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William Regal set the Twitter wrestling community alight on Sunday night after making his AEW debut. Regal was part of WWE for 21 years and served in many different capacities before being released in January 2022.
Fans were wondering where William Regal would end up next. Their questions were answered when Regal made a surprise appearance after Bryan Danielson lost to Jon Moxley at AEW Revolution. Soon, Tony Khan announced that William Regal is now All Elite.
It'll be interesting to see what role he takes on in AEW. One thing fans are aware of is that Regal shaped the careers of numerous stars during his time in WWE NXT.
He has always had a hands-on approach to wrestling and has made good friends throughout his career. In this article, we'll take a look at the four AEW stars who are close to William Regal in real life:
#4. Willaim Regal helped Keith Lee keep his hopes up
Keith Lee recently made his way to AEW after a WWE run. Lee struggled for years to get noticed in the wrestling industry, and a few legends had his back. One of the legends was William Regal. Along with Dusty Rhodes, Regal helped Lee gain prominence and reach the top of NXT.
Appearing on Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast, The Limitless One spoke about his respect for Regal:
“I had a talk with William Regal, Dusty Rhodes, and Jim Ross and that kept me afloat. William Regal has always been kind of an advocate for me. He always believed in what I’m capable of bringing to the table, and he just reaffirmed that.”
Lee has become a shining star in wrestling. He's one of the many bright talents close to William Regal. The two could form a good partnership in AEW.
#3. Malakai Black wanted to see William Regal in AEW
William Regal's release came as a shock to the WWE Universe. Malakai Black was one of the few former WWE stars who reached out to Regal after the release.
Speaking to CBS Sports' Shakiel Mahjouri, Black discussed his relationship with Regal and the possibility of him joining AEW:
"I actually spoke to Mr. Regal the day of [his release] and expressed my gratitude to him because there are a few people that I always went to, to filter my ideas and filter my process. I owe a lot, if not almost anything, in terms of my mainstream success to William Regal."
The former NXT Champion was close to William Regal in WWE. He'll be one of the many current stars happy with Regal's arrival in AEW.
#2. Former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley has wrestled the WWE legend
In a Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) TV taping in October 2011, Jon Moxley wrestled William Regal. The two competed again in June 2012.
Regal put all his efforts into building stars, and Moxley benefited from his work. In an interview with the Wrestling Royalty FSM 93 in 2013, Regal called Moxley one of the best rising stars in the business:
“All the ones I’ve mentioned are going to be big, big stars, but my personal pick – and I hope I don’t jinx him with this – is Dean Ambrose. People have no idea how good he is yet; they have absolutely no clue how much he can do. He can be everybody’s perfect opponent, and I mean everybody, for the next ten years. It doesn’t matter what role he’s playing, or whether the fans like him or not – he can be that guy. He’s just so good.”
The former NXT General Manager mentored Jon Moxley, helping him become a big name. Interestingly, Regal confronted Moxley during his first AEW outing.
#1. Bryan Danielson and William Regal go way back
William Regal and Bryan Danielson have known each other for over two decades. As mentioned earlier, Regal was instrumental in building NXT and did well to keep the brand going for many years.
After becoming WWE's Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting, he pushed the company to sign Bryan. The American Dragon spoke about Regal's influence on his career while talking to The Wrestling Classic:
"My mentor William Regal...such a great mentor for my entire career. But he said...a lot of people get hung up on the not getting pushed or not getting opportunity issue. Whatever it is, you have to look at it in a certain way, and like any opportunity you get, you have to grab it. If you don't gain opportunities, take this as all the hard work you put in before this, that paycheck that you get every week, where you set up yourself financially for the future, you know what I mean? I mean, that's advice coming from a man with a family. I wasn't in a place to listen to it and really hear it. Now it's like, what great advice. You're setting yourself up to be financially independent for the rest of your life."
Regal's first AEW appearance saw him come face-to-face with Bryan once again. It'll be exciting to see how the two work together to make AEW better over the years.
