Shawn Michaels Comments On William Regal Leaving AEW For WWE

Following a brief but memorable run with AEW, it's now all but official that William Regal is headed back to WWE for a backstage role. During yesterday's media call concerning this Saturday's Ring of Honor Final Battle pay-per-view, AEW President Tony Khan confirmed that he had agreed to not extend Regal's contract at the end of the year so he could go work with his son, who currently wrestles as Charlie Dempsey on "NXT."

During today's media call for the "NXT" Deadline premium live event, WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Shawn Michaels was unable to shed light on Regal's situation. "We have a great deal of respect for Steven Regal," Michaels said. "Nothing would thrill me more to give you more information. I would obviously stay tuned." Michaels' tight-lipped response should come as no surprise, as Regal is still signed with AEW through the end of the year — even appearing on last night's episode of "AEW Dynamite" in a pre-recorded video. In the segment, Regal explained his actions at Full Gear, and bid farewell to his fellow members of the Blackpool Combat Club, seemingly writing him off AEW television for good.

According to Khan, part of Regal's release is conditional on the fact that he won't be able to appear in an onscreen capacity for WWE throughout 2023. However, if Khan's statements on Regal are to be believed, this shouldn't pose too much of an issue, as Regal stated he simply wanted to produce with his old friends and work with his son. Dempsey was previously part of the "NXT UK" roster before that brand was seemingly shuttered over the summer. Since then, he's made his way over to the United States and has started competing on the main "NXT" brand, where it seems inevitable that Regal will soon join him.