Dynamite Kid
Encyclopedia
Thomas Wilton Billington (born December 5, 1958), best known by the ring name
Dynamite Kid, is a retired British
professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation
, Stampede Wrestling
, All Japan Pro Wrestling
and New Japan Pro Wrestling
in the mid- to late-1980s. With his cousin Davey Boy Smith
, Billington became best known for being half of the tag team the British Bulldogs
. He has had notable feuds with Tiger Mask
in Japan and Bret "Hitman" Hart
in Canada. He was born in Golborne
, Lancashire.
Dynamite made a big impact in his matches for Stampede Wrestling
with the increasingly popular Bruce Hart
, and helped train Bret Hart
. Despite differences between them due to comments Dynamite Kid made about Stu Hart in his autobiography, Bret still regards him as "pound-for-pound, the greatest wrestler who ever lived". Dynamite Kid began taking steroids in 1979 when Big Daddy Ritter, aka the Junkyard Dog
, introduced Billington to the anabolic steroid Dianabol
. Billington was also introduced to speed
during his stay in Canada by Jake Roberts
.
After doing big business in Canada, Dynamite was booked on his first tour of Japan, working for International Pro Wrestling
from July 19–25, 1979. Stu Hart and Stampede Wrestling switched their business relationship from IPW to New Japan Pro Wrestling
shortly after Dynamite's first tour, and he wrestled for New Japan from January 4, 1980 to August 2, 1984. Perhaps the most memorable matches that came out of Dynamite's run in New Japan were from his now legendary feud against Tiger Mask
; Tiger Mask's debut was against Dynamite, in which Tiger Mask shocked the wrestling world by gaining the victory over Dynamite. The two would compete against one another several more times in a feud that is often credited as putting Junior Heavyweight wrestling on the map, as well as setting the standard for future generations. Both the NWA and WWF Junior Heavyweight titles were vacated after Tiger Mask was injured by Dynamite Kid in a tag match on April 1, 1983. Dynamite and Kuniaki Kobayashi
competed for the vacant titles, but no winner was decided. On April 21, 1983, Dynamite and Tiger Mask met for the vacant WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship, but no winner was decided after the match ended up as a draw three consecutive times.
On February 7, 1984, Billington captured the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship by winning a tournament in New Japan Pro Wrestling; although it was a WWF Title, it was primarily defended in Japan. He defeated Davey Boy Smith earlier in the tournament, and would go on to defeat The Cobra in the finals.
defeated Iron Mike Sharpe
and Troy Alexander in a match eventually shown on September 15, 1984 on the Maple Leaf Garden broadcast. Billington would end up teaming with Davey Boy Smith as the British Bulldogs
, while Bret would team with Jim Neidhart as The Hart Foundation
, and it led to matches between the two teams that usually ended in No-Contests. On April 7, 1986, accompanied by Captain Lou Albano and Ozzy Osbourne
, the British Bulldogs won the WWF World tag team title from Greg Valentine
and Brutus Beefcake at WrestleMania II. Dynamite Kid was injured in December 1986 in a tag match in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada against Don Muraco
and Bob Orton
and several wrestlers including Roddy Piper
, Junkyard Dog
and Billy Jack Haynes
would substitute for him when tag title defenses were made. While recovering in the hospital from back surgery, Billington would later recount that Bret Hart showed up and stated that Vince McMahon
had sent him to get Dynamite's tag belt; Billington refused. Shortly after checking himself out of the hospital (against doctors' orders), Billington met with McMahon, who requested that the Bulldogs drop the tag titles to the team of Nikolai Volkoff
and The Iron Sheik; Billington refused, saying that he would only drop the belts to The Hart Foundation.
