WWE Talent Unhappy After William Regal's Release?

Reports surface of widespread despair in NXT...

by Michael Sidgwick
William Regal
WWE.com

In the sort of development that feels shocking when it probably shouldn't, William Regal was released by WWE earlier this week - and Dave Meltzer has reported in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter that several talents are less than happy about the news.

Wrote Meltzer:

"Talent and others in the system were very depressed, with many wondering the future of the brand. Regal was responsible for many getting chances and he's one of the most knowledgeable people about wrestling worldwide and was heavily respected across the board. I can tell you that some of the biggest names in the business would to this day come to him for advice on wrestling and career decisions."

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Regal's exit felt like even more of a death knell than the multi-colour branding and swift demotion to "veteran" status of every worker wearing kick pads in a five metre radius. Regal was the lifeblood of the old NXT; though it was Paul 'Triple H' Levesque's brainchild, Regal was the man responsible for recruiting much of the indy darling set whose work elevated the TakeOver brand into legend.

His dismissal brought into focus the extent to which those days are dead and buried, and if fans will mourn that era of WWE, so too, evidently, will the talent. His scouting role was no longer of interest to WWE, since they recruit now from an exclusive pool of collegiate athletes.

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His industry nous is no longer of interest either, which begs the question: who's going to lead the blind into the 2020s?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!