William Regal | |
|---|---|
_(52292651031)_(cropped).jpg) Regal in 2022 | |
| Born | Darren Kenneth Matthews (1968-05-10)10 May 1968 (age 57) Codsall, England |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3; includingCharlie Dempsey |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names |
|
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 243 lb (110 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Blackpool, England |
| Trained by | Marty Jones |
| Debut | 1983 |
| Retired | 25 December 2013 |
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by thering nameWilliam Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed toWWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for his tenures inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) andAll Elite Wrestling (AEW), having served as a manager in the latter promotion.
Trained byMarty Jones, Matthews started his career at the age of 15 in 1983. His first matches took place at one of the rare final wrestling carnival booths atBlackpool Pleasure Beach. He went on to wrestle for national promotions on theBritish wrestling circuit and wrestled on television forITV. He then progressed to touring around the world until 1993 when he was signed to WCW, where he took the ring nameSteven Regal and became a four-timeWCW World Television Champion.
In 1998, Matthews joined the WWF (later WWE), where he became a two-timeIntercontinental Champion, a five-timeHardcore Champion, a four-timeEuropean Champion, a four-timeWorld Tag Team Champion, and the2008 winner of theKing of the Ring tournament. He also had stints ason-screen authority figures such as commissioner, General Manager ofRaw, and match co-ordinator for the 2011 season of theoriginalNXT. As NXT became WWE'sdevelopmental brand in 2012, he appeared as the on-screen General Manager; behind the scenes, he began serving as WWE's Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting from 2018 until he was released in 2022. He then signed with AEW and debuted as the founder and manager of theBlackpool Combat Club, leaving the company nine months later to return to WWE as the vice-president of Global Talent Development.
Darren Kenneth Matthews[2] was born inCodsall[3] on 10 May 1968.[4] He grew up admiring wrestlers Terry Rudge and Jon Cortez, whom he later called "wrestlers' wrestlers".[5]
After training underMarty Jones,[6] Matthews made his debut wrestling for promoter Bobby Barron at his wrestling challenge booth at the Horseshoe Showbar atBlackpool Pleasure Beach at the age of 15.[7] In time, he graduated to be ashooter at the booth, using brutal submission holds to defend prize money against challenges from members of the public.[8] By this time, he wrestled professionally all over Britain forAll Star Wrestling where he regularly teamed withRobbie Brookside as The Golden Boys tag team. Both Regal and Brookside appeared in several televised matches during the final years (1987–1988) ofITV's coverage ofBritish wrestling.[9][10]
Matthews went on to tour worldwide, including Germany and South Africa. In 1991, he received a tryout match with theWorld Wrestling Federation. Matthews relayed that throughLord Alfred Hayes, WWF had become interested in seeing the young wrestler and offered him an opportunity at theWWF UK Rampage Show on 24 April 1991.[11] Wrestling in a dark match, he appeared as Steve Regal and teamed withDave Taylor andTony St. Clair to defeatDrew McDonald, Chic Cullen, & Johnny South. Later that year, he received a second booking and wrestledBrian Maxine at the Battle Royal at Albert Hall in London, England on 3 October 1991.[12] Two months later, Matthews was again wrestling on the UK swing of a major American promotion, although this time it wasWorld Championship Wrestling. Appearing as Steve Regal, he wrestled six matches on WCW's tour of the United Kingdom and facedTerrance Taylor,Jimmy Garvin,Giant Haystacks, and Oz (Kevin Nash).[13]
During this early period, he was billed as Steve Regal, a name he saw in an American wrestling magazine (in use by "Mr. Electricity"Steve Regal). There were two exceptions to this. One was when he wrestled inWales during this period, including appearances onS4C's Welsh language wrestling TV showReslo under the name Steve Jones and was billed fromCardiff, Wales, teaming withOrig Williams and facedFit Finlay among others.[14] The other was a brief stint forJoint Promotions in 1986 where he wrestled his first two televised matches under the name Roy Regal.[15] Otherwise, he stuck with the name Steve Regal up until shortly after his arrival inWorld Championship Wrestling.[citation needed]
In the fall of 1992, Matthews reached out toBill Watts on a position in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Watts responded favourably to Regal's letter and offered him a contract.[16] He began as afan favouritecharacter, still as Steve Regal.[8] Regal made his televised debut on the 30 January 1993 episode ofSaturday Night and defeatedenhancement talent Bob Cook in his in-ring debut on the following week'sSaturday Night. Shortly after his debut, Regal entered a tournament for the vacantWCW World Television Championship in which he defeatedThe Barbarian in the first round before losing toJohnny B. Badd in the quarterfinals.[17]
He became thevillain "Lord Steven Regal" on the 12 June episode ofSaturday Night, claiming descent fromWilliam the Conqueror andSir William began serving as hismanager.[17] At times arrogantly charming in this persona, one of his memorable statements to a post-match interviewer was: "Do you know what my New Year's resolution is going to be? To wake up a half an hour earlier so I can hate you more".[18] His first major win after the character change was againstMarcus Alexander Bagwell on 16 JuneClash of the Champions XXIII.[19] Regal was scheduled to face Bagwell's partner2 Cold Scorpio on 18 AugustClash of the Champions XXIV, but he was replaced byBobby Eaton. Regal himself substituted for the injuredBrian Pillman to team withSteve Austin in aWCW World Tag Team Championship defence againstArn Anderson andPaul Roma; Regal and Austin lost that match.[20]
Regal won the World Television Championship by defeatingRicky Steamboat at the inauguralFall Brawlpay-per-view on 18 September with the help of Sir William.[17][21][22][23] Regal unknowingly broke his neck during this match. Regal enjoyed a lengthy title reign as he retained the title against a flurry of challengers, beginning with his first televised title defence against Arn Anderson on the 9 October episode ofSaturday Night which ended in a fifteen-minute time limit draw.[17] He then defended the title against fellow BritDavey Boy Smith, whom he faced to a fifteen-minute time limit draw atHalloween Havoc.[24] Regal then successfully retained the title against Johnny B. Badd on 10 NovemberClash of the Champions XXV[25] and retained the title against Steamboat atStarrcade[26] andDustin Rhodes on 27 January 1994Clash of the Champions XXVI,[27] with both matches ending in time limit draws.[17][28] Regal continued his successful title defences in 1994 by beating Arn Anderson atSuperBrawl IV[29] and fighting a time limit draw againstBrian Pillman atSpring Stampede.[30] In the spring of 1994 onWorldWide, Regal challengedRic Flair to a best-of-five series underMarquess of Queensberry Rules in which Regal lost to Flair with 1 win, 2 losses and 2 draws.
