Bailey Matthews (born December 30, 1996), an English professional wrestler, is currently making waves in WWE under the ring name Charlie Dempsey, performing on the NXT brand. This article delves into his journey, highlighting his early career, his transition to WWE, and his accomplishments.
Early Career and Debut
Matthews embarked on his professional wrestling journey on February 9, 2018, debuting under the name Joe Bailey. Throughout 2019 and 2020, Bailey gained experience in various promotions, including All Star Wrestling (ASW), Progress Wrestling, Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), and Evolve.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Transition to WWE
In 2020, Matthews was set to join New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a Young Lion. However, he would never end up appearing for the company, as he later left for WWE.
Signing with WWE and NXT UK
In January 2021, Matthews signed with WWE and was assigned to the NXT UK brand. Matthews later reverted to the ring name Charlie Dempsey. Dempsey made his debut on the 25 February edition of NXT UK, where he was defeated by Tyler Bate.
Die Familie and Heel Turn
Dempsey later joined Teoman and Rohan Raja to form Die Familie and began a feud with Gallus, establishing himself as a heel in the process. On the 18 November edition of NXT UK, Die Familie defeated Gallus in their first ever match as a team. Die Familie also started a feud with A-Kid. On the 10 March 2022 edition of NXT UK, Dempsey defeated A-Kid. Dempsey was later challenged by A-Kid to a British Rounds Rules match. This took place on the 21 April edition of NXT UK, where Dempsey won 2-1 in the sixth round.
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Move to NXT Brand
In August 2022, Dempsey moved to the NXT brand. On the 14 February 2023 edition of NXT, Dempsey started associating with Drew Gulak, where Gulak served as a teacher for Dempsey. On the 18 April 2023 edition of NXT, Dempsey challenged Wes Lee for the NXT North American Championship, which he lost.
Formation of No Quarter Catch Crew (NQCC)
In the following months, Dempsey and Gulak formed No Quarter Catch Crew (NQCC), where they would later be joined by Myles Borne and Damon Kemp. Throughout August and September, Dempsey competed in the NXT Global Heritage Invitational to crown a #1 Contender for the NXT Heritage Cup. Dempsey came up empty-handed as he lost to the likes of Axiom (formerly A-Kid), Tyler Bate, and Butch.
NXT Heritage Cup Champion
On the 27 February 2024 edition of NXT, Dempsey defeated The Meta-Four's Noam Dar 2-1 in a British Rounds Rules match to become the new NXT Heritage Cup Champion. At NXT: Roadblock, NQCC announced that the NXT Heritage Cup will be defended by the whole stable under the "Catch Clause." Under the Catch Clause, NQCC as a whole referred to themselves as the NXT Heritage Cup Champions but WWE only recognize Dempsey as the official champion.
The Catch Clause was invoked on the 19 March episode of NXT, with Gulak defeating Chase University's Riley Osborne 2-1 to successfully defend the Cup. On the 16 April episode of NXT, The D'Angelo Family leader Tony D'Angelo revealed that his Family were hired by NQCC to (kayfabe) eliminate Gulak. In reality, Gulak was written off following allegations from Ronda Rousey that Gulak grabbed her pants' drawstrings backstage in 2022. Gulak subsequently left WWE on 3 May. D'Angelo demanded payment for the job but NQCC refused, causing a brawl between the two factions and resulting in a six-man tag team match between the two factions at Week 1 of Spring Breakin', which was won by The D'Angelo Family (D'Angelo, Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Luca Crusifino).
On the 7 May episode of NXT, Dempsey and Borne faced Tyson DuPont and Tyrek Igwe in a tag team match. Before the match started, the match referee was declared "unavailable" and Stacks was announced as the special guest referee, costing Dempsey and Borne the match through a fast count. After the match, an irate Dempsey gave D'Angelo a title shot at the NXT Heritage Cup as payment due to the D'Angelo Family and invoked the Catch Clause, which was nullified when D'Angelo and his Family kidnapped Kemp and Borne later that night.
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One week later, D'Angelo defeated Dempsey 2-1 to win the Cup, ending Dempsey's reign at 76 days. After the loss of the Cup, Dempsey declared that the stable needs structure and a chain of command and assumed a leadership role.
Second NXT Heritage Cup Reign
On the 24 December episode of NXT, Lexis King, with Dempsey's father William Regal as his cornerman, faced Dempsey in a rematch for the NXT Heritage Cup. Regal passed his brass knuckles for King to use against Dempsey but King refused. Regal then punched King, to which the brass knuckles fell into the ring. The referee saw Dempsey pick up the brass knuckles and assumed that Dempsey used it on King and disqualified Dempsey. In British Round Rules, the Cup change hands upon disqualification of the reigning champion, resulting in King becoming the new NXT Heritage Cup Champion, ending Dempsey's second reign at 134 days. This is also the first instance of the NXT Heritage Cup changing hands due to disqualification.
However, due to a grey area in British Round Rules on whether the Cup changes hand upon disqualification of the reigning champion, NXT general manager Ava ordered King to return the Cup back to Dempsey and announced that they will compete for the Cup in a one-fall match at NXT: New Year's Evil on 7 January 2025, where he lost the Cup back to King.
Face Turn and Departure of Myles Borne
Following NXT Battleground, Dempsey and the rest of No Quarter Catch Crew effectively turned face due to the outpouring support for Myles Borne during his NXT Championship match against Oba Femi despite failing to win the title. On the 3 June episode of NXT, Borne defeated Dempsey "British Rounds Rules" match, thus leaving No Quarter Catch Crew.
## Championships Held by Charlie Dempsey| Championship | Times | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NXT Heritage Cup | 1 | Defeated Noam Dar on February 27, 2024 |
William Regal confronts Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey: NXT Roadblock 2024 highlights
Return to Japan and TNA Debut
Dempsey made his return to Japan with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) on 31 December 2023, where he teamed up with Yuma Anzai to face Tatsumi Fujinami and his son LEONA in a winning effort. Dempsey made his Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) debut on the 4 July 2024 episode of TNA Impact! where he attacked Leon Slater and Trey Miguel during their match.
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Charlie Dempsey continues to evolve as a wrestler, showcasing his skills and determination across various promotions. His journey from NXT UK to NXT and beyond demonstrates his commitment to the sport.