Tony Khan was "surprised" by one of Triple H's actions before WWE Survivor Series: WarGames
Tony Khan recently shared his thoughts on Triple H's Twitter post prior to WWE Survivor Series: WarGames featuring William Regal's iconic announcement in NXT.
Following his extensive career in the ring, Regal served WWE as the General Manager for the former black-and-gold brand. He became iconic in his bellowing announcements during NXT's WarGames season, often when the two groups could not be contained in their fighting.
He joined AEW earlier this year following his WWE release, debuting at Revolution pay-per-view to form the Blackpool Combat Club. But during the recent ROH Final Battle media call, Tony Khan confirmed that Regal would depart at the end of the year to make his return to the Stamford-based company.
Given the circumstances, Tony Khan admitted that Triple H's Twitter post "surprised" him as he felt it did not fit the spirit of how he had been handling the departure.
"Honestly, given the spirit of the thing and how accommodating we were being, I was really surprised by the tweet with the supercut of him on it, especially since he's still been with us and part of the shows...I was a little surprised by the supercut of him on Triple H's Twitter, and given how accommodating we were being to the whole thing, I was not necessarily expecting to see that. I didn't necessarily think it was in the spirit of how accommodating we were being about the whole thing, but whatever," Tony Khan said. [H/T Fightful]
Tony Khan revealed William Regal's current status with #AEW.
#ROH #ROHFinalBattle #AEWDynamite https://t.co/2U6b0iwj0B
The reason given for William Regal's departure is that he would like to have some time to work with and coach his son and NXT performer, Charlie Dempsey.
Khan conceded he will not be able to allow such arrangements for everyone but Regal will therefore leave at the end of the year so he can return.
The WWE legend had been pivotal in the AEW World title picture over recent weeks
The Devil's true colors have been shown, as #AEW World Champion @The_MJF leaves @RealKingRegal in a motionless heap in the middle of the ring here on #AEWDynamite on TBS. https://t.co/RYvgHwXI8H
Regal's departure could be seen as a huge hit for AEW, especially given the fact that he had been so pivotal in recent weeks within the world title picture.
Regal betrayed Jon Moxley during the main event of Full Gear, effectively handing MJF the world title and seemingly aligning himself as the Long Islander's manager. In the first week following, he stood alone during Dynamite as he explained his actions, with Bryan Danielson the only blockade between Regal and an infuriated Mox.
Last week, MJF betrayed Regal in a shocking turn of events that saw the WWE legend whisked away in an ambulance once again with Bryan in tow. It has now been confirmed that recent events were altered to allow Regal's departure.