William Regal owes ‘everything’ to Blackpool (Credit: WWE.com)

When it comes to wrestling in Blackpool, WWE legend William Regal is arguably the first name to come to mind.

The grappling star – who was born Darren Matthews in Staffordshire – has gone onto become synonymous with the British wrestling scene, and in particular with the northern seaside town after learning his craft on the piers and circuses along the shore.

Earlier this month, WWE’s NXT UK brand returned to Winter Gardens for their second annual TakeOver Blackpool event, having previously put the place back on the map with an NXT live event in 2016 and the inaugural United Kingdom Championship tournament the following year.



Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Regal reflected on exactly how Blackpool has impacted his incredible life, from meeting his wife Christina when he was just 17 – they’ll celebrate 34 years of marriage in 2020 – to learning every he needed to take on the wrestling world.


Regal learnt his craft in the seaside town (Credit: WWE.com)

He has returned to Blackpool with NXT (Credit: WWE.com)

‘I could go on and on and it sounds like romanticising the tale, but I get a bit choked up about it,’ he smiled. ‘Everything that is good in my life, has come from this town. And that means the start of my wrestling career at the Pleasure Beach, to meeting my wife when I was 17 – who I’m still with. My two eldest sons were born at Victoria Hospital here.

‘Everything that I’ve ever learnt – the start of my wrestling and a lot of people who were very important to my career, Johnny Saint being one of them, lived here.

‘So I got to travel with him every day once I was 18 and working for bigger companies. He was such a role model to me, the way he conducted himself.

Regal (left) and NXT trainer Robbie Brookside both got their start on the Pleasure Beach (Credit: WWE.com)

‘All the entertainers that I knew who lived or worked here, I used to study them. When I wasn’t wrestling, I was always at the circus or at a show watching all these people – “how do they make their stuff work for their audience?” That used to fascinate me as a child.’

It was the days in the circus where William realised what fans connected with, when it came to ‘pantomime villains’ and getting exactly the right reaction from families up and down the coast.

William Regal - what you need to know Age: 53

53 Debut: 1983

1983 Current role: NXT General Manager

NXT General Manager Major title reigns: Four-time European Champion, two-time Intercontinental champion, four-time World Tag Team champion (Lance Storm (twice), Eugene and Tajiri), five-time Hardcore champion

Four-time European Champion, two-time Intercontinental champion, four-time World Tag Team champion (Lance Storm (twice), Eugene and Tajiri), five-time Hardcore champion Other honours: 2008 King of the Ring



‘I always tell people this – when you start wrestling, don’t forget that part you liked as a child. If you can keep a bit of that in your act, you can keep a bigger audience. I didn’t know what a good technical wrestler was when I was little – it was people that made me scream or boo or cheer. Especially with villains that could do that,’ he added, naming Sid Cooper and Mick McMannus as early influences.

‘It’s got to work if you’re up the road at a holiday park with a thousand kids. You’ve gotta keep them booing, you’ve gotta be a pantomime villain, or Dandini, or whatever you’ve gotta be. I’m sat there watching and it’s raining and the parents want to have a drink at the bar. It’s all these different skillsets.’

Pleasure Beach has a rich wrestling history (Credit: WWE.com)

Although Regal wrestled up and down the Blackpool seafront at the Pleasure Beach, Circus, piers and Sandcastle, he never got to lace up his boots at Winter Gardens – although he still has some history at the stunning venue.



‘I remember doing security [at the Empress Ballroom] for Aswad, a reggae band, in 1980, when they had their one hit. You’re bringing a reggae band to Blackpool in the middle of winter? There’s only 50 people in,’ he laughed. ‘I wrestled in the little building in the side, but I didn’t get to wrestle there.

‘We did the Circus on the Sunday night – which is a perfect building for wrestling – and after a while the rent got too expensive when it went off TV. This is what happened, was around at the time. Business started to go down. They moved to the Sandcastle, the water park opposite the Pleasure Beach – there’s a theatre in there which most people don’t know about.’

From there, the scene declined as wrestling was off TV in the UK by the end of the 80s – although Regal was just starting his career abroad as he took on more jobs in Europe and further afield.

He admitted: ‘A lot of my friends, they completely went the other way. Wrestling died. It had a comeback in the early 90s just through word of mouth with Brian Dixon’s shows. Then it sort of went into what it became, and people kept it alive here with Doug Williams and people. It sort of went into a decline, and then what happened?

‘It picked back up again.’

Got a showbiz story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you.

MORE: WWE SmackDown results and recap: Naomi challenges Bayley and new Intercontinental champion crowned

MORE: WWE’s Nikki Cross would only fight Alexa Bliss if the match felt ‘natural’