William Regal is one of the best British wrestlers of all time, and a true legend in the WWE.
He wrestled for over 30-years, starting in the beaches in Blackpool to training under Marty Jones. This helped take him all over the world, before landing in the United States, where he lives and works to this day.
In this article, we’ll take you through the entirety of William Regal’s wrestling career, starting at his humble beginnings on Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
William Regal Began His Career On Blackpool Pleasure Beach
A 15-year-old William Regal (real name Darren Matthews) chased his childhood dream of being a wrestler by travelling to Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
He stayed with a family friend, spending his summer hanging around the wrestlers, waiting for his chance to be trained by one of them.
Eventually, they let him and introduced him to the business. Despite being beaten black and blue, he persisted. This ingratiated him to the business, and after he finished school at 16 he moved full-time to become a professional wrestler.
Regal travelled around the UK, as well as wrestling in Blackpool. He and his band of travelling entertainers performed at holiday camps, before attracting the interest of Max Crabtree of Joint Promotions.
By 18, William Regal was wrestling on ITV as Big Daddy‘s tag team partner. It was a prime spot for the youngster, being featured next to British wrestling’s biggest ever legend.
However, it wasn’t what he wanted to be. He gave in his notice, and went to work for Brian Dixon. He wasn’t on TV, but All-Star Wrestling made sure he faced the top heavyweights in Britain, so he could get better and improve his skills as a grappler.
William Regal also toured the world, wrestling in places like India, South Africa and all over Europe. It was during his time in Germany when WCW came calling in 1992.
Read more about William Regal’s journey wrestling in Britain at the start of his career.
He Moved To The US To Join WCW In 1992
After reaching out to then-WCW booker Bill Watts, Regal was offered a contract with WCW.
Watts only lasted a few weeks in the job after that, which had the Englishman fearing for his job.
However, he was pushed as the heel “Lord” Steven Regal, and won the WCW Television title during his run. However, William Regal broke his neck during the match, and wrestled with it injured for another 12 years before having it fixed.
The most controversial match of his WCW career came on February 9th, 1998. William Regal wrestled Goldberg on WCW Monday Nitro, in a match that has gone down in infamy.
Regal Was Fired By WCW & WWE Within Two Years
Drug issues riddled William Regal’s career, costing him multiple jobs in professional wrestling.
In 1998, after popping some pills in an aeroplane bathroom, Regal urinated all over a stewardesses leg.
The plane landed soon after, and he was carted off to a jail cell in Alaska, rather than Detroit as planned. WCW fired William Regal soon after, although he somehow landed on his feet with the WWF later that year.
While he debuted his “Real Man’s Man” character after returning from injury, he lasted just a few weeks before being sent to rehab, and eventually being fired from the WWE.
He returned to WCW, receiving a bigger push in the company. He spent six months as “Lord” Steven Regal, before making a return to the WWE thanks to former tag team partner Triple H.
He Returned To WWE And Remained There For Nearly 25-Years
WWE rehired William Regal in 2000. However, he was sent down to Memphis to get back in in-ring shape and prove to the company he could stay clean for six months.
It was here that William Regal and Bryan Danielson met for the first time, and instantly became friends. The Englishman became a mentor for the youngster, and helped mould him into the wrestler he is today.
Regal also had an incredible match with Chris Benoit at the Brian Pillman Memorial Show in 2000, which many people claim was the reason for him being recalled to the WWE main roster.
He re-debuted in September 2000, and soon settled into his role as the “Goodwill Ambassador” on Raw, as well as the show’s commisioner. He achieved great heat as a heel comissioner, and had iconic feuds with stars like Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam.
His biggest push came between 2007 and 2008, when the Englishman was a key focus of the every week. He became the Raw General Manager in 2007, winning a battle royal to take control of the show.
A year later, William Regal won the King of the Ring tournament, in what was supposed to be a push towards becoming the WWE Champion. His run was a memorable one, if only for the way he pronounced Umaga’s name (incorrectly).
However, a failed drug test ended his push, and he never got to be world champion. He battled in the mid-card for a few years, winning the Intercontinental Championship before retiring to become a trainer and scout for NXT.
William Regal wrestled his last televised match against Cesaro on NXT. However, he had one last behind-the-scenes match in Dubai. William Regal’s last match was against Sami Zayn, which only a small amount of footage has surfaced. A decade later, he is retired for good.
WWE Fired William Regal In 2022, And He Joined AEW
Despite having over two decades of time in the company, WWE made the decision to fire William Regal in January 2022.
This came as a huge shock to the wrestling world. The reason given was due to the change in NXT, with the company moving away from signing top indie talent and changing back to purely a developmental promotion.
AEW took up the opportunity to bring in William Regal to work with two of his former proteges. He debuted at AEW Revolution 2022, stopping Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley from attacking each other after their match.
The pair soon joined with Regal and formed the Blackpool Combat Club. He worked as a manager and mouthpiece for the group for nearly a year, and recruited other stars like Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta into the club.
However, he turned on Moxley at Full Gear 2022, helping MJF win the AEW Championship. This was his last action in AEW, as MJF beat him down on the following episode of Dynamite. He sent him packing from AEW, but the true story of his exit was much more controversial.
William Regal Left AEW After Triple H Took Over WWE
William Regal left AEW in December 2022, less than a year after he joined the company. He returned to the WWE to work alongside Triple H, who was recently appointed as the head of WWE creative.
Regal also re-joined the company to work with his son, Charlie Dempsey, who works in NXT.
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