William Regal is back with WWE following his departure from All Elite Wrestling.
Regal had an opt-out clause in his AEW contract, but AEW President Tony Khan had an option earlier than that, allowing Regal to leave the company early as requested. Regal wanted to return to WWE to be with his son in NXT and work with Triple H again.
Pwinsider.com reported that Regal made his return to WWE this morning. Regal has taken on a Vice President role in the company.
Source: ewrestlingnews
A report from Fightful Select has an update on William Regal leaving AEW. Regal is now “effectively done” with AEW and said to be heading back to WWE. Additionally, Fightful’s report states that he’s currently finalizing a new deal with WWE.
Regal’s deal with AEW is said to be up this month, so that’s why he was written off TV with the recent angle on Dynamite with MJF. There have been multiple rumors regarding the length of Regal’s contract. It was previously rumored that he had a three-year contract, but WWE sources claimed that Regal had an “out” clause in his AEW agreement.
Additionally, the report notes that all AEW sources are operating under the assumption that Regal is leaving. Regal previously joined AEW in March of 2022. One WWE source said it’s not surprising that Regal is returning to WWE as Triple H was reportedly “very unhappy” that he was let go earlier in January. WWE NXT sources had said that Regal was considered a “lifer” for the NXT brand, and Triple H even mentioned this before.
Regal is expected to have a “backstage role” following his return to WWE.
After joining AEW, William Regal became the manager of the Blackpool Combat Club, featuring Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley as the inaugural members of the stable.
Source: EWrestlingNews
WWE has made some more releases at the NXT brand. Those released include, Road Dogg, William Regal, Scott Armstrong, Timothy Thatcher, Danny Burch, Diamond Mine’s Hideki Suzuki, Cathy Carino aka Allison Danger, Gabe Sapolsky and a few other people working behind the scenes in NXT.
WWE has issued a statement to Fightful in the wake of the releases as more and more names are added to the list. “With the continued evolution of NXT 2.0, we’ve decided to part ways with some of the staff based in our Performance Center,” the statement reads. This comes after New Year’s Evil, the first NXT show of 2022 and one that marked more change for the brand as Bron Breakker won the NXT Title.
According to people close to the situation in NXT and at the Performance Center, the cuts are a continued attempt to remove everyone at the PC hired by Triple H. The biggest giveaway in that regard is the release of Road Dogg who has been close with The Game ever since the pair were in D-Generation X together.
Despite technically being under the employ of WWE since 2000, Regal was also brought into NXT and the PC in 2014 by Triple H. The former commissioner has worked closely with The Cerebral Assassin ever since, helping him to recruit talent for the NXT UK Title tournament which would eventually become the NXT UK brand. Wrestlers who worked under Regal have been sharing messages about the now-former NXT GM ever since the news broke.
The plot really does keep thickening in NXT and WWE as a whole when it comes to the company’s future. The role of Triple H, in particular, remains shrouded in mystery. The Game has been off TV and pretty much off work since he underwent surgery for a cardiac event a few months ago. While there is no reason to believe Triple H will be leaving the company, speculation will be more rife than ever before following the news above.
Sources: Fightful and TheSportster
It looks like a big change could be coming to the WWE NXT brand.
Last night’s NXT “Takeover: In Your House” featured several segments where NXT General Manager William Regal and security had to keep Superstars apart. A parking lot segment earlier in the day saw The Way and Kyle O’Reilly argue, while Pete Dunne and NXT Champion Karrion Kross brawled backstage later in the night. Regal and his security team also had to stop NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai from brawling with Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon before the main event.
The wild Takeover main event saw Kross retain over O’Reilly, Dunne, Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole in a Fatal 5 Way. The finish saw O’Reilly pass out in the Kross Jacket submission. After the match, McKenzie Mitchell caught up with Regal backstage as he was exiting his office and walking out to the parking lot. McKenzie asked Regal his thoughts on the show.
A somber Regal responded, “It’s been 7 years since I became the GM of NXT and I’ve never seen so much bedlam. It’s complete madness. I think it’s time for a change.”
Regal then walked off as Mitchell wondered what that could mean for NXT.
There is no word yet on what WWE might have in store for the NXT brand. Tuesday’s NXT episode on the USA Network will feature fallout from last night’s show, and a potential update to Regal’s teaser.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
There’s now speculation on Roderick Strong possibly going to RAW or SmackDown.
Last night’s WWE NXT show featured a segment earlier in the show where Strong and wife Marina Shafir were shown entering the WWE Performance Center. Strong later met NXT General Manager William Regal in his office and handed over an envelope of papers, presumably his notice, and then said he was “done” in NXT.
Regal admitted that Strong gave him trouble at times with The Undisputed Era, but said he is a consummate professional, and is welcome back to NXT at anytime.
WWE later noted that Strong has officially resigned from the NXT brand.
Before tonight, Strong was last seen in the storylines during the “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” build for the Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly feud. He lost to Cameron Grimes on last week’s Takeover go-home show and was scheduled to compete in the Battle Royal to determine the Takeover Gauntlet Eliminator participants, but there was a backstage segment where Strong was shown leaving the venue.
WWE often calls wrestlers to the main roster around this time of the year, but there’s no word yet on if Strong is headed to the blue or red brand. The veteran pro wrestler has been with WWE since October 2016. Shafir signed with WWE in May 2018 but hasn’t had much of an in-ring career.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Bailey Matthews, the son of NXT General Manager William Regal, has made his in-ring WWE debut … and he’s a chip off the old block!
It all went down on the latest edition of NXT UK where Matthews went toe-to-toe with former NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate.
Matthews lost the match, but looked impressive and suits the UK style perfectly — as you’d expect!
Bailey’s wrestling journey began in 2018 when his old man sent him to the mother land to train. He performed on a few UK indie shows, and eventually joined New Japan Pro Wrestling as a Young Lion. He officially signed with WWE last month.
“Ready to roar onto the scene and represent his hometown of Blackpool, England, Bailey Matthews is set to bring a unique style to NXT UK inspired by the likes of Johnny Saint, Billy Robinson and NXT General Manager William Regal,” WWE said when they announced Bailey’s singing.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Word now is that WWE NXT General Manager William Regal will get the nod for this years WWE Hall of Fame.
Other names considered for the 2017 class are WWE’s 12th Grand Slam Champion Christian, current agent and former WWE Tag Team Champion Mike Rotunda (Irwin R. Schyster) and former WWE Tag Team Champions The Natural Disasters – John Tenta (Earthquake) and Fred Ottman (Typhoon), according to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio. Tenta would be inducted posthumously as he passed away in 2006.
As noted, we also know that former World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page and former Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude will be going in this year.
The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on Saturday, April 1st from the Amway Center in Orlando during WrestleMania 33 weekend. WWE may announce the headliner next week as tickets for the event officially go on sale.
Source: WrestlingINC
WWE announced that NXT General Manager William Regal underwent a CAT scan six weeks ago to see how he was doing following a 2014 neck surgery, and was told he had to have a second surgery. Regal had been feeling the best he had in decades and was preparing to get in the ring with WWE NXT talents at the Performance Center. However, Regal was told by doctor that he could not be cleared to return and that he needed a second neck surgery.
WWE’s medical director Dr. Joseph C. Maroon and his team performed the second surgery on Wednesday, October 21st in Pittsburgh.
Source: WrestlingINC.com
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