William Regal’s WWE return marks acknowledgment of Ava Raine as NXT’s new general manager

William Regal, the former general manager of WWE NXT, made his return to NXT after two long years. Regal appeared in a backstage segment in today’s NXT episode, where he was involved in a segment with Ava Raine, The Rock’s daughter.

On his return to WWE today, Regal surprised WWE fans by announcing the 22-year-old WWE NXT superstar as the new general manager of the black and gold brand.

William Regal returns to WWE television

On today’s NXT live episode, after the match between Nathan Frazer and Axiom in the semi-finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, the camera suddenly went backstage. The visuals showed WWE veteran William Regal stepping out of the room of Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Shawn Michaels.

This is Regal’s first appearance in WWE live since his departure from the promotion in 2022. Regal had a long and storied career in WWE history. Regal joined WWE in 1998 as a part of the RAW roster, but in 2001, Regal turned on WWE and joined The Alliance, a group of former WCW and ECW wrestlers.

Regal became the Alliance Commissioner and was the first member to join Vince McMahon’s famous “Kiss my A**” club. He also won the Intercontinental Championship by defeating the Rated R Superstar Edge.

Regal served as the General Manager of NXT in 2012, helping groom young superstars such as Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, and Samoa Joe.

After leaving WWE in 2022, Regal debuted in AEW as the founder and manager of the Blackpool Combat Club, a group of British wrestlers. After being a top star in AEW, he left the promotion after nine months and returned to WWE as the Vice President of Global Talent Development.

William Regal names Ava Raine as WWE NXT’s new general manager

In today’s NXT live episode, William Regal appointed Ava Raine, the youngest superstar in WWE NXT, as the new general manager. Regal also said that Raine may contact him anytime for guidance and reassured her that he is just a phone call away.

Raine started her training at the WWE Performance Center in 2020 and made her TV debut in 2022 as a member of the faction Schism. She later transitioned to the role of on-screen assistant to Shawn Michaels and then to general manager of NXT in 2024.

Yesterday, The Rock was officially named a member of the board of directors of the TKO group. The recent appointment of his daughter as the general manager of NXT underscores the significance of the Samoan dynasty within the WWE.