William Regal
| William Regal | |
|---|---|
Regal in 2008
|
|
| Birth name | Darren Kenneth Matthews |
| Born |
10 May 1968 Codsall, Staffordshire, England |
| Residence | Fayetteville, Georgia, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Christina Beddoes (m. 1986) |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
King Regal Lord Steven Regal Roy Regal Steve Regal Steven William Regal William Regal Steven Regal Steve Jones Hellraiser Darren Matthews |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Billed weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
| Billed from | Blackpool, England |
| Trained by | Marty Jones |
| Debut | 1983 |
| Retired | 2017 |
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968) is an English retired professional wrestler, trainer, author, color commentator, commissioner, and head talent scout. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Steven Regal. Having started his career on a rare surviving carnival booth in Britain, he moved on to wrestle for national-level promotions on the British wrestling circuit and on British television. He then progressed to touring around the world, in countries such as Germany and South Africa, before being called up to WCW in 1993.
In 2001, after leaving WCW, Matthews joined the World Wrestling Federation (later World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE), where he became commissioner. More recently, he has been general manager of Raw, the 2008 King of the Ring, and the official match coordinator for NXT Redemption in 2011. He is currently the general manager of NXT. He is highly respected amongst his peers and fans and has achieved considerable championship success in professional wrestling, although he has never been a world champion. Throughout his career, he has won several titles, including four in WCW and 15 in WWE. He has overcome multiple drug problems as well as a major heart defect during his career, and has written an autobiography, entitled Walking a Golden Mile.
Matthews was born in Codsall, Staffordshire. He made his ring debut wrestling for promoter Bobby Barron at his wrestling challenge booth at the Horseshoe Showbar at Blackpool Pleasure Beach at the age of fifteen. In time, he graduated to be a shooter at the booth, using brutal submission holds to defend prize money against challenges from members of the public. By this time, he wrestled professionally all over Britain for All Star Wrestling where he regularly teamed with Robbie Brookside as The Golden Boys tag team. Both Regal and Brookside appeared in several televised matches during the final years (1987–1988) of ITV's coverage of British wrestling. He went on to tour worldwide, including Germany and South Africa, before arriving in the United States in 1992 to further pursue his wrestling career.
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