McMahon acquiesced and at a TV taping on January 26, 1987, The British Bulldogs wrestled a match to drop the titles to The Hart Foundation; the match would air on the February 7 edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling
. The match itself was an odd sight, as Dynamite could barely walk due to back surgery, and thus needed to be carried to the ring piggyback by Davey Boy Smith; Dynamite was knocked out (kayfabe
) by Jimmy Hart's megaphone early in the match, therefore avoiding his having to wrestle in the match. From that point forward, the Bulldogs would not be a top-tier team anymore, and while they would not become straight jobbers, they would mostly wrestle to double disqualifications, double countouts, or time limit draws against the top teams in the WWF. After getting into a real life backstage fight with Jacques Rougeau
, the Bulldogs wrestled their last WWF match at the 1988 Survivor Series
.
Throughout his time in the WWF, Dynamite Kid made several enemies, including Brutus Beefcake (who had unwittingly insulted a friend of Billington's) and Jacques Rougeau. After years of being bullied by Dynamite, Rougeau would assault Billington with three shots in the face while his fist was loaded with a roll of quarters (including one in the mouth that knocked out four of Dynamite's teeth). Because of Billington's history of bullying, many wrestlers thought he deserved the beating. Many claimed that Billington never recovered from this humiliation. Billington was known for being a legitimately tough guy and for his stiffness as a worker. Mick Foley tells the story of when Kid and Smith wrestled the team of Les Thornton
and a young Mick Foley
. By Foley's account, Billington manhandled him so badly in the ring that he couldn't eat solid food for a time, and tore a ligament in Foley's jaw with his trademark Hook Clothesline. Outside of the ring, WWF-champion Randy Savage
once specifically asked for him to watch his back when he went drinking in a hotel bar frequented by NWA wrestlers, including Ric Flair
.
, along with the liberty of choosing which tours they wanted to participate in. In 1990, Davey Boy Smith abruptly withdrew the Bulldogs from AJPW's annual Real World Tag League Tournament by returning to the WWF, and fabricating a story to the All-Japan office that Billington was in a serious car accident and was unable to compete. Since Davey Boy Smith had trademarked the term "The British Bulldog" during the Bulldogs' previous run in WWF, he decided to return to the WWF as The British Bulldog, and would send people to the United Kingdom
to warn the promoter every time a flyer was distributed promoting Dynamite Kid as a "British Bulldog".
Johnny Smith would end up taking Davey Boy Smith's spot in the Real World Tag League tournament, and the duo (known as the British Bruisers
) continued to compete in All-Japan Pro Wrestling. The duo managed to capture the AJPW All-Asia Tag Team Championships, but the partnership was short lived; the years of steroid abuse (including an incident in which he used horse steroids), working a high impact style, and cocaine usage caught up with Billington as he suddenly announced his retirement on December 6, 1991, immediately after the Bruisers defeated Johnny Ace and Sunny Beach at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. He returned to Japan as a special guest with Lord James Blears on February 28, 1993 and claimed that he was going to send his 17 year old little brother to All Japan's Dojo, but it wasn't realized. He returned again for a tag team match with Johnny Smith on July 28, 1993 and was planning to promote an All-Japan show in his country in 1994, but it wasn't realized either.
Also around his later period with All-Japan, he was divorced from his first wife Michelle (the sister of Bret Hart
's ex-wife Julie), with whom Billington had one son and two daughters (Marek, Bronwyne and Amaris). As a result, he moved from Canada back home to Wigan, England with his parents. Before embarking on another All-Japan tour, he visited Dan Spivey and stayed in his home in Florida for a week, while Spivey went on vacation. When Spivey came back, he and Billington took hits of LSD, which resulted in Billington coming close to death twice in one day, but he was revived with adrenaline shots by paramedics both times.
His final match took place on October 10, 1996 at a Michinoku Pro
event called These Days. The match was promoted as a "Legends of High-Flying" 6-Man Tag featuring Dynamite paired with Dos Caras
and Kuniaki Kobayashi
against The Great Sasuke, Mil Máscaras
, and his greatest rival, Tiger Mask. Dynamite's body had clearly degenerated to the point where he was practically skin and bones, as the bottom portion of his tights were very loose. In the end, Dynamite delivered his trademark tombstone piledriver on Great Sasuke, leading Dos Caras powerbombing Sasuke for the pin fall. While at the airport to return home on the next day, he had a second seizure (as the first one was in 1987, while traveling with the Ultimate Warrior) and was sent to the hospital immediately.
