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William Regal ranks among one of the most shocking releases on NXT recently. While Regal has been retired for a little over eight years now, he took up a backstage role that he held post-retirement. After his shocking release from WWE, the former Intercontinental Champion put out a heartfelt, positive statement.
William Regal was seen as one of the more influential backstage figures in NXT. He represented Triple H's era of the show where it went from being a developmental territory to WWE's third brand and an alternative to RAW and SmackDown.
William Regal held a crucial role at the WWE Performance Center as he was directly involved in scouting, selections, and training. He was one of the longest-tenured General Managers in modern WWE history with the NXT brand. Regal finally released a statement on Twitter after getting released by WWE.
The former Intercontinental Champion said he had no complaints and won't say anything bad about the company.
"Thank you to @WWE for a wonderful 21 year run. You gave a lad who was happy and in wonderland wrestling on a carnival have a charmed life for 21 years. No complaints and please no one waste time replying as I won’t have a bad work said against the company.x," said William Regal.
He continued, stating that WWE saved his life.
"I will add that @WWE saved my life in 1999 when they didn’t need to, kept my family fed and took me all around the world. You have my gratitude forever. You allowed me to live a charmed life," said Regal.
There was an outpouring of support from WWE Superstars of past and present towards William Regal. Although he never took credit for it, Regal was largely considered responsible for the direction of talent in NXT during its golden age, including several "independent superstars."
Before his release, his official title in WWE was "Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting."
The release of William Regal marked a big change in direction
It seems as though Vince McMahon is doing everything he can to get rid of the old remnants of NXT. Gone are the days of black and gold, as 2.0 is indeed the new direction.
This doesn't just include a change in the theme song, colors, and overall presentation. It marked a change in the kind of talent being pushed and also a change in the staff that Triple H hired while making NXT what it was.
Unfortunately, William Regal was part of that list. However, as he mentioned in his tweets, he had a two-decade-long run with the company - something most people can't claim.
