William Regal

**Darren Kenneth Matthews** (born 10 May 1968) is an English professional wrestler.

## Background

### Pre-WrestleMania

He re-debuted in a match with Chris Benoit at the third annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show. His new character was Steven William Regal (soon shortened to William Regal), a stereotypical English snob, harkening back to his WCW character. As a villain, Regal had much more success, winning the European Championship.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Knee Trembler* (Running knee strike) – 2005–present
	+ *Power of the Punch* (Left-handed knockout punch with brass knuckles) – 2002–2004; used rarely thereafter
	+ *Regal Cutter* (Arm trap neckbreaker) – 2000–2002
	+ *Regal-Plex* (Bridging leg hook belly-to-back suplex) – Innovated
	+ *Regal Stretch* (Arm trap cross-legged STF) – Innovated
	+ *Regal Bomb* (Double underhook powerbomb)
* **Signature moves**
	+ Choking an opponent while distracting the referee
	+ Crossface chickenwing
	+ Double underhook
	+ European uppercut
	+ Forearm club
	+ Half or full nelson
	+ Hammerlock transitioned into either a figure-four armlock or an armbar
	+ Knee drop
	+ Multiple knee lifts
	+ Multiple mule kicks to the chest of an opponent seated in the corner
	+ Multiple suplex variations
		- Double underhook, sometimes from the second rope
		- Dragon
		- Exploder
		- German
		- Half nelson
	+ Neckbreaker
	+ *Regal Roll* (Rolling fireman's carry slam)
	+ Single leg Boston crab
	+ Surfboard, sometimes while applying a dragon sleeper
* **Managers**
	+ Sir William Dundee
	+ Jeeves
	+ Dave Taylor
	+ Lady Ophelia
	+ Layla
* **Wrestlers managed**
	+ Triple H
	+ Eugene
	+ Paul Burchill
	+ Vladimir Kozlov
	+ Ezekiel Jackson
	+ Skip Sheffield
* **Nicknames**
	+ **"A/The (Real) Man's Man"**
	+ "Sir"
	+ "The Ringleader of the Tormentors"
	+ "The Goodwill Ambassador"
	+ "The Old Pro"
	+ "The British Brawler"
	+ "The Gentleman Villain"
* **Entrance themes**
	+ **World Championship Wrestling**
		- "Noble Occasion" composed by Steve Hodges (1993-1996)
		- "Trumpet Voluntary in D Major (The Prince of Denmark's March) performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra composed by Jeremiah Clarke (1996-1998, 1999–2000)
	+ **World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE**/NXT
		- "Real Man's Man" composed by Jim Johnston (1998, 2011)
		- "Promenade" composed by Jim Johnston (2000–2001)
		- "Promenade" V2 composed by Jim Johnston (2009)
		- **"Regality"** composed by Jim Johnston (2001–2009, 2010–present)
* **Wrestlers trained**
	+ CM Punk
	+ Daniel Bryan
	+ Johnny Gargano
	+ Matt Cross
	+ Brian Kendrick
	+ Chris Hero
	+ Vicky Swain
	+ Bobcat
	+ Samoa Joe
	+ Reckless Youth

## Championship and accomplishments

* **Memphis Championship Wrestling**
	+ MCW Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ Ranked No. 18 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the *PWI 500* in 1994
* **World Championship Wrestling**
	+ WCW World Television Championship (4 times)
* **World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment**
	+ WWE Hardcore Championship (5 times)
	+ WWE European Championship (4 times)
	+ WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
	+ World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Lance Storm (2), Eugene (1) and Tajiri (1)
	+ King of the Ring (2008)
* ***Wrestling Observer Newsletter***
	+ Best Television Announcer (2013, 2014)