His autobiography, Pure Dynamite, was published on October 1, 1999 (and reissued as a paperback on August 15, 2001). The book remains a testament to his style: a no-nonsense approach in which he pulls few punches about drug use, cruel ribs, and even his opinions towards other people in the wrestling business. Billington has gone on record as saying that he regrets nothing from his career, and has stated in his autobiography that he would do everything the same way all over again. Recently, he appeared in the 2007 CNN documentary, Death Grip Inside Pro Wrestling. He discusses the effects professional wrestling had on his life.
's "Dungeon." His style influenced many wrestlers that followed, most notably late World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) wrestler Chris Benoit
, who idolized Billington growing up and adopted a similar moveset that included the swandive headbutt and the Snap suplex. Former TNA
wrestler Jay Lethal
often used Dynamite's swandive headbutt, which Mike Tenay
referred to as the "Diving Dynamite Headbutt", in tribute to him.
The playable character in the Mat Mania
/Mania Challenge/Exciting Hour arcade games of the mid '80s is named Dynamite Tommy, frequently presumed to be modeled after Billington.
, the inventor of the diving headbutt has stated that he regrets ever inventing the move, due to the fact it appears to cause spinal problems, and may have contributed to Billington's disability. In addition to his paralysis, Billington also has suffered from heart problems and eventually had one of his legs amputated.
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Dynamite Kid, is a retired British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
, All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
and New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
in the mid- to late-1980s. With his cousin Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
, Billington became best known for being half of the tag team the British Bulldogs
British Bulldogs
The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Tom Billington , professional wrestlers who competed through most of the 1980s in both North America, England, and Japan and is by many considered one of the top tag-teams in history.-Early years :In the 1970s, Dynamite Kid and Davey...
. He has had notable feuds with Tiger Mask
Satoru Sayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known as the original Tiger Mask. He's wrestled under his real name as well as the names Sammy Lee, and masked Super Tiger, Tiger King, Tiger Mask and The Mask of Tiger...
in Japan and Bret "Hitman" Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
in Canada. He was born in Golborne
Golborne
Golborne is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England.It lies south-southeast of Wigan, northeast of Warrington and to the west of the city of Manchester. It has a population of 23,119....
, Lancashire.
Early life
Academics were not a priority to Tom, but he was drawn to the sport programme at his comprehensive school; his adherence to it, particularly wrestling and gymnastics, helped him develop a relatively small but powerful and agile shape. In addition, he had also received training in boxing during his formative years, which helped instill toughness in him before his career. His father, the brother of Davey Boy Smith's mother, was a miner and itinerant labourer who often took young Thomas to see wrestling matches in Wigan, then as now well-known for its wrestling tradition. It was during a home visit that the younger Billington met and caught the attention of Ted Betley, who had been running a pro-wrestling school in his home; it was here that Billington began his training, as a way of avoiding the back breaking work of the coal mines.Early years (1975–1984)
His first shot in the pro ranks was working for Max Crabtree, as he debuted in 1975. During his early days, he won the British Lightweight title on April 23, 1977 and the Welterweight title on January 25, 1978. He was also instrumental in starting the career of then-Judo star Chris Adams while still competing in Britain,was scouted and moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1978.Dynamite made a big impact in his matches for Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
with the increasingly popular Bruce Hart
Bruce Hart (wrestler)
Bruce Dennis Luis Hart is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. The second son of Stu Hart, Hart is a member of the large Hart wrestling family.Hart substitute teaches for the Calgary Board of Education.-Career:...
, and helped train Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
. Despite differences between them due to comments Dynamite Kid made about Stu Hart in his autobiography, Bret still regards him as "pound-for-pound, the greatest wrestler who ever lived". Dynamite Kid began taking steroids in 1979 when Big Daddy Ritter, aka the Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter was an American professional wrestler and professional football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as The Junkyard Dog...
