Wheeler Yuta discusses William Regal‘s upcoming AEW exit and makes it clear that he enjoyed learning from him.
Yuta joined forces with Regal, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson in April after he competed in some hard-hitting matches against “The Purveyor of Violence.” He officially earned the group’s respect after his match with Moxley on the April 8 episode of AEW Rampage left him a bloody mess. Since them, Yuta has continued to compete alongside Danielson, Moxley, and later addition Claudio Castagnoli. All the while, he has learned from his stablemates, including Regal.
However, during the ROH Final Battle media conference call on December 7, AEW President Tony Khan confirmed that he granted William Regal’s request for the company to not pick up the option on his contract so he could return to WWE and work with his son, Charlie Dempsey. Regal was written off AEW TV on the November 30 episode of AEW Dynamite when AEW World Champion MJF turned on him and hit the veteran with brass knuckles. The following week, Regal appeared in a pre-recorded video and sent the group a final message.
Speaking on the Battleground Podcast, Yuta was asked to share his thoughts on Regal’s looming departure and the veteran’s apparent farewell message on the December 7 episode of AEW Dynamite. Yuta noted that it was an emotional goodbye, as he owes Regal and his Blackpool Combat Club stablemates a lot. The former ROH Pure Champion emphasized that he appreciated having the opportunity to learn from Regal, and now it’s time for the group to apply his lessons.
“Yeah, of course. Watching that video was… he ended it with, ‘Fellas, it’s been emotional,’ and honestly, it really has” Yuta said. “I owe the whole Blackpool Combat Club and Regal, especially, a lot. This has been the most incredible run of my career. It’s really a dream to come true to be surrounded by all these guys and be able to learn from them and pick their brains.
“So being able to get everything I got from Regal was awesome. But now, just like he said, that was our last lesson. Now it’s time to kick things up a notch. It’s time to take everything that he’s taught us and use it to really take over, to take over wrestling, take over AEW, and take over Ring of Honor as well.
When asked to comment on Khan’s decision to not renew Regal’s option, Tony not renewing Regal option, Yuta stated that he understood the reasoning on both sides. He expressed his belief that working with his son will be good for Regal.
“I think Tony said it best,” Yuta said. “He’s a very family-oriented person, and when you have an opportunity like that for Mr. Regal, it’s an opportunity he’s never had in his career, and these are the formative years of his son working as wrestler, so I think it’s gonna be great for him to coach him there. I understand completely on both sides why the decisions were made.”
Yuta will aim to recapture the ROH Pure Championship when he challenges Daniel Garcia for the gold at ROH Final Battle on December 10.
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