11 months ago
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"WWE NXT" has been missing a familiar face for nearly two years now, with the loss of former General Manager William Regal to his brief sojourn in AEW, but Regal left the competing promotion just 9 months into his run, leading many to wonder when his non-compete clause would be wrapped up and Regal could return to WWE programming.
According to Fightful Select, Regal's return to the "WWE NXT" brand has been a point of conversation backstage in WWE, though nothing is concrete and there's no timetable for Regal's return. As it stands, Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels has been the on-screen figurehead of "NXT" in Regal's absence. It had been reported last month that Regal was nearing an end to his forced hiatus from WWE television.
Regal initially left AEW to help with his son, Charlie Dempsey, and his budding career in WWE. AEW President Tony Khan said he was surprised by Regal's departure. Regal was said to be only allowed to help WWE in a backstage capacity in 2023, taking on the role of Vice President of Global Talent Development. Dempsey's time on "NXT" since Regal came back to WWE has seen Dempsey join a pseudo-Blackpool Combat Club in Drew Gulak's No Quarter Catch Crew, which seems to be modeled after the group Regal ran in AEW, and even recently appeared in All Japan Pro Wrestling, challenging AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Katsuhiko Nakajima earlier this month, though Dempsey was unsuccessful in the match.
