William Regal Makes Official Return To WWE

After his AEW departure near the end of 2022, former "WWE NXT" onscreen General Manager William Regal has returned to WWE, according to a report from PWInsider. It was all but confirmed in early December that Regal was bound for "NXT," as AEW and Ring of Honor owner Tony Khan stated that Regal asked for his release in order to go work with his son. Regal's son, who is known professionally as Charlie Dempsey, is currently signed to WWE and competes on "NXT."

Regal was previously employed by WWE for a number of years — up until he was let go last January, apparently due to "budget cuts." It didn't take long after that for Regal to pop up in AEW, where he allied himself with former proteges Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley to form the Blackpool Combat Club. The group soon added young wrestler Wheeler Yuta to the mix, with Claudio Castagnoli joining upon his signing over the summer. The Blackpool Combat Club became one of the most prominent acts on AEW television over the course of 2022 while feuding against the Jericho Appreciation Society, along with Moxley holding the company's top championship for much of the year.

According to Khan, Regal first alerted him and AEW lawyer Megha Parekh that he was hoping for a release in September of last year. That release went into effect at the end of 2022, with Regal bidding farewell to his former co-workers and bosses via social media last week. One of the conditions of Regal's release reportedly stated that the former WWE Intercontinental Champion cannot appear onscreen for the duration of 2023, meaning fans should expect Regal's role to remain backstage — initially, at least.