Backstage News On When William Regal Will Return To WWE

As 2022 comes to a close, William Regal is finishing up with AEW and is expected to return to WWE. Regal was released from WWE in January before he made his AEW debut at the Revolution pay-per-view in March. He formed the Blackpool Combat Club with the likes of Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, and Claudio Castagnoli, but things suddenly changed on-screen in November. Regal turned heel to help MJF win the AEW World Championship, only for MJF to turn on him in a matter of weeks.

As it appeared that Regal had been written out of storylines, conflicting reports emerged regarding his AEW contract status. AEW CEO Tony Khan addressed the rumors off the bat during the ROH Final Battle media call on December 7. Khan explained that Regal requested for his option years on his contract to not be picked up as he wanted to help train his son, NXT's Charlie Dempsey, in WWE. Khan had experienced his own family crisis around the same time and opted to let Regal depart under the condition that he cannot appear on WWE television throughout 2023.

In an update, PWInsider reports that Regal will start his new behind-the-scenes position in WWE during "the first week of 2023." It was noted that Regal already had a trip planned to the United Kingdom, which is why his last appearance on the December 7 episode of "AEW Dynamite" was pre-taped ahead of time. Additionally, Regal will be ending his "Gentleman Villain" podcast as he prepares to return to WWE.