“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton passed away last Wednesday. Since that time, the wrestling world has been remembering him.
William Regal, who teamed with Eaton in WCW, did an interview with Sports Illustrated to talk about the late wrestler. Here are some of the highlights:
Being a fan of Eaton’s:
“I was a huge fan of Bobby, even before I had ever met him,” Regal says. “It was so hard to watch American wrestling when I was growing up, but I ended up with these NWA tapes with Bobby on them. I remember thinking, ‘I like this fella.’ I only had a grasp of wrestling back then, but I could already tell his high flying was just spot-on.”
Teaming with Eaton:
“Jody Hamilton also passed a few days ago, and I’ve been thinking a lot about him, too,” Regal says. “There’s another wrestling great. Before I teamed with Bobby, he’d spent a lot of time working with me and Triple H, harnessing our skills as a tag team over a six-week period. Then I had the chance to work with Bobby, so it was the best thing possible for me to learn. When I started teaming with Bobby, immediately, we clicked. Everything we did, in the ring and out of it, I learned so much. As a travel partner, he was a complete and utter joy to be around. It was incredible for me. I got to learn tag wrestling from Bobby Eaton.”
Easton as a person:
“Bobby brought such incredible precision to everything he did,” says Regal, who noted he is still amazed at the way Eaton would drop his Alabama Jam leg drop from the top. “So much so, it would take me out of the moment. I’d be standing there with my mouth open, and I’d ask myself, ‘How does he do that?’ Then I’d remind myself to get back in character and go. He had an old-school skill, and we never planned anything out. His timing was precise, and in the ring, he was in total control.”