As PWMania.com previously reported, William Regal is returning to WWE after AEW President Tony Khan granted his release after Regal asked for his contract’s option year to not be exercised. Khan stated earlier this week that although Regal is returning to WWE, he is still under contract to AEW for the remainder of this month. You can read what Khan had to say during the ROH Final Battle media call on Wednesday by clicking here.
Updates on Regal’s departure from AEW and WWE future are coming from a variety of sources. Regal explained the heel turn on Jon Moxley and vowed to remain a Blackpool Combat Club member forever in a pre-recorded promo that aired on Wednesday night’s AEW Dynamite, which you can watch by clicking here. According to PWInsider, Regal already had a trip to the UK scheduled and would not be back in time to film another live appearance. As a result, the promo was filmed beforehand.
Additionally, it was reported that according to WWE sources, Regal will return to the company in the first week of 2023 to begin working in his new role.
The conditional release from AEW means that Regal will not be able to play an on-screen character in WWE until 2024, but he will be able to return to the company as a coach or producer. Khan mentioned this earlier this week. In 2024, Regal will be able to make a comeback on WWE TV.
Regal has no desire to play a character on television, according to a recent report from Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso. Regal has been the leader of The Blackpool Combat Club in AEW, but it has been reported that he does not want to continue in this role. In WWE, Regal will play the exact role he desires, working behind the scenes to sign and mold the future of the business. Although Regal prefers to remain off-camera, the WWE job will also give him the chance to work closely with his son, WWE NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey.
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H and Khan are said to have worked out the specifics of Regal’s conditional release, according to sources. Khan addressed the tweet from Regal from the night of the Survivor Series War Games last month during the media call on Wednesday. You can see it below. Given that Regal continues to play a significant role in the program, Khan said he was “really surprised” to see the tweet. “Given how accommodating we were being to the whole thing, I was not necessarily expecting to see that. I didn’t necessarily think it was in the spirit of how accommodating we were being about the whole thing, but whatever,” Khan said.
With Regal leaving AEW, the company will suffer a significant loss. Khan noticed and appreciated the fact that he went above and beyond his role for AEW. While that number fluctuated, it wasn’t for lack of effort on the part of Regal and Bryan Danielson, who spent time working with any talents who wanted to improve in the ring on show days. However, Regal had changed his mind and preferred to join his son in WWE rather than continue as an on-screen performer, so it was time to leave.
Barrasso mentioned one “complicating factor” – Regal now has connections to even more members of the AEW roster. It will be interesting to see if any more AEW wrestlers decide to join WWE once he reclaims a position of authority in the company.
Additionally, it was stated that Regal will under no circumstances criticize Khan or AEW and that any grievances he may have regarding his time in AEW will never be made public.
Today, Regal sent a new message to The Blackpool Combat Club, which you can view by clicking here. Furthermore, Regal’s podcast will be taking a break, which was just announced today.
Here is the tweet from Triple H that was mentioned earlier for those who missed it:
Tonight just wouldn't be the same without… pic.twitter.com/5wM71u0u7i
— Triple H (@TripleH) November 26, 2022
