Blackpool Combat Club lost its leader late last year. At AEW Full Gear 2022, William Regal slipped his signature brass knuckles to Maxwell Jacob Friedman, helping the young star defeat Jon Moxley to become AEW World Champion. This was seemingly done to set up Regal as MJF’s manager, but MJF would attack Regal the first time they shared a ring together after the pay-per-view. This attack was done to write Regal off of AEW TV as he had been granted his requested release. Regal has since returned to WWE to work with NXT, specifically alongside his son, NXT prospect Charlie Dempsey.
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Even with Regal gone, Blackpool Combat Club still operates as a cohesive unit and has racked up numerous championships and pay-per-view victories to their name. That said, his absence is felt by the group.
“It’s definitely weird that he’s not with us physically at the shows, but he’s definitely always with us in the lessons that he taught us and all the tools he gave us going forward,” BCC’s Wheeler Yuta told ComicBook.com.
While they do not appear on television together anymore, Yuta and the rest of Blackpool Combat Club still chat with Regal to this day.
“He’s just a phone call away as well,” Yuta continued. “So we all keep in touch.”
Beyond being the faction’s manager and mouthpiece, Regal also trained with Blackpool Combat Club. As showcased on AEW TV, Regal’s history with Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and Claudio Castagnoli was long-documented, as he played a big role in introducing them to mainstream audiences. Even though he had a pre-established connection with most of the group, Regal still made sure to develop a bond with Yuta specifically.
“He was so instrumental and was really important in bringing me into the wrestler I am today. That could be said about every member of the BCC,” Yuta added. “He had a connection before already with the other three guys before the BCC started. The fact that he was able to take me in and really impart his wisdom on me, that’s something that I’ll always be grateful for. He gave me so many lessons, in and out of the ring.”
AEW Dynamite returns tonight, airing at 8 PM ET on TBS. The full card can be seen below…
- AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. AR Fox
- Darby Allin vs. Swerve Strickland
- Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Taya Valkyrie
- PAC vs. Gravity
- Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Lucha Brothers vs. Best Friends
- Adam Cole and MJF speak
