Charlie Dempsey made his NXT debut this week, as William Regal’s soon looks to be the next big star in WWE and follow in his fathers footsteps inside the ring.
William Regal is one of the best technical wrestlers in the history of WWE. He is also one of the biggest missed opportunities in wrestling. He should have been world champion. However, due to circumstances both in and out of his control, those dream never came to fruition. However, he did end up as the general manager and head trainer of NXT. In that role, he has the pleasure of helping his son train with the WWE. William Regal son is called Charlie Dempsey, and could be one of the new big stars of NXT and NXT UK.
Who is Charlie Dempsey
William Regal son
Charlie Dempsey is not the real name of William Regal son. Dempsey signed for WWE in January of this year, and was added to the NXT UK brand. He didn’t have to wait long for his debut, facing the incredibly talented Tyler Bate on NXT UK on February 25th 2021. He had a surprisingly back-and-forth encounter with the former United Kingdom Champion, eventually succumbing to Bate’s Tyler Driver 97 and losing via pinfall.
After the match, Dempsey gave an interview where he talked about his debut match in NXT UK.
“I feel good that I was able to hang in there with him,” Matthews said. “I wanted to win but at the end of the day it’s Tyler Bate I’m up against, the first UK Champion. As much as I tried my hardest it just wasn’t enough. I’m gonna have to keep putting in all the work and all the effort to get there. The only way to beat him, I think, is keep moving up, make my way back here, finally win against him.”
Charlie Dempsey/Bailey Matthews
In this match, he went by his real name of Bailey Matthews. William Regal may be his father, but that itself is just a stage name. Regal’s real name is actually Darren Matthews. WWE, however, like to change wrestlers names so that they can own the trademarks. The same thing happened with the son of Rick Steiner in a recent NXT episode. Despite being named online as Rex Steiner, he was called in NXT Bron Breakker. Which, is definitely one of the worst WWE names in history.
NXT Debut
When Matthews was signed by WWE, they announced him representing his hometown of Blackpool, but refused to mention his familial ties to NXT general manager William Regal. They said that Bailey Matthews had a unique wrestling style which was inspired by his father, Johnny Saint and Billy Robinson, all legends of the British wrestling scene.
In NXT UK, a vignette aired on the 15th September 2021 episode hyping up the debut of a new superstar. This superstar was revealed to be none other than the son of William Regal. He was announced to be wrestling under the name of Charlie Dempsey. This was probably used to distance himself from his father, with WWE wanting him to persue his own legacy whilst also being able to trademark the name. However, as William Regal is not his real name, they would have no issue with a trademarking a name like Charlie Regal (Or Charles Regal, to be more posh sounding).
The future looks bright for the young Regal. Charlie Dempsey looks to bring a new style of wrestling to NXT UK, and could be a great fixture battling for the NXT UK heritage cup. If Charlie Dempsey has even an ounce of the ability and charisma of his father, he will certainly have a great career in NXT.
He is not the only second generation star in NXT UK. Xia Brookside is the daughter of Robbie Brookside, and is one of the stars of the NXT UK Women’s division.
Charlie Dempsey made his NXT debut on the 23rd August, 2022 edition of NXT 2.0. He appeared in a backstage segment with Andre Chase and the rest of Chase University, giving them a demonstration of various holds. Bodhi Hayward then took the brunt of Dempsey’s brawn, with the young star refusing to break his grip on his opponent and stretching them, a la Stu Hart in Stampede Wrestling.
Andre Chase, the head of Chase U, told Charlie that he was there to practice, not hurt Hayward. Dempsey retorted by claiming that Chase University were soft, and implored them to read up on the wrestling styles of Billy Robinson. Billy Robinson is a legend of British wrestling and revered across the globe as one of the forefathers of technical wrestling. He is also a noted inspiration for Charlie Dempsey and someone he could emulate in NXT and WWE.
Due to NXT UK shutting down, the son of William Regal was moved from Great Britain to the United States and is expected to be a star of NXT 2.0 going forward. However, his father has since signed for AEW and will not be joining him, which is a shame. He would have been the perfect manager for Charlie Dempsey and given him some much needed credibility immediately.
William Regal Son
If you want to learn more about Charlie Dempsey and his father, William Regal, then you are in luck.
William Regal’s book, “Walking a Golden Mile” is one of the best wrestling books available. It chronicles his journey from the circus tents in Blackpool all the way to Wrestlemania. It’s a fantastic read and one I hightly reccomend.
You can pick up this pick on Amazon Prime very cheaply, and I highly recommend it. Check it out below on our Amazon affiliate link, and tell us if you enjoy the book!
Or click this link here
Hopefully, young Mr. Dempsey has all of his fathers in ring talent and charisma, while keeping away from his father’s ‘medicinal’ habits.