Clarification On William Regal's New Role In AEW

Tony Khan expects William Regal to play an important role on-screen and off now that the former WWE man is All Elite.

Regal made a surprising debut at Sunday's Revolution 2022 pay-per-view, interrupting a post-match brawl between Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson. In the angle, the authoritative 53-year-old slapped both wrestlers in the face and pushed his own mush into Mox's bloodied mug, demanding the duo shake hands and show respect. This followed Regal's WWE release on 5 January, when the market leaders unceremoniously ditched the respected veteran after a 22-year tenure.

Speaking at AEW's post-Revolution press scrum, Khan claimed he was as surprised as anyone else to hear WWE had cut Regal (h/t Fightful):-

"It was very surprising to see he had been released and would be available. I have tons of respect for his mind and I think he's going to be a very valuable person in AEW. Obviously, people who follow his career closely know that he has a very long-established connection with Bryan Danielson and was instrumental in shaping the pro wrestler that Danielson has become and he is one of the greatest pro wrestlers today and all time. Regal had a big contribution to that. When he was released, I was very surprised, but also eager to bring him here."

Continuing, Khan stated that Regal is a great fit for what All Elite Wrestling is trying to accomplish and that he anticipates major contributions on and off-screen:-

"I think he can contribute on-screen in a major way to Danielson and he has a history with Jon Moxley. Some of the last matches we saw Regal wrestle were against Moxley and they had a great rivalry. He's very familiar with both men and they have a lot of respect for him. We say that after the violence and the way they bled together. They built a lot of mutual respect with each other and that's very exciting. Also, behind the scenes, I think Regal can teach all of us a lot and it's great to have him here, on-screen and off-screen. It came together very recently and he fits very well with what we're doing."

While Regal's specific AEW role is yet to be revealed, the above sounds similar to what he did in WWE, where he served as NXT's General Manager and the promotion's Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting at the time of his release. In particular, Regal is known to have played a prominent role in WWE's scouting (and, in many cases, subsequent signing) of countless prominent independent talents throughout the 2010s.