"I didn't go there with that intention" - 15-time champion says he wasn't a fan of his stint in AEW before exit
2022 was the first year in AEW history where the company bid farewell to a large number of high-profile names, but one former member of the roster has admitted that they didn't get what they wanted from their time in the company.
The name in question is William Regal.
The Gentleman Villian left behind his Blackpool Combat Club stablemates in December 2022 to return to WWE. The reason for his departure was that he wanted to spend more time with his family, particularly his son, who currently wrestles on the NXT brand as Charlie Dempsey.
Before he left, Regal shocked the world by turning his back on Jon Moxley and helping MJF win the AEW World Championship. However, this came back to haunt him as the Salt of the Earth turned on Regal, writing him off the TV in the process.
MJF just turned on William Regal!!! #AEWDynamite https://t.co/I3chYTAoEl
Speaking on the Distraction Pieces podcast with Scroobius Pip, William Regal said that while he enjoyed his time in All Elite Wrestling, he didn't like the fact that he had a lot of the spotlight.
"That was one of the things, in the last months of AEW, it was getting far too much about me. It should have been about the talent I was with, not about me. I'm quite happy being in the background. All it is is grief. I've had my run. I couldn't have had a better last few months as far as TV and doing that, but I didn't go there with that intention," said Regal. [H/T Fightful]
Regal elaborated by saying that he went into AEW with a specific plan in mind, but when the plans changed, he knew it was time to leave.
"The intention was to do something different, and it started off the way it did, but I didn't expect it to end up being this thing that it was for the last seven months where I just became talent. I went there with a different plan because I was asked to go there to help out in a different capacity, and that never transpired. Okay, I'm done," added Regal. [H/T Fightful]
As per the recent report, the former NXT General Manager is currently working as a Vice President of Global Talent Development in WWE.
William Regal debuted for AEW at the 2022 Revolution pay-per-view
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion has the unique distinction of being one of the few people who both joined and left AEW in 2022. While his exit from the company was a little bit messy, his debut shocked the world.
Regal showed up at the end of Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson's match at the 2022 Revolution pay-per-view to stop the two men from ripping each other limb from limb.
Top moments of 2022 in wrestling, in no particular order
William Regal showing up at AEW Revolution, starting the Blackpool Combat Club, and having one of the best 9-month runs as a manager ever
https://t.co/8AEyvRROkE
After calling a truce between the two men, Regal got Moxley and Danielson to shake hands, forming the Blackpool Combat Club in the process. The BCC also had a lot of success in 2022, with Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, and Claudio Castagnoli bringing gold to the group at different times.
Did you enjoy William Regal's run in AEW? Let us know in the comments section down below!