It was surprising when WWE announced that William Regal was among the wrestlers who had been released due to budget cuts. His dismissal coincided with the release of several wrestlers who were associated with Triple H, leading some to speculate that it was a personal attack on Triple H. However, the situation quickly changed, and it became clear that there was more to the story than initially thought.
When Vince McMahon retired from WWE, it marked a significant shift in the company’s leadership and direction. Triple H, who had long been groomed for a leadership role, took over and began making changes to the roster and creative direction of the company. As part of this transition, Triple H brought back several wrestlers who had been released by McMahon, including William Regal.
At the time of McMahon’s retirement, Regal was under contract with AEW, but Tony Khan agreed to release him from his contract to allow him to return to WWE. This marked a significant moment for Regal, who had been a fan favorite during his previous stint with the company. Overall, his return to WWE was met with excitement from fans and fellow wrestlers alike, and many are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for him in the company.
According to PW Insider, William Regal has officially returned to WWE and began working with the company on January 4th. This news comes on the same day that Sasha Banks made her debut at Wrestle Kingdom under the name Mercedes Mone. Regal’s return to WWE has been highly anticipated by fans, as he is a well-respected veteran in the wrestling industry and has previously held multiple championships during his time with the company. It will be interesting to see what role Regal will play in WWE moving forward and how his experience and expertise will contribute to the company.
PWInsider.com is told that William Regal, 54, is officially back with World Wrestling Entertainment as of this morning.
Regal broke into the business in Europe in the early 1980s before signing to WCW in 1993, where he had 4 World Television Championship runs. Regal had several runs in WWE over the years, initially as the forgettable “Man’s Man” character before hitting his stride after getting sober and having runs with the WWE Intercontinental and European Championships and winning the 2008 King of the Ring Tournament. His WWE autobiography Walking The Golden Mile is among the most underrated wrestling books of all time.
In 2014, Regal began focusing primarily on WWE’s developmental, appearing on screen as an announcer and as the NXT General Manager but behind the scenes, he had risen into one of Paul Levesque’s trusted lieutenants. Eventually given the official title of WWE Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting, Regal regularly traveled to major independent events to help scout talents and bring them into the WWE fold. He was a major sounding board for talents inside and outside of WWE and was pretty much considered to have a job for life until Vince McMahon dismantled the Paul Levesque black and gold vision of WWE NXT.
While it has been confirmed that William Regal has returned to WWE, it is unlikely that he will be appearing on camera anytime soon. This is due to a clause in his release from AEW that prohibits him from being an on-screen talent until 2024. This means that fans may not see Regal make any announcements or appear in any matches for the foreseeable future.
However, even though he won’t be visible on screen, Regal’s influence within the company will likely be felt behind the scenes. He has a wealth of experience and expertise in the wrestling industry, and his contributions as a trainer and mentor to younger wrestlers will surely be invaluable to WWE. It remains to be seen how Regal will be utilized by the company, but his return is still exciting news for fans of professional wrestling.
