Bailey Matthews, the son of William Regal, has gotten his new WWE in-ring name.
Matthews is now going by the name “Charlie Dempsey” in NXT UK. The announcement was made via a video that aired on today’s NXT UK episode. The video ended with the announcement that Charlie Dempsey is coming soon.
Matthews said in the video:
An inspiration of mine used to say, ‘The body is just like a ladder, having to move up and down it with every move you do.’ Hearing that, something clicked in my head. I’ve actually gone out of my way to seek out the British competitors of the past and train with them, to learn this style that I’ve come to adopt. I’m not going to do any flips out of the ring, treat this like an acrobat contest. I’m going to take my opponent down and grind them down to a paste. And I’m going to show you something that you’ve never seen before.
It was announced this January that Matthews had signed with WWE and joined NXT UK. He’s had one match for NXT UK, making his debut in a loss to Tyler Bate in February.
WWE hasn’t acknowledged Matthews’ relation to Regal.
The video announcing Matthews’ name change is available to watch below:
New WWE signee Bailey Matthews made his debut on this week’s NXT UK episode.
In his WWE debut, Matthews lost to Tyler Bate on this week’s NXT UK. The story of the match was Matthews impressing but ultimately losing to Bate. Bate shook Matthews’ hand after the match.
Matthews was part of the group of NXT UK signees that was announced last month. He previously trained with NJPW and has independent wrestling experience. William Regal is Matthews’ father, but that wasn’t mentioned by WWE when he signed with the company and wasn’t acknowledged on today’s NXT UK episode. WWE.com wrote when Matthews signed:
Ready to roar onto the scene and represent his hometown of Blackpool, England, Bailey Matthews is set to bring a unique style to NXT UK inspired by the likes of Johnny Saint, Billy Robinson and NXT General Manager William Regal.
Last month’s group of NXT UK signees also included Meiko Satomura, Toni Gill (formerly known as Gursinder Singh in Impact Wrestling), and Metehan Kocabasoglu (former wXw 16 Carat Gold winner Lucky Kid). Satomura made her NXT UK debut two weeks ago and will challenge for Kay Lee Ray’s NXT UK Women’s Championship on next Thursday’s NXT UK. A video on Kocabasoglu aired on this week’s episode.
In addition to Meiko Satomura, a few more new additions have joined the NXT UK roster.
WWE announced today that Satomura, Tony Gill, Metehan Kocabasoglu, and Bailey Matthews have signed with the company and joined NXT UK. It had been officially confirmed on this week’s NXT UK episode that Satomura is coming to the brand. She’ll be a player/coach for NXT UK.
Satomura appeared for WWE in the 2018 Mae Young Classic, making it to the semifinals before losing to Toni Storm. Satomura has also been a guest coach at the WWE Performance Center in the past.
WWE is building up a title match between Satomura and NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray, with KLR saying after her title defense against Jinny last week that she’s beaten everyone that’s been put in front of her and now wants to face “the best in the world.”
Gill formerly wrestled as Gursinder Singh in Impact Wrestling and was a member of the promotion’s Desi Hit Squad stable. He was trained by Lance Storm.
Kocabasoglu has wrestled using the names Lucky Kid and Metehan. He’s a former wXw Shotgun Champion and a former wXw Tag Team Champion.
Though not mentioned by WWE in their announcement, Matthews is the son of William Regal.
WWE.com wrote about the new signees:
Meuko Satomura (Niigata, Japan) – Lauded as being “the best in the world,” Meiko Satomura was part of the 2018 Mae Young Classic where she faced Toni Storm in the semi-finals. Having co-founded SENDAI Girls’ Pro Wrestling, she went on to huge success on the independent scene which saw her become PROGRESS Women’s Champion.
Tony Gill (West Sussex, England) – Anglo-Indian Tony Gill moved to Australia as a child before heading to Canada where he trained under Lance Storm. Following in the footsteps of the biggest Punjabi names in WWE history, including The Great Khali and Jinder Mahal, Tony Gill is ready to make an impact in NXT UK bringing a combination of styles inspired by the likes of Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle.
Metehan Kocabasoglu (Berlin, Germany) – Representing his Turkish heritage and currently residing in Berlin, Germany, the 6-foot powerhouse almost became a professional footballer before moving into the world of sports-entertainment. Metehan is a former wXw Champion who has competed against the likes of Timothy Thatcher, Ilja Dragunov and NXT UK Champion WALTER.
Bailey Matthews (Blackpool, England) – Ready to roar onto the scene and represent his hometown of Blackpool, England, Bailey Matthews is set to bring a unique style to NXT UK inspired by the likes of Johnny Saint, Billy Robinson and NXT General Manager William Regal.
