In a recent interview with The Daily Star in the United Kingdom, WWE NXT General Manager William Regal discussed several topics, including how he put his job on the line for WWE to sign current SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks years ago.

“She was the first person I went to bat for to hire, because the people who were doing the job that I do now wouldn’t even give her the time of day. I’ve known her since she was 19 and she used to be an extra at Boston. The first day, I was in catering and she came and sat and said ‘do you mind if I ask you some questions about wrestling?’

I wasn’t doing this job then but in the afternoon at the shows, I’d always be training outside the ring and she’d be one of the ones who would always come and talk. When it came to me getting this job… I went to them [about Sasha] and said ‘look, if this doesn’t work out, you can fire me.’ To see the way she has come through this, and to see what she’s done [is] incredible.”

The interview is available in full at this link.