The following month, Regal lost a non-title match toLarry Zbyszko atSlamboree,[31] leading to a title match on the 28 May episode ofSaturday Night, in which hedropped the title to Zbyszko. Regal regained the title from Zbyszko on 23 JuneClash of the Champions XXVII.[22][32] Regal began a feud withSting and wasbooked to defend the title against Sting atBash at the Beach.[28] However, Sting was injured prior to the event and was replaced by Johnny B. Badd, whom Regal defeated to retain the title at Bash at the Beach.[33] Regal lost to the wrestling legendAntonio Inoki on 28 AugustClash of the Champions XXVIII.[34] In September, Regal lost the title to Badd atFall Brawl.[35]
Shortly after losing the television title to Badd, Regal dropped Sir William as his manager (Dundee was fired from WCW due to a contract dispute). Beginning with the 26 November episode ofSaturday Night, Regal began scouting fellow aristocratJean-Paul Levesque during his matches,[28] which lead to the duo forming a tag team on the 21 January 1995 episode ofPro, when they defeatedBrad andScott Armstrong.[28] Shortly after, Levesque left WCW and he was replaced byAlabama-bornBobby Eaton[8] when Regal and Eaton faced each other in a match on the 18 March episode ofSaturday Night. Regal stopped the match and proposed that he and Eaton form a team, which Eaton accepted. Regal formed the teamThe Blue Bloods with Eaton and was involved in humorousvignettes where he tried to teach Eaton the finer points of dining and the proper usage of theQueen's English.[36] The duo first began teaming on the 8 April episode ofWCW Saturday Night. Regal also toured WCW's working partnerNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) on 16 April, where he unsuccessfully challengedShinya Hashimoto for theIWGP Heavyweight Championship.[37] Blue Bloods quickly entered the title picture as they initiallyfeuded withThe Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs andJerry Sags), their complete opposites in terms of "sophistication" and presentation. Blue Bloods unsuccessfully challenged Nasty Boys for the WCW World Tag Team Championship atThe Great American Bash.[38] On the 24 June episode ofWorldWide, Blue Bloods retaliated by costing Nasty Boys, the tag team titles againstHarlem Heat (Booker T andStevie Ray).[37] Blue Bloods faced Harlem Heat and Nasty Boys for the title in atriangle match atBash at the Beach, where they failed again.[39] Blue Bloods soon dropped off the title picture and continued to compete as a mid-card tag team. They added"Squire" David Taylor to the team and Jeeves as their lackey by the end of the year.[8] Eaton and Regal received a shot at the WCW World Tag Team Championship againstSting and Lex Luger on 23 JanuaryClash of the Champions XXXII, where they failed to win the championship.[40]
On the 27 January episode ofSaturday Night, Regal was attacked by the debutingBelfast Bruiser during a match, sparking a feud between the duo as the Belfast Bruiser was aNorthern Irishman, who developed anon-screen hatred with Regal due to him beingEnglish.[41] In March, Regal faced the Bruiser in a match atUncensored, but Regal lost the match by disqualification after Eaton and Taylor attacked the Bruiser.[41][42] On the 29 April episode ofMonday Nitro, Regal defeated the Bruiser in aParking Lot Brawl. The duo were scheduled to team in the Lethal Lottery atSlamboree, but the Bruiser suffered an injury and was replaced by Dave Taylor. Regal and Taylor lost toJim Duggan andVK Wallstreet.[41][43] Regal challengedSting to a match to gain some attention in the company, leading to a match between the two atThe Great American Bash, which Regal lost.[44]
On the 31 August episode ofSaturday Night, Regal captured the World Television Championship for the third time by getting an upset victory overLex Luger after Luger was attacked byThe Outsiders.[22][41] After winning the title, Regal solely began focusing on his title reign and the Blue Bloods became inactive. He held the title for five months and defended the title against the likes of Hacksaw Jim Duggan,Dean Malenko, former partner Bobby Eaton andPsychosis. Regal was scheduled to defend the title againstRey Misterio Jr. atSuperBrawl VII, but hedropped the title toPrince Iaukea after a distraction by Misterio on the 16 February 1997 episode ofNitro. Six days later, Regal avenged his title loss by costing Misterio the title shot against Iaukea at SuperBrawl VII.[45] Regal got a rematch against Iaukea for the title atSpring Stampede, which he lost.[46] Regal attacked Iaukea on the 7 April episode ofNitro, which resulted in Iaukea losing the title toÚltimo Dragón later that night.[45]
AtSlamboree, Regal defeated Ultimo Dragon to win the belt for a fourth time,[47] but lost the title back to Dragon two months later on the 22 July episode ofNitro. Regal got another shot at the title against next championAlex Wright on the 15 September episode ofNitro, but he failed to capture the title.[45] In the fall of 1997, Regal reformed the Blue Bloods with Dave Taylor and they unsuccessfully challengedSteiner Brothers for the WCW World Tag Team Championship atWorld War 3. Later that night, Regal participated in theWorld War 3 three-ring battle royal for a futureWCW World Heavyweight Championship match.[48]
On the 9 February 1998 episode ofNitro, Regal was pinned byBill Goldberg in a match which was Regal's final match with WCW, in that run. The bout garnered controversy as it was said that Regal worked more aggressively andstiff than expected. Regal was confronted by Eric Bischoff after the match and stated to Bischoff, "I can't hit myself." Regal maintains he worked the bout as booked, but he was fired after the bout.[49]
Regal's first appearance in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) was on the 29 June 1998 episode ofRaw Is War in which he defeatedDroz viasubmission with theRegal Stretch. After featuring in one more match againstTiger Ali Singh in Pennsylvania, Regal was sent to a training camp run byDory Funk Jr. in order to get into shape. On his last day, he twisted his ankle in a match againstRhyno and upon returning home aggravated the injury falling in his bathroom, breaking his ankle and leg.
