British wrestling legend William Regal made a surprise appearance at PROGRESS Wrestling in north London yesterday.

The veteran WWE star popped his head round the curtain to say hello to fans – and take the mick out of co-promoter Jim Smallman – before watching the 'Malice in Wonderland' show.

"Will somebody please buy him a sandwich?" Regal teased, continuing his long-running gag that stand-up comedian and ring announcer Smallman is a little on the lean side.

Regal, who currently appears on WWE programming in the role of general manager for NXT and works behind the scenes as a senior trainer and talent scout, chuckled: "What's the matter with you? Have you got a worm or something?"

The boisterous capacity crowd at the Electric Ballroom in Camden repeatedly encouraged the 48-year-old to "sign up" PROGRESS's most popular stars, including Mark Haskins, Will Ospreay and Tyler Bate.

Standing in the shadows, Regal was too discreet to let on what he made of individual wrestlers' displays or the action presented by the highly-acclaimed independent promotion – but he was spotted chatting to many of the performers on the bill during the interval.

Regal is also believed to have taken in shows in Blackpool and Rhyl during his visit, and also recorded a long chat with Smallman for the Tuesday Night Jaw podcast.

Earlier this year, PROGRESS hosted two qualifying tournament matches for the Cruiserweight Classic, with Jack Gallagher seeing off Pete Dunne and Zack Sabre Jr beating 'Flash' Morgan Webster to secure his spot.

WWE