, introduced Billington to the anabolic steroid Dianabol
Methandrostenolone
Methandrostenolone is an orally-effective anabolic steroid originally developed by John Ziegler and released in the US in the early 1960s by Ciba. It was used as an aid to muscle growth by bodybuilders until its ban by Congress under the Controlled Substances Act...
. Billington was also introduced to speed
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
during his stay in Canada by Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
.
After doing big business in Canada, Dynamite was booked on his first tour of Japan, working for International Pro Wrestling
International Pro Wrestling
International Pro Wrestling , also known as International Wrestling Enterprise, was a professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1966 to 1981. Founded by Isao Yoshihara, it was affiliated with the American Wrestling Association in the United States and also had tie-ins with promotions in Europe...
from July 19–25, 1979. Stu Hart and Stampede Wrestling switched their business relationship from IPW to New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
shortly after Dynamite's first tour, and he wrestled for New Japan from January 4, 1980 to August 2, 1984. Perhaps the most memorable matches that came out of Dynamite's run in New Japan were from his now legendary feud against Tiger Mask
Satoru Sayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known as the original Tiger Mask. He's wrestled under his real name as well as the names Sammy Lee, and masked Super Tiger, Tiger King, Tiger Mask and The Mask of Tiger...
; Tiger Mask's debut was against Dynamite, in which Tiger Mask shocked the wrestling world by gaining the victory over Dynamite. The two would compete against one another several more times in a feud that is often credited as putting Junior Heavyweight wrestling on the map, as well as setting the standard for future generations. Both the NWA and WWF Junior Heavyweight titles were vacated after Tiger Mask was injured by Dynamite Kid in a tag match on April 1, 1983. Dynamite and Kuniaki Kobayashi
Kuniaki Kobayashi
Kuniaki Kobayashi is a retired Japanese Junior Heavyweight professional wrestler. He wrestled numerous acclaimed matches against the first two Tiger Masks: Satoru Sayama and Mitsuharu Misawa.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
competed for the vacant titles, but no winner was decided. On April 21, 1983, Dynamite and Tiger Mask met for the vacant WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship, but no winner was decided after the match ended up as a draw three consecutive times.
On February 7, 1984, Billington captured the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship by winning a tournament in New Japan Pro Wrestling; although it was a WWF Title, it was primarily defended in Japan. He defeated Davey Boy Smith earlier in the tournament, and would go on to defeat The Cobra in the finals.
World Wrestling Federation (1984–1988)
Dynamite Kid made his WWF television debut on August 29, 1984, where he and Bret HartBret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
defeated Iron Mike Sharpe
Mike Sharpe
Michael "Mike" Sharpe is a Canadian professional wrestler better known as Iron Mike Sharpe.-Career:Sharpe comes from a family legacy of wrestling, as his father and uncle were a successful tag team in the 1950s, recognized as champions from San Francisco to Japan. He grew up in California, but...
and Troy Alexander in a match eventually shown on September 15, 1984 on the Maple Leaf Garden broadcast. Billington would end up teaming with Davey Boy Smith as the British Bulldogs
British Bulldogs
The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Tom Billington , professional wrestlers who competed through most of the 1980s in both North America, England, and Japan and is by many considered one of the top tag-teams in history.-Early years :In the 1970s, Dynamite Kid and Davey...
, while Bret would team with Jim Neidhart as The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation referred to several teams or stables in the World Wrestling Federation , usually consisted of members or close friends of the Hart wrestling family from Canada....
, and it led to matches between the two teams that usually ended in No-Contests. On April 7, 1986, accompanied by Captain Lou Albano and Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, the British Bulldogs won the WWF World tag team title from Greg Valentine
Greg Valentine
John Wisniski, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.-Training:...
and Brutus Beefcake at WrestleMania II. Dynamite Kid was injured in December 1986 in a tag match in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada against Don Muraco
Don Muraco
Donald Muraco , better known by his ring name "The Rock" Don Muraco, is a retired American professional wrestler...
and Bob Orton
Bob Orton
Robert Dale "Bob" Orton was an American professional wrestler. He was also known as Bob Orton, Sr. to distinguish him from his son, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr...
and several wrestlers including Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
, Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter was an American professional wrestler and professional football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as The Junkyard Dog...
and Billy Jack Haynes
Billy Jack Haynes
William Albert Haynes, III is a retired American professional wrestler better known as Billy Jack Haynes.-Early career :...
would substitute for him when tag title defenses were made. While recovering in the hospital from back surgery, Billington would later recount that Bret Hart showed up and stated that Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
had sent him to get Dynamite's tag belt; Billington refused. Shortly after checking himself out of the hospital (against doctors' orders), Billington met with McMahon, who requested that the Bulldogs drop the tag titles to the team of Nikolai Volkoff
Nikolai Volkoff
Josip Nikolai Peruzović , better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, is a professional wrestler who is best known for his performances for the World Wrestling Federation...
and The Iron Sheik; Billington refused, saying that he would only drop the belts to The Hart Foundation.
McMahon acquiesced and at a TV taping on January 26, 1987, The British Bulldogs wrestled a match to drop the titles to The Hart Foundation; the match would air on the February 7 edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
. The match itself was an odd sight, as Dynamite could barely walk due to back surgery, and thus needed to be carried to the ring piggyback by Davey Boy Smith; Dynamite was knocked out (kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
) by Jimmy Hart's megaphone early in the match, therefore avoiding his having to wrestle in the match. From that point forward, the Bulldogs would not be a top-tier team anymore, and while they would not become straight jobbers, they would mostly wrestle to double disqualifications, double countouts, or time limit draws against the top teams in the WWF. After getting into a real life backstage fight with Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...
, the Bulldogs wrestled their last WWF match at the 1988 Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1988)
Survivor Series was the second annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
.
Throughout his time in the WWF, Dynamite Kid made several enemies, including Brutus Beefcake (who had unwittingly insulted a friend of Billington's) and Jacques Rougeau. After years of being bullied by Dynamite, Rougeau would assault Billington with three shots in the face while his fist was loaded with a roll of quarters (including one in the mouth that knocked out four of Dynamite's teeth). Because of Billington's history of bullying, many wrestlers thought he deserved the beating. Many claimed that Billington never recovered from this humiliation. Billington was known for being a legitimately tough guy and for his stiffness as a worker. Mick Foley tells the story of when Kid and Smith wrestled the team of Les Thornton
Les Thornton
Les Thornton is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in European and North American regional promotions throughout the 1970s and 1980s including Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance...
and a young Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
. By Foley's account, Billington manhandled him so badly in the ring that he couldn't eat solid food for a time, and tore a ligament in Foley's jaw with his trademark Hook Clothesline. Outside of the ring, WWF-champion Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
once specifically asked for him to watch his back when he went drinking in a hotel bar frequented by NWA wrestlers, including Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
.
Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and Michinoku Pro Wrestling (1988–1996)
After leaving the WWF, the Bulldogs returned to Stampede Wrestling to win the International Tag Team Titles. The Bulldogs also competed frequently in All-Japan Pro Wrestling where they were paid $20,000 each by Giant BabaShohei Baba
was a professional wrestler and co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also known as Giant Baba. Baba, along with Antonio Inoki, became one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers of his era, with a popularity in Japan comparable to Hulk Hogan's in the United States of America...
, along with the liberty of choosing which tours they wanted to participate in. In 1990, Davey Boy Smith abruptly withdrew the Bulldogs from AJPW's annual Real World Tag League Tournament by returning to the WWF, and fabricating a story to the All-Japan office that Billington was in a serious car accident and was unable to compete. Since Davey Boy Smith had trademarked the term "The British Bulldog" during the Bulldogs' previous run in WWF, he decided to return to the WWF as The British Bulldog, and would send people to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to warn the promoter every time a flyer was distributed promoting Dynamite Kid as a "British Bulldog".