During this time, Regal was suffering from an addiction toRenewtrient, pain medication, andValium, and was not seen on WWF television until he returned that fall as the "Real Man's Man", a builder/lumberjack-style gimmick created byVince Russo and based on the image of The Brawny Man.[8] Vignettes for the character showed him doing "manly" things like chopping wood, shaving with astraight razor, and squeezing his own orange juice. After he made his full-time debut in October 1998, he facedX-Pac in the opening round of the tournament for the vacantWWF Championship atSurvivor Series,[8] ending in a doublecountout and thus eliminating both men from the tournament. Regal then began a feud withThe Godfather, but he was taken off television soon after before subsequently checking into rehab in January 1999 and was released from the company in April 1999.[7]
After checking out of rehab, Matthews was invited back into the wrestling world, making a somewhat brief return to WCW as "Lord Steven Regal". His official pay-per-view return took place in July 1999 duringBash at the Beach, where he was one of many participants in the firstHardcore Invitational. The following night onNitro, Regal, accompanied by both Fit Finlay and Dave Taylor, foughtBilly Kidman. Despite outside help from Finlay and Taylor, Regal was unable to pick up the win. Two weeks later, he facedMikey Whipwreck, butJimmy Hart'sFirst Family came out to challengeThe Blue Bloods atRoad Wild for the Hardcore Trophy, causing Regal to lose the match. Nothing came of this challenge as neither the First Family or the Blue Bloods were featured on the Road Wild card. Similar to his previous run, much of Regal's performances took place in tag team bouts. Regal continued his role as a rule breaking villain and had small feuds with teams such asThe Filthy Animals. In late February 2000, Regal lost acareer vs. career match against Jim Duggan onSaturday Night for the World Television Championship, which was done in order to explain Regal's release from the company.[citation needed]
Regal was once again hired by the WWF and sent to the developmental territoryMemphis Championship Wrestling (MCW) for a short time. He re-debuted in a match withChris Benoit at the Third AnnualBrian Pillman Memorial Show.[50]
Regal returned on the 18 September 2000 episode ofRaw Is War as a heel, under the name Steven William Regal (later shortened to William Regal).[51] Regal defeatedAl Snow to win theEuropean Championship on the 16 October episode ofRaw Is War.[52] After a successful defence against Naked Mideon atNo Mercy, Regal would lose the title toCrash Holly atRebellion on 2 December,[53] before winning it back two days later onRaw Is War.[54] Regal would enter his firstRoyal Rumble match at theeponymous pay-per-view on 21 January 2001, but failed to win.[55] The next night onRaw Is War, Regal lost the European Championship toTest.[56] On the 8 March episode ofSmackDown!, Regal became the new WWF commissioner, after defeating Al Snow.[57]
Regal later became the on-screen commissioner and self-proclaimed "Goodwill Ambassador" of the WWF and was given a comedy sidekick inTajiri. DuringThe Invasion storyline, Regal turned face as he remained the WWF Commissioner. During theWCW/ECW Alliance storyline, Regal turned heel once again by costingKurt Angle the WWF Championship on the 8 October episode ofRaw and joiningThe Alliance. He was fired as commissioner byLinda McMahon, butShane McMahon, who was the owner of WCW, hired him as the Alliance Commissioner.
After the Alliance was defeated atSurvivor Series on 18 November, Regal was forced to become the first member ofVince McMahon's"Kiss My Ass" club by kissing McMahon's buttocks so he could keep his job.[8]
Regal defeatedEdge to win the Intercontinental Championship atRoyal Rumble on 20 January 2002,[58] after using a set ofbrass knuckles in order to knock out Edge, an action that would later become a trademark of Regal's character. Regal defended the title against Edge again atNo Way Out on 17 February in abrass knuckles on a pole match.[59] He lost the title toRob Van Dam atWrestleMania X8 on 17 March.[60] The same week, he beatDiamond Dallas Page for the European Championship on the 21 March episode ofSmackDown!.[61]
Regal wasdrafted to theRaw brand in the inauguralWWF draft lottery on the 25 March episode ofRaw, thus bringing the European Championship toRaw.[62] Regal lost the European Championship toSpike Dudley on the 8 April episode ofRaw.[63] He regained the championship from Dudley on the 6 May episode ofRaw to become a four-time champion.[64] Throughout April, Regal would also hold theWWF Hardcore Championship five times, with all of these reigns coming at non-televisedhouse shows.[65] Regal entered the2002King of the Ring tournament, but lost toBooker T in the qualifiers on the 3 June episode ofRaw.[66]
Regal later lost the European Championship toJeff Hardy on the 8 July episode ofRaw, making Regal the third-to-last champion as the championship was retired later in the year.[67] He joinedThe Un-Americans, an anti-American alliance consisting of Canadian wrestlersLance Storm,Christian and Test on the 2 September episode ofRaw.[68] AtUnforgiven on 22 September, The Un-Americans lost toBubba Ray Dudley,Kane and Booker T and Goldust.[69]
On the 30 September episode ofRaw, every member of The Un-Americans lost their matches, causing the group to separate later in the night and break away into separate groups. Regal began teaming with Lance Storm, Christian formed a tag team withChris Jericho and Test branched off into single competition.[70] On 30 September episode ofRaw, both Christian and Storm lost matches toRandy Orton, while Regal and Test lost to Rob Van Dam andTommy Dreamer. This led to all four members attacking each other, thus disbanding the team.[71] Storm and Regal won theWorld Tag Team Championship[a] from Booker T and Goldust thanks to Regal's brass knuckles on 6 January 2003 episode ofRaw.[72] They lost the championship toDudley Boyz at theRoyal Rumble on 19 January,[73] but they regained the championship the next night onRaw thanks to an impromptu match set up byChief Morley after Regal and Storm had put Bubba through a table.[74] AtNo Way Out on 23 February, Regal and Storm defeated Kane and Rob Van Dam to retain the World Tag Team Championship in what would be his last match for over a year.[75]
