Regal revealed that he broke his neck twice – once in the ring in 1993 and again in a car accident in 1997 – injuries he admitted he never properly disclosed at the time.
Regal stressed that he was trained in an era where wrestlers were taught how to protect themselves, including how to bridge correctly and avoid taking impact on the top of the head. He argued that these techniques are now largely lost, with many performers simply copying what they see without understanding the long-term consequences.
Referencing the death of Mitsuharu Misawa, Regal said he once hoped that tragedy would put an end to reckless neck bumps. Instead, he believes the problem has only gotten worse, with many wrestlers brushing off concerns by claiming the moves “don’t hurt.” Regal countered that belief directly, warning that the pain always comes later.
He also spoke about the ongoing suffering experienced by himself and others close to him, including Bryan Danielson, noting that chronic neck issues affect sleep, daily function, and overall quality of life. Regal emphasized that the misery doesn’t fade once the matches are over – it follows you forever.
Pushing back against the idea that these risks are worth it, Regal said that money, fame, and brief moments of glory are meaningless compared to lifelong pain. He added that most fans can’t tell the difference between relatively safe techniques and far more dangerous ones, making the risks even less justifiable.
Now 57, Regal acknowledged that many may dismiss his words as outdated or irrelevant. Still, he said his hope is that at least a few wrestlers will listen and change course.
Regal closed by urging wrestlers to think beyond their current careers, reminding them that wrestling done properly is already hard enough – and that broken necks or worse should never be considered “cool” or part of the job.
You can read Regal’s complete message below:
“I stay off here but was alerted to something to day that has alarmed me. I don’t read any comments so don’t waste your time trying to argue or justify your very wrong opinions on this. I broke my neck twice, 9/93 in ring and a car wreck in ‘97 and stupidly never told anyone. And I was taught properly how to bridge and not land on the top of my head. It’s a skill that maybe 99.9 % of people don’t know or will ever learn anymore.
I kept going somehow but knew all the tricks that again people don’t learn now and watch film and just copy. After Misawa San passed from his neck problems I thought it would stop this nonsense but it’s got worse and whenever I talk to people about them doing it it’s ‘well it doesn’t hurt….’ Believe me it will.
I have people close to me now, Bryan being one, who is suffering daily like myself from his neck. It’s a daily misery and sleep and every other aspect of your life is more than hard. Although people use the term tough about me you’ll never hear me say that as I’m not and don’t think I am or have ever been.
Money and whatever nonsense fame is supposed to be is not worth the pain or supposed two evening glory you get from these ridiculous moves dropping yourself on your head. The vast majority of fans don’t know the difference between a vertical suplex and a brainbuster and that’s a far tamer move than many I see now.
I’m 57 and become less relevant every day but fame has never been my thing so most of you doing this STUPID stuff are not going to listen to me but hopefully a few do.
Stop it now if you want a decent quality of life after Wrestling because that part of your life will be over before you know it and wrestling done right is hard enough but broken necks or death are not something you should think is tough or cool. It’s idiotic thinking.”
Regal also shared the following photo:
