William Regal’s AEW Safety Warning Exposes a 5-Year Crisis
William Regal publicly warned Tony Khan about AEW’s dangerous working style, and the response has been predictably defensive. But Regal wasn’t attacking the product—he was exposing a fundamental identity crisis five years in the making. AEW built its brand on creative freedom and high-risk wrestling. That freedom created incredible moments. It also created a culture where questioning safety became synonymous with not understanding the product. The injury list tells its own story: many serious injuries haven’t come from botches but from spots that went exactly as planned. That’s not bad luck—that’s a systemic problem. My bold prediction: within 18 months, either AEW implements significant safety protocols, or a catastrophic injury forces change from outside pressure. Something has to give.