In his 2005 autobiography, Regal recalls having swelling all over his body, high heart rate and trouble sleeping in the lead-up to the match at No Way Out. During the match, he suffered a concussion and was briefly knocked unconscious. Over the next few days, Regal's health worsened and he consulted a doctor. He was informed that he had contracted a heart parasite from a WWE tour of India in November 2002. This, coupled with his aforementioned concussion, kept him out of action for the rest of the year.[76]
Regal returned after a one-year absence on the 5 April 2004 episode ofRaw. Upon his return, Raw General ManagerEric Bischoff appointed him the guardian of hiskayfabe "mentally challenged" nephewEugene. Regal initially refused, but was demanded to do so in order to be reinstated onto the active roster.[77] Initially annoyed at having to "babysit" Eugene, Regal eventually grew very fond of him and they became friends, becoming aface in the process. On the 10 May episode ofRaw, Bischoff told Regal to sabotage Eugene's match so he would quit with embarrassment, in return for Regal being reinstated. Despite reluctantly tripping Eugene, he still managed to defeat his opponent.[78] Regal was eventually reinstated on the 21 June episode ofRaw, before being put in a match with Kane at Bischoff's behest, which Regal lost after being knocked out by Kane.[79]
In June, Regal was inserted into a feud withEvolution, after the group's leaderTriple H tried to convince Eugene that Regal was secretly plotting against him.[80] After weeks of manipulation, Evolution turned on and attacked Eugene on the 12 July episode ofRaw, much to Regal's dismay.[81] Triple H would then continue to torment Regal and Eugene, and on the 9 August episode ofRaw, Regal was kidnapped and brutalised by Triple H in order to gain an advantage against Eugene.[82] AtSummerSlam on 15 August, Regal assisted Eugene in his match against Triple H by attacking his managerRic Flair. However Eugene would still ultimately lose.[83] Regal teamed withChris Benoit to defeat Evolution membersBatista and Ric Flair atUnforgiven on 12 September.[84] Regal and Eugene won the World Tag Team Championship fromLa Résistance on the 15 November episode ofRaw.[85] However, atNew Year's Revolution on 9 January 2005, Eugene legitimately injured himself during their tag title defence against Christian andTyson Tomko. Although they successfully retained the titles, Eugene would be out of action for over six months.[86] This ultimately cost them the World Tag Team Championship as Regal lost the titles back to La Résistance at a 16 Januaryhouse show inWinnipeg,Manitoba,Canada, with announcerJonathan Coachman as Eugene's replacement.[87] On the 7 February episode ofRaw, Regal teamed with former tag partner Tajiri to reclaim the titles.[88] On the following week'sRaw, Regal and Tajiri faced La Résistance in a rematch for the titles, which they won.[89]
During March and April, Regal and Tajiri defended the titles successfully against the likes of La Résistance multiple times,Maven andSimon Dean,The Hurricane and Rosey andThe Heart Throbs. This would lead to atag team turmoil match involving the aforementioned teams atBacklash on 1 May. Regal and Tajiri were eliminated by La Résistance who, in turn, were eliminated by the Hurricane and Rosey, who became the new champions.[90] Regal appeared atECW One Night Stand on 12 June as an anti-ECW "crusader" led by Eric Bischoff. At the end of show, Regal and other "crusaders" would engage in a brawl with ECW alumni led by Stone Cold Steve Austin, in which the crusaders were soundly beaten.[91]
On 30 June, Regal was sent to theSmackDown! brand as part of an eleven-person trade during thedraft lottery.[92] His first match onSmackDown! was on 7 July againstMatt Morgan in what was to be Morgan's final WWE match. It was interrupted before Regal was even able to enter the ring byMexicools. His first full match as part of the roster was a loss to Chris Benoit in acatch wrestling match on the 16 July episode ofVelocity. On 4 August, Regal was scheduled to go one on one withScotty 2 Hotty, but the Mexicools came in and attacked both men. Two weeks later, they teamed up onSmackDown! againstPsicosis andSuper Crazy withJuventud in their corner. Halfway through the match, Regal betrayed Scotty by refusing to tag him and walked out of the ring with a smirk on his face, turning heel as a result and allowing the Mexicools to pick up the win. Two days later, Regal cut a promo telling the crowd that he had returned to his former self, referring to himself as a "scoundrel" and a "rogue". Thepromo ended when Scotty ran to the ring and attacked Regal. The following week, a match between the two was cut short when the debutingPaul Burchill interfered to aid his countryman. Regal went on to take Burchill under his wing and tag with him on the hunt for theWWE Tag Team Championship, but the team's biggest exposure was a loss in a handicap match againstBobby Lashley atArmageddon on 18 December.
On the 3 February 2006 episode ofSmackDown!, Regal and Burchill told the "network representative"Palmer Canon that they no longer wanted to be a tag team so they could go their separate ways. During this discussion, Burchill informed Canon that his family heritage traced back to thepirateBlackbeard and that he wanted to turn this into a pirategimmick.[8] Burchill, with this heroic persona, started a rivalry with former teammate Regal, who tried to convince Burchill to return to his ruthless ways. Regal lost to Burchill in his first match as a pirate.[93] Regal lost a rematch against Burchill, with the match stipulation that Regal would have to dress like a "buxom wench" if he lost. "Lady Regal", as SmackDown! announcers jokingly referred to him, had to dress up like this until Burchill lost a match. This ended after Burchill abandoned him during a tag team loss toThe Gymini.
Regal continued to wrestle in a lower mid-card status, the highlight of which saw him facing theUnited States ChampionJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in a losing effort while in England. Soon after Booker T became King Booker after becomingKing of the Ring, Regal joined King Booker's Court by playing the role of atown crier. As a member of the Court, Regal helped King Booker in his feud against Bobby Lashley, occasionally teaming up with fellow Court member Finlay in tag team matches. However, during this time he also feuded with Finlay for the United States Championship. Regal was knighted by King Booker and was given the title of "Sir".[8] AtNo Mercy on 8 October, Regal lost to a returning Chris Benoit, resulting in him turning his back on the Court afterwards by knocking down King Booker with a punch to the face after King Booker slapped him and called him useless. During the broadcast, Regal was involved in a backstage segment withVito in which he accidentally exposed hispenis.[94]
Twelve days after No Mercy, Regal stated that while he had once been one of the world's greatest wrestlers, he had since become a doormat for otherSmackDown! wrestlers. He referred to being dressed as a buxom wench for a pirate, the aforementioned locker room incident with Vito, and being knighted by a false king as examples. After announcing he was finished being a whipping boy, he introduced his old tag team partner Dave Taylor and the two went on to easily defeat the team of Scotty 2 Hotty andFunaki. Though the pair reformed their previous tag team, they did not reuse the Blue Bloods gimmick and instead portrayed themselves as sadistic fighters. However, the team was quickly put into jeopardy in their second match together when Taylor suffered a tornmeniscus in his left knee, leaving him injured.[95] Taylor took a more relaxed role for a couple of weeks as a corner man for Regal and only wrestled in a few short house show matches. Taylor quickly healed from his injury and the pair feuded with the WWE Tag Team ChampionsPaul London and Brian Kendrick. After defeating London and Kendrick on several occasions, atArmageddon on 17 December they took part in a four-wayladder match alongsideJohnny Nitro and Joey Mercury andThe Hardys, which London and Kendrick won.[96]
On the 25 May 2007 episode ofSmackDown!, Regal and Taylor competed in a number one contenders match for the WWE Tag Team Championship against London and Kendrick, which they lost afterDeuce 'n Domino interfered, making both teams the number one contenders.[97] This interference led to a triple threat match the next week onSmackDown! in which Deuce 'n Domino retained the title.[98]
On 17 June, Regal was drafted to the Raw brand during the supplemental draft,[99] ending his tag team with Dave Taylor. On 2 July, Regal served as Interimgeneral manager of Raw, filling in forJonathan Coachman. While general manager, Regal introduced theBeat the Clock Sprint toRaw, which was used to determine who would challengeJohn Cena for the WWE Championship atThe Great American Bash on 22 July.[100]
On the 6 August episode ofRaw, Regal became the new general manager after winning abattle royal featuring other participants from the Raw roster.[101] He began incorporating game shows intoRaw while general manager. On the 3 September episode ofRaw, Regal was attacked by WWE Champion John Cena in retaliation for rewarding Randy Orton with a WWE title shot after Orton had kicked John Cena's father in the head the previous week. Regal was missing fromRaw programming for one month due to this attack, making his return by siding with Vince McMahon. On the 31 December episode ofRaw, Triple H was scheduled to face Ric Flair in which Flair's win or retire ultimatum was still active. Regal announced that if Triple H lost the match in any way, he would not participate in theRoyal Rumble match at theRoyal Rumble on 27 January 2008. This was to give Triple H a reason to want to win the match rather than avoid ending the career of his best friend and idol. Regal was scheduled to compete againstHornswoggle that night with Mr. McMahon at ringside.[102] McMahon tossed Regal somebrass knuckles during the match and encouraged him to use them on Hornswoggle, but he let Hornswoggle go and left the ring.[102] During the Flair versus Triple H match, Triple H was about to pin Flair for the win when Regal suddenly punched Flair in the face with the brass knuckles. This gave Flair the win bydisqualification, ensuring that he could continue to wrestle and that Triple H would not be part of the Royal Rumble.[103]
As a result of Regal's actions towards Triple H, the following week onRaw Roulette he lost aFirst Blood match to Triple H after several right hands to Regal's forehead. A few weeks later, Regal made the RawElimination Chamber match forNo Way Out on 17 February. He later faced Randy Orton in a match on the 14 April episode ofRaw during the European tour to try to teach him some respect. The following week, Regal won the2008 King of the Ring tournament on a special three-hourRaw, where he defeated Hornswoggle, Finlay andCM Punk all by submission, becoming the first man to make Punk submit.[104] Regal's coronation ceremony the next week was interrupted by the returningMr. Kennedy. A few weeks later, Regal lost aLoser Gets Fired match to Mr. Kennedy, after which Regal waskayfabe forced to leave WWE. In reality, Regal was suspended on 20 May for sixty days for his second violation of the company'sSubstance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy.[105] On 28 July, Regal returned from his suspension as a "free agent" during an episode ofRaw, where he was defeated by then-World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk.[106]
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Regal began a mini-feud withJamie Noble after he took an interest in Noble's romantic interestLayla, prompting him to attack Regal.[107] Both men picked up victories in consecutive weeks,[108][109] before Regal won their third match, departing with Layla at his side.[110] Regal's feud with Noble escalated the subsequent week when Layla declared that Noble was a loser and that she found a man worthy of her in Regal.[111] However, the feud was short lived.
On the 3 November episode ofRaw, Regal won an over-the-top battle royal to faceSantino Marella for the Intercontinental Championship and the next week inManchester, Regal defeated Marella in a 40-second squash match to win his second Intercontinental Championship.[112] Later, he entered into a feud for the title with number one contender CM Punk. On the 5 January 2009 episode ofRaw, Regal lost to Punk via disqualification after he grabbed the referee's shirt.[113] Due to this,Stephanie McMahon awarded Punk a rematch the following week, with the stipulation that if Regal was disqualified, he would lose the Intercontinental title, but this time Punk was disqualified.[114] McMahon awarded Punk another rematch, this time a no disqualification match on the 19 January episode ofRaw, where Regal lost the title.[115] Regal got a rematch, but lost the match. Following thedraft, Regal was left alone on the Raw brand as his on-screen manager Layla was drafted to the SmackDown brand. AtExtreme Rules on 7 June, Regal unsuccessfully challengedKofi Kingston for theUnited States Championship along withMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP) andMatt Hardy, as Kingston retained the United States Championship by pinning Regal.[116]
Regal was traded to theECW brand on 29 June.[117] In his first match onECW the following night, he teamed withVladimir Kozlov to defeatTommy Dreamer and Christian.[118]
After winning a tag match on the 6 August episode ofSuperstars,[119] Regal was named as the number one contender to theECW Championship.[120] On the 18 August episode ofECW, Regal teamed with Kozlov again to faceEzekiel Jackson and the ECW Champion Christian in which Jackson attacked Christian to ensure Regal's victory,[121] with the trio of Regal, Kozlov and Jackson forming a new alliance which was later dubbed the Ruthless Roundtable.[122] AtSummerSlam on 23 August, Regal challenged Christian for his title, but was defeated in eight seconds.[123] With the Roundtable's help, Regal defeated Christian in a non-title match on the 25 August episode ofECW to earn a title rematch against Christian atBreaking Point on 13 September,[124] but Christian prevailed again with the rest of the Roundtable banned from ringside.[125] Regal was then denied another chance at number one contender-ship,[126] but The Ruthless Roundtable continued to repeatedly attack Christian to continue the feud.[127][128] As a result, Christian demanded to face Regal,[129] so he received another shot for the ECW Championship on the 10 November episode ofECW inSheffield, England, but he was once again unsuccessful.[130]
AtSurvivor Series on 22 November, Regal participated in a traditional five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match and was eliminated by MVP.[131] Following Survivor Series, dissension was teased within The Ruthless Roundtable,[132] although Jackson seemed poised to leave the group, Regal ultimately sided with Jackson and turned on Kozlov by assisting Jackson in defeating Kozlov to qualify for an ECW Homecoming battle royal to determine the number one contender to the ECW Championship.[133] Jackson won the ECW Homecoming battle royal and was granted a title shot, but Christian defeated him at theRoyal Rumble on 31 January 2010 to retain his title.[134][135] Despite the loss, Regal and Jackson continued to assault Christian, who accepted Jackson's title challenge. On the final episode ofECW on 16 February, Regal helped Jackson defeating Christian in an Extreme Rules match to become the final ECW Champion.[136][137][138]
AfterECW was cancelled to be replaced byNXT, Regal returned to the Raw brand,[139] but he also became the Pro to RookieSkip Sheffield on the first season ofNXT. Regal made his debut on the 2 March episode ofNXT, teaming with Sheffield in a losing effort against Matt Hardy andJustin Gabriel.[140] On the 13 April episode ofNXT, Regal won his first match on the show, defeating former pupilDaniel Bryan.[141] On the 10 May episode ofNXT, Sheffield was eliminated from the competition.[142]
Regal was mostly involved in lower-card feuds after returning to wrestle onRaw and also regularly appeared onNXT andSuperstars. In 2010, he regularly lost tag team matches againstSantino Marella while trading wins with Goldust. Regal defeatedDarren Young in three matches onSuperstars in October and November.[143]
In March 2011, Regal became the color commentator for the fifth season ofNXT.[144] On 26 April, Regal was drafted to SmackDown as part of the2011 WWE supplemental draft.[145] OnNXT, Regal began a feud with rookie Jacob Novak after Novak taunted him as old and washed up.[146] On the 3 May episode ofNXT, Regal was set to face Novak, but Novak's ProJTG stepped in to replace Novak. While Regal had the match won, Novak interfered, attacking Regal and causing a disqualification.[147] This attack turned Regal face. On the 10 May episode ofNXT, Regal defeated Novak by submission to end the feud[148] as Novak was eliminated on the next episode.[149]
After Regal came to the aid ofNXT hostMatt Striker, saving him from an assault by Darren Young, Young challenged Regal to a match on the 6 September episode ofNXT and Regal duly defeated Young.[150] On the 13 September episode ofNXT, Regal teamed with Striker against JTG and Darren Young in a losing effort.[151] On the 10 November episode ofSuperstars held in England, Regal was pranked when his old "Real Man's Man" theme song was played, then lost to protégé Daniel Bryan, but both wrestlers showed respect after the match.[152][153] On the 15 February 2011 episode ofNXT Redemption, Regal temporarily took charge asNXT host from Matt Striker to set up matches on the show,[154] which led to him being madeNXT's official match coordinator two weeks later.[155] After being appointed as an authority figure, Regal had issues withNXT's perennial troublemakers,Curt Hawkins andTyler Reks whileMaxine attempted to influence him to get her offNXT.[156]
In 2011, Regal also acted as a color commentator forFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) matches and it was during this time he began a feud withDean Ambrose after an unprovoked attack by Ambrose on Regal, setting up a match between the two on the 6 November episode ofFCW, where Regal viciously attacked Ambrose's left arm and pinned Ambrose.[157][158] Following the loss to Regal, Ambrose became obsessed about wanting a rematch and regularly taunted Regal by using Regal's finishing moves to win matches.[159] A rematch was scheduled as the main event for the final episode ofFCW on 15 July. The match began with Regal viciously attacking Ambrose's injured left arm, but Ambrose rammed Regal into the ring post to badly disorientate him. Then Ambrose ruthlessly kneed Regal's head into an exposed turnbuckle, causing Regal to bleed from the ear and the match was then ruled a no contest. After the match, Regal stared down Ambrose, then applauded him and turned his head to allow Ambrose to deliver theKnee Trembler. Afterwards, the FCW locker room stormed the ring to separate Ambrose from a fallen Regal while commentators questioned whether Regal would ever be able to wrestle again.[160] He continued to work as a color commentator for NXT after FCW was rebranded as NXT.[161][162]
In 2012, Regal wrestled multiple live event dates wrestling against the likes of Santino Marella andWade Barrett. Regal ended up on both the winning and losing side. AtOver the Limit, Regal participated in a 20-manbattle royal, but he was ultimately unsuccessful. In late 2012, Regal played the role ofSheamus' friend in Sheamus' rivalry againstBig Show, where he was repeatedly attacked by Big Show.[163] Regal was featured on the 6 November episode ofSmackDown inBirmingham, England in which Regal teamed with Sheamus in a loss to Big Show and Wade Barrett[164] and later on the 12 November episode ofRaw he lost to Big Show.[165]
Regal wrestled for the WWE during the April tour of the United Kingdom losing toAntonio Cesaro onRaw and losing to Wade Barrett onSmackDown. On 1 December, Regal defeatedAce Steel in a match forWorld League Wrestling in Eldon, Missouri.[166][167] Regal would later make a surprise appearance on the 17 June 2013 episode ofRaw where he challenged Cesaro to a match in which he was defeated.
On 5 December, Regal started a feud with his former discipleKassius Ohno when he savedTyson Kidd from an assault by Ohno andLeo Kruger.[168] When Regal later savedDerrick Bateman from Ohno's post-match attack, Ohno confronted Regal, who punched Ohno. The next week, Regal apologised to Ohno. In reply, Ohno stated that he had followed in Regal's footsteps to arrive in WWE, but that Regal's whole career had no legacy, leading to Regal punching Ohno again.[169] After both men continued to attack each other,[170][171] the rivalry culminated in a match on the 10 April 2013 episode ofNXT, which Regal won.[172] Ohno later apologised to Regal.[173] On the 26 June episode ofNXT, Regal tried to help Ohno,Adrian Neville andCorey Graves from a joint assault byThe Wyatt Family, Garrett Dylan andScott Dawson, but was overwhelmed.[174] Two weeks later, Graves, Neville and Regal faced The Wyatt Family withBray Wyatt pinning Regal.[175]
Regal's final in-ring feud was against Antonio Cesaro due to Regal savingByron Saxton from Cesaro's bullying,[176] which culminated with Cesaro defeating Regal on the 25 December episode ofNXT.[177] This would be his final match. In 2017, he confirmed that he had retired from wrestling.[178] However, he wrestled Sami Zayn in a behind-closed-doors match at a WWE try out in Dubai in 2014.[179]
In July 2014, Regal was given the on-screen role of General Manager of NXT.Dave Meltzer later wrote that Regal was "moved from the commentary booth to the figurehead commissioner role, since the decision was made that NXT should be about grooming announcers for the future in WWE, and they simply don't think of Regal for that role".[180] In both late 2014 and early 2015, WWE executive Triple H described Regal as playing a key role in recruiting wrestlers to NXT and WWE as a whole, whether from the wrestling circuit or from other sports.[181][182] He also became a trainer at theWWE Performance Center after the passing ofDusty Rhodes. As the on-screen General Manager, Regal made regular appearances on NXT television throughout 2015 and 2016. He appeared during theCruiserweight Classic semi-finals, handingTJ Perkins his medallion for defeatingKota Ibushi. On 22 January 2018, Regal made a brief appearance on stage during the25th Anniversary episode ofRaw as a former Raw general manager.[183] In February, WWE.com referred to him as the WWE Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting.[184] Regal was named also the on-screen General Manager of the cruiserweight brand205 Live on 13 April 2020.[185] Regal was released from his WWE contract on 5 January 2022, ending his 22-year tenure with the company.[186]
At theAEW eventRevolution in March 2022, Regal made his surprise debut after the match betweenJon Moxley andBryan Danielson, two of his former protégés (with Moxley also being a one-time rival) and broke up their brawl before forcing them to shake hands with each other.[187] During the media scrum after the event,Tony Khan confirmed that Regal had officially signed with the company.[188] He began to manage Danielson and Moxley as a tag team and named them theBlackpool Combat Club (BCC), withWheeler Yuta andClaudio Castagnoli later joining the group.[189] The BCC feuded with theJericho Appreciation Society over the summer.[190][191][192]
AtFull Gear in November, Regal helpedMJF win theAEW World Championship from Moxley by handing MJF his signaturebrass knuckles while the referee was incapacitated.[193] On the 23 November episode ofDynamite, Regal praised MJF but was interrupted by Moxley, who agreed to Danielson's pleas not to attack Regal on the condition that Regal leave and never come back.[194] On the 30 November episode ofDynamite, MJF attacked Regal with his own brass knuckles; following this, it was reported that Regal was set to leave AEW.[195] His final appearance was a pre-taped interview withTony Schiavone that aired on 7 December edition ofDynamite, in which he told the BCC that he realised they no longer needed him and thus betrayed them to teach them one final lesson: that they should always stay one step ahead, with Jon Moxley's response being the group continues as a unit moving forward.[196] According to Khan, Regal had requested not to renew his contract so that he could return to WWE and work alongside his son, who had made his wrestling debut for WWE while Regal was with AEW.[197] On 30 December, Regal confirmed his departure from AEW onTwitter and spoke highly of his time there.[198]
Regal returned to WWE in January 2023, taking on the behind-the-scenes role of Vice President of Global Talent Development.[199][200] After Regal left AEW, he had a clause in his contract, so he could not appear on television for an entire year, eventually making his return to WWE television on the 23 January 2024 episode ofNXT, appointingAva as the new general manager of NXT.[201] He later appeared atNXT: Roadblock on 5 March after his son,Charlie Dempsey won theNXT Heritage Cup.[202] On 27 October atNXT Halloween Havoc, Regal appeared and offered to be thecornerman forLexis King for his upcoming NXT Heritage Cup match against Dempsey.[203] During the match, Regal passed his signature brass knuckles for King to use against Dempsey but King refused, wanting to win the Cup on his own merit and lost the match 0–2 inBritish Round Rules.[204] On the 24 December episode ofNXT (taped 17 December), King, again with Regal as his cornerman, faced Dempsey in a rematch for the NXT Heritage Cup. Regal again passed the brass knuckles to King but King objected. Regal then punched King, to which the brass knuckles fell into the ring. The referee saw Dempsey with the brass knuckles and assumed that Dempsey used it on King and disqualified Dempsey. In British Round Rules, the Cup change hands if the reigning champion gets disqualified, resulting in King becoming the new NXT Heritage Cup Champion.[205]
