Last night’s episode of WWE NXT, the final installment before this Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble, saw several of the company’s top stars shining ahead of possible surprise entries in the big matches. One name who is no longer competing in the ring but is still regularly a focus of the show is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s daughter, Ava. The second-generation star made an attempt at laying the smackdown as part of Joe Gacy’s Schism stable but, following its dissolution, has largely been seen delivering orders on behalf of Shawn Michaels. Last night, she was introduced to another notable WWE NXT authority figure: William Regal.
After Ava was seen leaving Michaels’ office, Regal followed behind shortly after, thanking The Heartbreak Kid for his time. Ava thanked Regal for sitting in on the meeting with Michaels, and the former WWE NXT general manager agreed that it was very productive. Regal then congratulated Ava on becoming the youngest general manager in WWE history. To which she said it felt “unreal.”
Regal asked Ava to look after WWE NXT because it is a brand that means a lot to him. He was part of WWE NXT since its beginning, and warned that she was going to have to make tough decisions and deal with big egos. Ava said she understood what the job entailed and thanked him for his advice.
Regal was released from his WWE contract in January 2022 and quickly found a role at AEW. During his time working for Tony Khan, Regal helped found the Blackpool Combat Club and participated in a memorable promo exchange with MJF. He was granted his release in December 2022, telling Khan that he wished to go work with his son, Charlie Dempsey, in WWE.
As part of the condition of his AEW release, Regal was asked not to appear on WWE TV for a year, which he honored, and is why he is now popping back up. He appeared in a social media video earlier this month, announcing Dempsey would be competing for the AJPW Triple Crown.