Johnny Smith would end up taking Davey Boy Smith's spot in the Real World Tag League tournament, and the duo (known as the British Bruisers
The British Bruisers
The British Bruisers were a professional wrestling tag team that competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling. The team consisted of The Dynamite Kid and Johnny Smith...
) continued to compete in All-Japan Pro Wrestling. The duo managed to capture the AJPW All-Asia Tag Team Championships, but the partnership was short lived; the years of steroid abuse (including an incident in which he used horse steroids), working a high impact style, and cocaine usage caught up with Billington as he suddenly announced his retirement on December 6, 1991, immediately after the Bruisers defeated Johnny Ace and Sunny Beach at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. He returned to Japan as a special guest with Lord James Blears on February 28, 1993 and claimed that he was going to send his 17 year old little brother to All Japan's Dojo, but it wasn't realized. He returned again for a tag team match with Johnny Smith on July 28, 1993 and was planning to promote an All-Japan show in his country in 1994, but it wasn't realized either.
Also around his later period with All-Japan, he was divorced from his first wife Michelle (the sister of Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
's ex-wife Julie), with whom Billington had one son and two daughters (Marek, Bronwyne and Amaris). As a result, he moved from Canada back home to Wigan, England with his parents. Before embarking on another All-Japan tour, he visited Dan Spivey and stayed in his home in Florida for a week, while Spivey went on vacation. When Spivey came back, he and Billington took hits of LSD, which resulted in Billington coming close to death twice in one day, but he was revived with adrenaline shots by paramedics both times.
His final match took place on October 10, 1996 at a Michinoku Pro
Michinoku Pro Wrestling
Michinoku Pro Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded by The Great Sasuke in 1993. Michinoku Pro was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather in Morioka, Iwate...
event called These Days. The match was promoted as a "Legends of High-Flying" 6-Man Tag featuring Dynamite paired with Dos Caras
Dos Caras
José Luis Rodríguez is a Mexican Luchador Enmascarado who wrestles under the ring name Dos Caras . Dos Caras' most active years were in the 1970s and 80s, and achieved his greatest success in Mexico's Universal Wrestling Alliance winning the UWA World Heavyweight Championship three times...
and Kuniaki Kobayashi
Kuniaki Kobayashi
Kuniaki Kobayashi is a retired Japanese Junior Heavyweight professional wrestler. He wrestled numerous acclaimed matches against the first two Tiger Masks: Satoru Sayama and Mitsuharu Misawa.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
against The Great Sasuke, Mil Máscaras
Mil Máscaras
Aaron Rodríguez , best known as Mil Máscaras , is a semi-retired Mexican professional wrestler and actor, who has starred in several films with fellow luchadores...
, and his greatest rival, Tiger Mask. Dynamite's body had clearly degenerated to the point where he was practically skin and bones, as the bottom portion of his tights were very loose. In the end, Dynamite delivered his trademark tombstone piledriver on Great Sasuke, leading Dos Caras powerbombing Sasuke for the pin fall. While at the airport to return home on the next day, he had a second seizure (as the first one was in 1987, while traveling with the Ultimate Warrior) and was sent to the hospital immediately.
Retirement
In 1997, after marrying his second wife Dot and ignoring the great deal of complications he was experiencing with walking, he was told by a specialist in a local hospital that he could no longer walk; the doctors couldn't do anything for him, as a result of complications from his back surgery from 1986 in Calgary. This left him with a paralyzed left leg; he now uses a wheelchair. Billington is cared for by his wife Dot.His autobiography, Pure Dynamite, was published on October 1, 1999 (and reissued as a paperback on August 15, 2001). The book remains a testament to his style: a no-nonsense approach in which he pulls few punches about drug use, cruel ribs, and even his opinions towards other people in the wrestling business. Billington has gone on record as saying that he regrets nothing from his career, and has stated in his autobiography that he would do everything the same way all over again. Recently, he appeared in the 2007 CNN documentary, Death Grip Inside Pro Wrestling. He discusses the effects professional wrestling had on his life.
