Claudio Castagnoli Explains Why He'll Never Say Goodbye To William Regal

With William Regal on his way back to WWE, it's only natural that he'd want to bid farewell to the lads that make up the Blackpool Combat Club — Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, and Claudio Castagnoli. This past Wednesday on "AEW Dynamite," Regal did just that, even going so far as to say "the three main members of the Blackpool Combat Club didn't need me around anymore." But depending on who you ask, that's not necessarily the case. In a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio and ahead of his Final Battle showdown with Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship, Castagnoli touched on how special his relationship with Regal is.

"I'll never say goodbye to William Regal," Castagnoli said when asked how it felt to say goodbye to the veteran. "I know I'll always see him or can talk to him at any point." Regal's final lesson to the BCC was in the form of turning on Moxley at Full Gear by handing MJF his vintage brass knuckles, helping him become the new AEW World Champion. Castagnoli wasn't sure what to make of Regal's actions at first, however, noting that his confidence was shaken coming out of Full Gear.

"His Lordship is one of the smartest men in professional wrestling," he continued. "That's why he left the way he did, to give us that last lesson as he called it. After the message this Wednesday, my confidence went up again. That's what a mentor like William Regal does. He takes one for the team to make his team better." Though, the pressure that comes with being under his watchful eye can feel overwhelming. "He's always around. He's BCC for life and so am I, which makes tomorrow even harder and even more must-win."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.