The Blue Bloods
| The Blue Bloods | |
|---|---|
| Tag team | |
| Members |
William Regal Dave Taylor |
| Name(s) |
Blue Bloods William Regal and Dave Taylor |
| Heights |
Regal: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Taylor: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Combined weight | 490 lb (220 kg; 35 st) |
| Former member(s) | Earl Robert Eaton |
| Debut | 1995[1] |
| Disbanded | 17 June 2007 |
| Years active | 1995–1998, 2006–2007 |
| Promotions |
WCW DSW WWE |
The Blue Bloods was the name of the professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling that consisted of "Lord" Steven Regal, "Earl" Robert Eaton, and "Squire" David Taylor,[1] along with their butler Jeeves, that operated in the middle to late 1990s.
In 2006, Regal (with his ring name changed to William) and Taylor reunited as a tag team on the SmackDown brand of World Wrestling Entertainment, without the "Blue Blood" name.
In May 2002, Taylor, Regal and Northern Irish wrestler Dave Finlay opened the Atlanta Blue Bloods Wrestling Academy, a professional wrestling school. The Academy closed in 2005, after having trained wrestlers such as Chris Hero.
History
World Championship Wrestling (1995–1998)
The Blue Bloods were formed in 1995 in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) by Regal after he split with his manager, Sir William and became a tag team wrestler.[2]Originally, Regal scouted Jean-Paul Levesque and was slated to be a tag team, before Levesque left to join the WWF. Eventually, Regal recruited Alabama-born Bobby Eaton, getting him (kayfabe) "knighted" to rename him "Earl Robert Eaton" and taking it upon himself to teach Eaton the finer points of the British lifestyle; including the Queen's English and proper dining etiquette.
The team feuded with Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) and the team of Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater over the WCW World Tag Team Championship but never got their hands on the titles.[2] Soon they were joined by "Squire" David Taylor and a butler named Jeeves whom they openly abused. Eaton eventually left the group, leaving Taylor and Regal to feud with him.
Taylor and Regal continued to team together until Regal was released from WCW in 1998, at which point Taylor also left the promotion.[2]
World Wrestling Entertainment (2006–2007)
Regal went to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and by 2001, Taylor joined him in the company, acting as a trainer and wrestler in the Heartland Wrestling Association, a subsidiary of the WWF for a brief period before leaving the company. In January 2006, Taylor was hired by WWE to train wrestling students in their Deep South Wrestling (DSW) training territory, and on 23 March returned to the DSW ring to team with former partner Regal.
Meanwhile, Regal was being mocked and made to look foolish on SmackDown!. On 20 October episode he announced that he was sick of being a "laughing stock" on the brand and re-introduced the national audience to Taylor, who was joining him as a tag team partner.[3] The two debuted as a team the same night, defeating the team of Scotty 2 Hotty and Funaki easily.[3] Though they had reunited, they used no parts of their previous "Blue Bloods" gimmick, instead becoming sadistic fighters, willing to go to just about any lengths for a win.
The team was quickly put into jeopardy, however, when in their second match Taylor suffered a (legitimate) torn meniscus in his left knee, leaving him injured and on the shelf for a number of weeks. Unable to wrestle, Taylor took a more relaxed role as something of a cornerman for Regal until he healed enough to wrestle again. While he was out, Regal began the opening stages of a feud with the WWE Tag Team Champions, Paul London and Brian Kendrick, by defeating both men in singles matches, and upon Taylor's return, they beat the champions in non-title tag team competition.[4][5][6] Having proven their worth, they earned a title shot at December's Armageddon pay-per-view, but just beforehand it was changed to a fatal-four way ladder match also involving MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) and The Hardys (Jeff and Matt), in which London and Kendrick retained their titles.[7] In a subsequent regular tag rematch on SmackDown! Regal and Taylor came up short of winning the titles.[8] The team split when Regal was selected by Raw in the supplemental draft on 17 June 2007.[9]
In wrestling
- Double team finishing moves
- Fireman's carry (Taylor) followed by a high knee to the side of the opponent's head (Regal)
Championships and accomplishments
References
- 1 2 "The Blue Bloods' profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
- 1 2 3 Milner, John M. "William Regal". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- 1 2 Waldman, Jon (21 October 2006). "Smackdown: A-1 matches better "A-list" celebs". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ↑ McNamara, Andy (18 November 2006). "Smackdown: Batista crowns the King". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ↑ McNamara, Andy (25 November 2006). "Smackdown: A royal thrashing". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ↑ McNamara, Andy (9 December 2006). "Smackdown: Deadman plays mind games". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ↑ Elliott, Brian (18 December 2006). "Unexpected ladder contest steals Armageddon". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ↑ Waldman, Jon (13 January 2007). "Smackdown: The last dash to the Rumble". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ↑ Dee, Louie (17 June 2007). "2007 Supplemental Draft results". WWE. Retrieved 20 January 2008.