WWE legend William Regal on his northwest roots, upcoming Manchester show and bringing AEW to the UK

Wrestling legend William Regal may have lived in America for the past three decades but his heart is firmly in the north west of England and the retired grappler is returning home next week for a spoken word show at Gorilla, where he will share stories from his 39-year career.

Regal is probably best known for his time in WWE but is currently contracted to rival promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he appears as the on-screen manager of a group called Blackpool Combat Club - which also includes wrestlers Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta. Although the name is an obvious nod to Regal starting his wrestling career in Blackpool, the Staffordshire-born performer admitted that it was actually the idea of his American colleague Moxley.

"Anytime I can give recognition to Blackpool I give it," the 54-year-old told the Manchester Evening News . "I'm not from there obviously but I moved there when I was 16 to wrestle and I've been going there since I was born. I can remember being there when I was five or six.

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"It wasn't my idea though, that's another thing that shocked me. It was Jon's idea and he's never been [to Blackpool] but he said that all stemmed from the concept of me bringing them together and he said it sounds like a cool place and I replied 'well, it is to me!'

"Everything in my life that's been good, apart from my parents, has come from Blackpool; starting wrestling, my wife, two of my children were born at the Victoria Hospital, the entertainment in the 80s, all the people I met, the circus people, it's still home to me.