"I was all on board for the changes" - William Regal discusses NXT before his WWE Release
Current AEW talent William Regal said he was "on board" with all of the changes WWE was making to NXT. He was released from the company earlier this year.
During an interview with former WWE talent Renee Paquette on her podcast The Sessions, Regal said that the changes to NXT made "perfect business sense."
"That [change to NXT 2.0] were happening from last summer and it was the perfect storm and then Paul got ill. I was all on board for the changes. We did Portland NXT in 2020 and we all came out after that night, didn't matter what was going on, everyone has a different story. 2019, after the initial thing of another show starting, it was, if you want to think about trying to beat this, I'm not. There are 100 other people thinking about what's going on somewhere else. It's wasted headspace for me. I'm going to work on the people that work with us and try to help them get better. That's just me. It's just another day at work and everybody else that wants to gossip, it's something for them to do and I'm just working for the company that I'm working for, I'm going to do the best job I can, and I get on with it. We came out of Portland, there's all this other stuff going on," - William Regal (h/t Fightful).
Regal would go on to discuss how AEW and the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the changes to NXT. The former King of the Ring states that the rumblings of possible changes taking over the Black & Gold began not long after NXT Takeover: Portland.
"When I came back in 2019, there's a lot more stuff going on, AEW is going on, I don't have time for all that. I need to make NXT...I work here, let's do this. 2020, we go into Portland and we come out and all the top fellas were coming up to me and going, 'We've done this style to death.' There were people trying to figure out, how can we change a bit of something because it's going to be more of the same..... Then, COVID hit and it was 'never mind that, let's just survive..." - William Regal (h/t Fightful).
William Regal was let go from his General Manager position in January of this year, as the company transitioned the brand from the Black & Gold to the NXT 2.0 we see today. Regal served as the on-screen General Manager of the developmental brand for 8 years.
NXT 2014-2019 was as great a wrestling product as you could ever wish to watch. William Regal was an integral part of all that success. He is a genius, whether that’s as a wrestler, an on screen character, a trainer, a scout, you name it
William Regal forever ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/jn48D84ycb
Before being named GM of NXT, William Regal served in multiple capacities for WWE for over 20 years.
William Regal says he has nothing bad to say about WWE following his release
In a recent interview with Chris Mueller of B/R, William Regal made it clear that he has no bad feelings towards his former employer. The former 4x European Champion stated that he "lived a charmed life" and had an "incredible run on the main roster."
“People ask me ‘well you just been let go from WWE.’ Well yeah. I had a job there for 21 years. What have I got to say that’s bad about WWE? And any of these horror stories people hear about, I didn’t have any of them. I had an incredible run on the main roster with the understanding that I walked in, you know I don’t count the first time I was there because I can’t remember it, and that’s on me. (...) I’ve lived a charmed life. So what have I got to knock?” [H/T - WrestlingInc]
"You're going to remember us, because of the scars we left on you"
@RealKingRegal outlines the core tenets of the #BlackpoolCombatClub, as demonstrated by @JonMoxley, @bryandanielson & @WheelerYuta.
Tune in to #AEWDynamite LIVE at 8/7c TOMORROW on TBS to catch them in action. https://t.co/DA1HlwSqq0
William Regal joined All Elite Wrestling at the company's Revolution 2022 pay-per-view. Storming into the ring following an intense bout between Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley. Since his debut in March, he now manages the Blackpool Combat Club, which is made up of: Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and Wheeler Yuta.