Note: This article refers to the territory era wrestler Steve Regal and not WWE’s William/Steven Regal.
“Mr. Electricity” Steve Regal — a champion for the AWA in the 1980s — passed away earlier this year at 73 years old.
While not reported at the time, Regal (Stephen Michael Regal) died on July 30, 2025. An obituary does not list the cause of death but notes that Regal was living in Greenwood, Indiana.
Regal was the son-in-law of wrestling legend Wilbur Snyder. He broke into the industry after working as a contractor, where he was asked to build a ring and haul it around to shows. He eventually became a referee and then a wrestler. He started out in Indiana and later worked in the AWA, NWA, Memphis, Portland, Jim Crockett Promotions, and the WWF.
In the AWA, Regal & Jimmy Garvin had one Tag Team title reign together, winning the belts from The Road Warriors and eventually losing them to Curt Hennig & Scott Hall.
Regal also had Junior Heavyweight title reigns for both the AWA and NWA.
“The National Wrestling Alliance is saddened to note the passing of former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion ‘Mr. Electricity’ Steve Regal,” the NWA tweeted today. “Defeating Denny Brown for the title, this flashy and charismatic grappler reigned atop pro wrestling’s junior heavyweight [division] in 1986, paving a path for generations to come.
“The NWA extends its most sincere thoughts to Regal’s family, friends and fans during this time.”
Regal spoke about his career in an interview with Hannibal TV in 2021, noting that he didn’t want to be like other wrestlers who stuck around too long. He decided to get out of the ring around the time he turned 40 because he didn’t want to damage his body anymore and wanted to be there for his family. Regal saved enough to buy a house along with having some money in his savings account. He got a job as a salesman and worked in that field until he retired.
