Darren Nathaniel Matthews (born May 10, 1968) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name William Regal. He is currently wrestling on the SmackDown! brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Regal's initial appearance in the WWF was on the June 29, 1998 edition of RAW is WAR, in which he defeated Droz via submission with the Regal Stretch. Regal had no particular gimmick in this showing, and he would not be seen on WWF television again until he returned that fall with a "Real Man's Man" builder/lumberjack style looking gimmick that was based on the image of The Brawny Man. Vignettes for the character showed him doing "manly" things like chopping wood, shaving with a plain razor, and squeezing his own orange juice. He debuted in October 1998 and entered a feud with X-Pac. The two faced off in the opening round of the tournament for the vacant WWF Championship at the 1998 Survivor Series. The match ended in a double countout, eliminating both men from the tournament. The feud, and Regal's gimmick, failed to capture the audience's imagination, though today the "Man's Man" persona is well remembered and the source of much good-natured fun from many fans.
Regal checked into rehab in January 1999 and was released from the WWF in April.
Regal was once again hired by the WWF and sent to Memphis Championship Wrestling for a short time. After a memorable bout with Chris Benoit at the Third Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show, he was promoted to the full roster and re-debuted on the September 18, 2000 episode of Raw is War as Steven William Regal (soon shortened to William Regal), a stereotypical British snob. As a heel, Regal had much more success, winning the WWF European Championship. He later became the (on-screen) commissioner and self-proclaimed "Goodwill Ambassador" of the WWF and was given a comedy sidekick/man-servant in Tajiri.
In an interview, Regal expressed affectionate feelings toward the WWF, citing the organization's support and patience during his time in and out of rehab, which had helped lead to the current reunion and pleasant relationship.
During the WCW/ECW Alliance storyline, Regal turned heel on his fellow WWF wrestlers by costing Kurt Angle (then a babyface) the WWF Title and joining the WCW Alliance. He was fired as commissioner by Linda McMahon, but Shane McMahon, who was the then heel owner of WCW, hired him as the Alliance Commissioner.
2002 was an eventful year for Regal. After an absence due to surgery on his nose, Regal returned and feuded with Edge, winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship in the process. Regal would go on to lose the Intercontinental Title to Rob Van Dam, win the European Title for a third time, and briefly hold the WWE Hardcore Championship.
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