2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion was reportedly present backstage on SmackDown after 12-month hiatus

WWE SmackDown in Memphis this week apparently had former AEW personality William Regal present backstage.

The Gentleman Villain has been in the spotlight recently due to his imminent return to the Stamford-based Promotion after around 10 months in AEW. In Tony Khan's roster, he founded the Blackpool Combat Club alongside Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson.

The former NXT general manager asked to be released from AEW around the end of 2022 in order to return to WWE and mentor his son Charlie Dempsey. Tony Khan granted his plea, allowing him to return to his old promotion.

The former member of the Blackpool Combat Club and AEW ended their business relationship on December 31, 2022. The veteran has seemingly already become a part of the operations in WWE, as Fightful reported that he was present at the SmackDown show this week, albeit backstage.

A WWE Superstar recently expressed approval about William Regal joining Triple H

Former Champion Apollo Crews is seemingly quite pleased with The British Brawler's return to the Stamford-based Promotion.

Although Regal's exit from AEW may have been a loss for Tony Khan's company, the veteran's switch has certainly been appreciated by Triple H. Furthermore, Apollo Crews also gave his two cents on the subject in a recent interview with Metro.

"I feel like there’s a lot of young kids – not just young kids, but anybody can benefit from somebody with credentials like William Regal. If it’s something that’s happening, it’s gonna be fantastic for a lot of the younger kids, all of us, to get the knowledge and experience of someone who’s so well traveled, so well-versed. He’s been around for as long as I’ve been watching wrestling, really. I’m all for it," Crews said. (H/T: Fightful)

With the new year setting William Regal down on another run with Triple H's administration, it remains to be seen what the future holds for him.

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