# William Regal

> British professional wrestler

**Wikidata**: [Q316938](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q316938)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Regal)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-regal

## Summary

William Regal, born Darren Kenneth Matthews, is a British professional wrestler who began his career in 1983 and has competed for major promotions worldwide, including WWE, WCW, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and All Elite Wrestling. Standing 191 cm tall and weighing 110 kg, he is known by the ring names Steven Regal, William Regal, and Roy Regal, and has been affiliated with organizations spanning the United States, Japan, and his native United Kingdom.

## Biography

- **Born:** May 10, 1968
- **Nationality:** British (United Kingdom)
- **Education:** Q5140383
- **Known for:** Professional wrestling career spanning over four decades across multiple major international promotions
- **Employer(s):** WWE, WWE NXT, WCW, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling (affiliated with the Death Riders stable)
- **Field(s):** Professional wrestling

## Contributions

William Regal has contributed to the professional wrestling industry as an active in-ring competitor and on-screen personality across five major wrestling organizations. His career began in 1983 and has encompassed work with World Championship Wrestling (an American promotion that operated from 1988 to 2001, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (the Japanese promotion founded in 1972 by Antonio Inoki), WWE (the American professional wrestling and entertainment company founded in 1952), WWE NXT (WWE's developmental branch established in 2010), and All Elite Wrestling (the American promotion founded in 2019 by Tony Khan and Shahid Khan, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida). Within AEW, Regal has been affiliated with the Death Riders, a professional wrestling stable based in the United States. He is specifically cited among the notable international wrestlers who have competed in NJPW, appearing alongside names such as Bryan Danielson, Leon Allen White (Big Van Vader), Chyna, Drew Hankinson, Juice Robinson, Karl Anderson, and Stephanie Vaquer. His presence across these promotions has helped bridge Western and Japanese wrestling cultures, and his involvement with WWE NXT contributed to the developmental system that prepares emerging talent for main roster competition.

## FAQs

**What ring names has William Regal used?**
William Regal has performed under the aliases Steven Regal, William Regal, and Roy Regal. His birth name is Darren Kenneth Matthews.

**What wrestling promotions has William Regal worked for?**
William Regal's documented employers include WWE, WWE NXT, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and All Elite Wrestling (AEW). His work period in professional wrestling began in 1983 and has continued across these organizations, which collectively span the United States, Japan, and international markets.

**What is William Regal's physical profile?**
William Regal stands 191 centimeters tall and weighs 110 kilograms, measurements that have been documented throughout his professional wrestling career.

**How is William Regal connected to New Japan Pro-Wrestling?**
William Regal is listed among the notable international wrestlers who have competed in NJPW, Japan's premier professional wrestling promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 1972. He appears alongside other prominent international competitors such as Bryan Danielson, Leon Allen White (Big Van Vader), Chyna, Drew Hankinson, Juice Robinson, Stephanie Vaquer, and Karl Anderson.

**What is William Regal's connection to the Death Riders?**
William Regal is affiliated with the Death Riders, a professional wrestling stable based in the United States. The Death Riders are categorized as a "Contains/Subsidiaries" entity within the organizational structure of his connected entities.

## Why They Matter

William Regal matters as a connective figure across the global professional wrestling landscape, having competed during pivotal eras for several of the industry's most influential promotions. His tenure with WCW coincided with the period when that Atlanta-based company, owned by media mogul Ted Turner through Turner Broadcasting System, operated as WWE's primary competitor before its dissolution in 2001 and subsequent acquisition by WWE. His work in NJPW placed him within the tradition of international competitors who helped globalize the Japanese "puroresu" style, a wrestling approach emphasizing realistic strikes, submissions, and competitive storytelling that founder Antonio Inoki established in 1972. His involvement with WWE NXT placed him within the developmental infrastructure that has produced a significant portion of modern WWE's main roster talent since the brand's inception in 2010. His later affiliation with AEW positioned him within the promotion that, since its founding in 2019 by Tony Khan and Shahid Khan, has challenged WWE's long-standing dominance by offering alternative storytelling approaches and attracting high-profile talent from across the wrestling world. Through these roles, Regal has served as both performer and bridge between distinct wrestling traditions and eras.

## Notable For

- Maintaining an active professional wrestling career spanning from 1983 across multiple decades
- Competing for five major wrestling promotions: WWE, WWE NXT, WCW, NJPW, and AEW
- Being recognized as a notable international competitor in New Japan Pro-Wrestling alongside Bryan Danielson, Leon Allen White, Chyna, and Karl Anderson
- Affiliation with the Death Riders stable in All Elite Wrestling
- Performing under multiple ring names: Steven Regal, William Regal, and Roy Regal
- Contributing to WWE's developmental system through WWE NXT, established in 2010
- Having competed for WCW during its operational period (1988–2001) under Ted Turner's ownership
- Bridging British, American, and Japanese wrestling traditions
- Being documented with 30 Wikipedia sitelinks across language editions
- Maintaining presence in multiple wrestling markets during critical competitive periods, including the WCW-WWE rivalry and the AEW-WWE competitive landscape

## Body

### Early Life and Identity

Darren Kenneth Matthews was born on May 10, 1968. He holds British citizenship and is a national of the United Kingdom, the island country in north-west Europe consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Matthews adopted the ring name William Regal over the course of his career, though he has also performed as Steven Regal and Roy Regal. His professional wrestling career commenced in 1983, establishing a career arc that would eventually span over four decades.

### Physical Profile

William Regal's physical measurements are documented as 191 centimeters in height and 110 kilograms in weight. These attributes have been consistently recorded throughout his career in the professional wrestling industry.

### Career in World Championship Wrestling

William Regal competed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), an American professional wrestling company that operated from October 11, 1988, until its dissolution on March 26, 2001. WCW was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and was owned by media mogul Ted Turner through Turner Broadcasting System. The company employed approximately 150 people and produced notable television programs including WCW Monday Nitro and WCW Thunder. WCW featured a roster of prominent performers including Hulk Hogan, Sting, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Bill Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page, Roddy Piper, Lex Luger, The Ultimate Warrior, and Mick Foley. The company followed the lineage of Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions before eventually being acquired by WWE after its dissolution. Regal's time in WCW placed him within one of the most competitive eras in American professional wrestling, during which WCW operated as WWE's primary rival.

### Career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling

William Regal competed internationally in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki. NJPW is headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, and operates as a subsidiary of Bushiroad, employing 78 people. The promotion is classified as a business, enterprise, professional wrestling promotion, and juridical person. Regal is specifically named among the notable international wrestlers who have competed in NJPW, appearing in company alongside Leon Allen White (Big Van Vader), Chyna, Bryan Danielson, Drew Hankinson (Drew McIntyre), Juice Robinson, Stephanie Vaquer, and Karl Anderson. NJPW operates multiple championship titles including the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, IWGP Intercontinental Championship, IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship, and the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship. The promotion's distinct "puroresu" style emphasizes realistic fighting techniques, athletic competition, and storytelling rooted in honor and competition. NJPW maintains official websites at njpw.co.jp, sp.njpw.jp, and njpw1972.com, along with active social media presence across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. The company has been featured in video games developed by Yuke's, the Japanese video game developer known for the WWE 2K series.

### Career in WWE and WWE NXT

William Regal's employment with WWE represents a significant portion of his career. WWE is an American professional wrestling and entertainment company founded on January 1, 1952, with 88 Wikipedia sitelinks. Regal also worked with WWE NXT, the professional wrestling developmental branch that was established on February 23, 2010. WWE NXT operates with 24 Wikipedia sitelinks and serves as the pipeline for developing talent intended for WWE's main roster programming. Through his work with both WWE proper and its developmental system, Regal contributed to the organization's talent development infrastructure and on-screen product.

### Career in All Elite Wrestling

William Regal has been affiliated with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the American professional wrestling promotion founded on January 1, 2019, by Tony Khan and Shahid Khan. AEW is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and operates as both a professional wrestling promotion and business entity. The company produces television programming including AEW Dynamite (premiered October 2, 2019), AEW Dark (premiered October 8, 2019), and pay-per-view events such as All In. AEW operates championships including the AEW World Championship (established May 25, 2019) and the AEW International Championship (established June 8, 2022). The promotion features notable wrestlers including CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay, Mercedes Moné, Ronda Rousey, Edge, Sting, and the Hardy Boyz. AEW maintains a broadcasting partnership with TNT Sports and operates its official merchandise store at shopaew.com.

### Affiliation with the Death Riders

Within AEW, William Regal has been connected to the Death Riders, a professional wrestling stable based in the United States. The Death Riders are documented with 8 Wikipedia sitelinks and are categorized as an entity related to Regal's organizational affiliations.

### Digital Presence and Identifiers

William Regal maintains a documented digital footprint across multiple platforms and identification systems. His social media presence includes the Twitter handle @RealKingRegal and a Facebook profile identified as William-Regal-8534058070. His follower counts have been tracked at 781,828, 802,227, and 843,678 across different measurement points. He has been assigned identifiers across numerous knowledge and entertainment databases: VIAF ID 75735775, ISNI 0000000036957614, Library of Congress authority ID n2005678714, IMDb ID nm0559983, and Freebase ID /m/03311b. Additional identifiers include CANTIC ID 1621164, BIBSYS ID 255669, BNF ID 132, FilmAffinity ID william-regal-316, OFDb ID william-regal, and AllMovie ID william-regal. He also holds identifiers in sports and entertainment databases: Sports Reference ID darren-matthews-1110441, Transfermarkt ID 543600, BBC Things ID 39136, cricket archive ID 4005-146852, and ElCine ID darren-matthews. Additional platform identifiers include Google Knowledge Graph ID E39PBJtCGBDRKtkTvf9fdHkhpP, Rodovid ID 885505, and Podcast ID 5d7768627e9a3c0020c72310. His Wikipedia presence spans 30 sitelinks across language editions, indicating significant international recognition. Photographic documentation exists in two identified images: "William Regal - Forbidden Door (AEW x NJPW) (52292651031) (cropped).jpg" and "William-Regal-Entrance,-RLA-Melb-10.11.2007.jpg."

### Educational Background

William Regal's educational record includes attendance at Q5140383, as documented in the structured properties from Wikidata sources.

## References

1. Faceted Application of Subject Terminology
2. CageMatch
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. The Movie Database
5. ADAGP directory