Regal's style is a hybrid mix of brawling and submission grappling, often utilising a combination of stiffforearm andknee strikes, along with multiplesuplex variations to ground an opponent before locking in any number of brutal submissions.[206][207][208][209] While often claiming to be a typical "English gentleman" and a goodwill ambassador, he frequently broke the rules at any given opportunity; he would choke his opponent while the referee was distracted, attack opponents who were tangled in the ropes, and punch his opponent in the head withknuckle dusters when the referee wasn't looking. The latter became one of his signature finishing moves and was named thePower of the Punch.[7] His other signature moves included arunning knee lift to a bent-over opponent's head called theKnee Trembler,[210][211] abridging leg hook belly-to-back suplex called theRegal-Plex, and anarm-trapcross-legged STF called theRegal Stretch.[1][7][8]
Matthews began dating Christina Beddoes in 1985, when they were both 17 years old, and they were married in November 1986.[212] They have three sons, one of whom, Bailey, is a professional wrestler currently performing in WWE under the ring nameCharlie Dempsey.[213][214]
Matthews's accent is a combination of his nativeBlack Country accent, theLancashire accent he picked up after moving toBlackpool at age 16, and the slightReceived Pronunciation accent he adopted as part of his haughty upper-class wrestling character. He has a tattoo of a rose adorned with his wife's name on his left arm and a tattoo of the words "made in England" on his left leg. His pets include two dogs, three cats, two snakes, eight lizards, and a tortoise; he once quipped that he owns so many pets because he sees humans as "vile creatures" who disgust him.[215]
On 6 April 1997, just a few hours before Matthews was set to compete atSpring Stampede inTupelo, Mississippi, he was driving from the gym withChris Benoit and Benoit's wifeNancy Sullivan when a speeding drunk driver rear-ended them at a stop sign.[212] His car flipped over three times, knocking everyone in the car unconscious; after he regained consciousness, he freed the unconscious Benoit and Sullivan from the wreckage.[212] He suffered a severe concussion in the crash and has no memory of anything from the moment of the incident until two days later.[212] He made it to the arena on time and competed in the match, but did not tell anyone what had happened, resulting in him later finding out that people backstage had witnessed him "wandering around and talking to the walls".[45][212] While recounting the story in June 2022, he revealed that he had witnessed the drunk driver switching seats with his teenage son after the crash and told the police this information when they arrived at the scene, but he later discovered that the driver did not suffer any consequences due to what Matthews believed was a "good old boys network" in Mississippi.[212]
In 2003, Matthews was misdiagnosed with what was later found to be aheart defect that was causing the right side of his heart to beat out of sequence with the left, allowing large volumes of fluid to build in his body.[216] After undergoing specialist treatment which involved stopping his heart and months of anti-blood clot treatments, he returned to wrestling in April 2004.[7] During his illness and recovery, he gained and then lost 40 lbs of fat.[217]
In his 2005 autobiography, Matthews revealed that he was once arrested during a flight from Japan to the U.S. after getting drunk and urinating on a flight attendant, claiming to be so drunk that his only memory of the incident was waking up in jail inAnchorage, Alaska.[218] In June 2022, he clarified that he was not acting inappropriately and had simply failed to close the toilet door properly, which resulted in him turning around in surprise and urinating on the flight attendant's shoe when she opened the door to check on him.[212] He explained that the plane had actually been forced to land due to a fight breaking out between a group of passengers, not because of his behaviour, and that the flight attendant had confirmed his innocence in court.[212]
On 30 August 2007,Sports Illustrated named Matthews and nine other athletes as those who were found to have been given steroids not in compliance with theWWE Talent Wellness program. He receivedstanozolol,somatropin,genotropin, andanastrozole between November 2004 and November 2006.[219][220]
In December 2022, Matthews namedSlade as his favourite band and their 1974 track "Far Far Away" as his favourite song.[221] He dubbed comedianTommy Cooper andTerry Hall ofThe Specials as people who were influential in his life. He is also a fan of artistsThe Jam,Liam Gallagher,Joe Longthorne,Motörhead, andBilly Ocean, as well as comediansMick Miller andCannon and Ball.
Matthews has been featured in the WWE video gamesWWF Road to WrestleMania,WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It,WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth,WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006,SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007,SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008,SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009,SmackDown! vs. RAW 2010,SmackDown! vs. RAW 2011,WWE '12,WWE 2K15,WWE 2K16,WWE 2K22,WWE 2K24,[222] andWWE 2K25. In2K15 and2K16, both his modern and WCW-era Lord Steven Regal personas were available.[223]
Matthews participated in a 2001 episode ofThe Weakest Link alongside other wrestlers, winning two of the first three rounds and eventually finishing third.[224]
Matthews' autobiography,Walking a Golden Mile, was released on 3 May 2005.
Matthews was also featured inWCW vs. nWo: World Tour under his Steven Regal name. While not a playable character, his voice and likeness appear inAEW Fight Forever during tutorial popups. After joining AEW, he briefly co-hosted a podcast titledThe Gentleman Villain.[225]
La Resistance b William Regal & The Coach (sub for Eugene) to WIN the TAG TEAM titles!
Regal was traded to SmackDown in a blockbuster 11 person deal after the 2005 Draft Lottery
Cole said Regal has signed with Raw after the end of ECW
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database| Preceded by Booker T "King Booker" | King of the Ring tournament winner 2008 | Succeeded by Sheamus "King Sheamus" |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |