Regal is a Poor Twisted Child, So Ugly So Ugly

William Regal vs. Edge WWF Royal Rumble 1/20/02 - EPIC

ER: It's the way that Regal smugly waves to the Atlanta crowd on the way to the ring. The fine people of Atlanta should be as familiar with Regal as anyone, and this is literally his first match back in his old territory. Fittingly, this match is worked shockingly similar to Regal's WCW matches vs. Psychosis, and this one is somehow even better. It's nuts how many highspots they work into this match, but 2002 was a pretty insane in-ring year in WWE. The opener of this PPV saw Spike Dudley take eight big bumps off suplexes and getting generally thrown, and here you have two much bigger guys each taking bumps that rival Spike. 

Regal is great at selling Edge offense, but Edge lays it in more in this match than any match of his I can remember, so the selling works extra well. Regal is great at filling in blanks that most would have left blank, he takes a great backdrop bump, and really whips his forehead into the mat when Edge...well, whips Regal's forehead into the mat. You think you're getting into a match where Regal will stooge and cheat, and while there is cheating, there is also some real beating. Regal's running knee strike and short left elbow both looked finisher worthy, and his face lock looked like he was trying to crush Edge's jaw. He throws Edge with a half nelson suplex that almost spikes him, and instead Edge takes it right on his freaking nose. I had no memory of this match being this great. 

They keep adding interesting twists and new ways of doing things, like when Regal attempts a Tiger Driver and Edge blocks it, slowly powers up from it, and holds Regal in the air still locked together in that butterfly, before sending him over into a heavy landing northern lights variation. The way Edge's body landed on Regal's chest on the landing looked like something that would keep a man down, and looked more like something Tamon Honda would do, not Edge. Maybe the best part? We still get that release Tiger Driver, and it rules. They keep going, working in an apron DDT, a great Edge spinning heel kick off the top, a Regal German suplex that throws and folds Edge across the ring like Kawada, and some actual potato shots. I'm not sure I've seen Edge's forearm smashes look better than they do here, and he hits a falling clothesline that is so good, I honestly didn't think Edge had it in him. They even work in some slick submission stuff, with Edge doing a cool as hell drop toehold when Regal repositions him for a Regal stretch, and whatever stretch variation Edge briefly locks in turns Regals lips blue. Jesus. The finish is some fun bullshit with Nick Patrick being pulled in the path of a Spear and Regal laying Edge out cold with brass knux. An absolute unheralded gem. Why don't Edge fans ever point to this match when arguing their position? 

PAS: This was surprisingly great. The announcers are talking about how Edge broke Regal's nose, so Regal was coming in looking for a receipt and well, pissed off spud tosser Regal is the best Regal. It felt like he was pushing the pace and forcing Edge to either swim or drown, so Edge was landing some big shots as well. I really dug the dueling Regal Stretches, although I normally hate "the use my opponent's finisher" stuff, which was rife in early 2000s WWE. I loved Regal picking the ref's pocket to get back the knux. A fun BS finish for an otherwise nasty match.

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE REGAL