Legacy
Billington's British training, combined with an aerial arsenal honed during numerous tours in Japan, influenced a generation of current wrestling stars, especially those normally associated with Stu HartStu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
's "Dungeon." His style influenced many wrestlers that followed, most notably late World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) wrestler Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, who idolized Billington growing up and adopted a similar moveset that included the swandive headbutt and the Snap suplex. Former TNA
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
wrestler Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
often used Dynamite's swandive headbutt, which Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...
referred to as the "Diving Dynamite Headbutt", in tribute to him.
The playable character in the Mat Mania
Mat Mania
Mat Mania - The Prowrestling Network, known in Japan as , or simply either as Mat Mania or , is a Japanese pro wrestling-themed arcade game developed by Technōs Japan and published by Taito...
/Mania Challenge/Exciting Hour arcade games of the mid '80s is named Dynamite Tommy, frequently presumed to be modeled after Billington.
Disability
Billington is disabled and uses a wheelchair due to his years of steroid & drug abuse and the high-impact style of wrestling he engaged in. Billington greatly damaged his back and legs and was told he would never be able to walk again. Harley RaceHarley Race
Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...
, the inventor of the diving headbutt has stated that he regrets ever inventing the move, due to the fact it appears to cause spinal problems, and may have contributed to Billington's disability. In addition to his paralysis, Billington also has suffered from heart problems and eventually had one of his legs amputated.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Diving Dynamite (Swan dive headbutt)
- Kneeling belly to belly piledriver, sometimes while hooking the opponent's leg
- Superplex – innovated
- Signature moves
- European uppercut
- Front dropkick, sometimes from the top rope
- Headbutt
- Indian deathlock
- Knee drop, sometimes from the top rope
- Multiple suplexSuplexA suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
variations- German
- Gutwrench
- High lifting belly to back
- Snap
- Vertical
- Side headlock
- Three-quarter facelock
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Lou AlbanoLou AlbanoLouis Vincent "Captain Lou" Albano was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1969, then he became a manager, until 1995....
- J.R. Foley
- Lou Albano
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro WrestlingAll Japan Pro Wrestlingis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
- NWA International Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA International Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship started in 1979. It was formed by a split in lineage from the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship caused by the first retirement of champion Nelson Royal the same year. The first champion, Steve Keirn, was recognized as World champion only...
(1 time) - AJPW All Asia Tag Team ChampionshipAJPW All Asia Tag Team ChampionshipThe All Japan Pro Wrestling All Asia Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling . It was created on November 16, 1955 in the Japan Wrestling Association when King Kong Czaya & Tiger Jokinder defeated JWA founder Rikidōzan &...
(1 time) – with Johnny SmithJohn HindleyJohn Hindley is a retired British professional wrestler best known by his ring name Johnny Smith.-Early years in the U.K. :...
- Joint Promotions
- British Welterweight Championship (1 time)
- British Lightweight ChampionshipBritish Lightweight ChampionshipThe British Lightweight Championship was a top British wrestling championship found throughout the country's circuit. The title's broken history dates back to the 1930s and it was last claimed actively in 2002. The official upper weight limit for the belt was 11 stone.- Title history :This is a...
(1 time) - European Welterweight Championship (1 time)
- New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
- WWF Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipWWF Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWWF Junior Heavyweight Championship is a former championship recognized by the World Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro Wrestling for wrestlers of smaller size. The title existed from 1967 through 1985.-Title history:-External links:*...
(1 time)
- Pacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
(1 time) - NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
(1 time) – with The AssassinDavid SierraFidel Sierra David Cannell is a professional wrestler, better known as David Sierra, who is best known as a longtime veteran of the Puerto Rico-based World Wrestling Council as well as for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling and Pacific Northwest Wrestling during the 1980s and 90s...
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him # 5 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Davey Boy SmithDavey Boy SmithDavey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
in 2003. - PWI ranked him #41 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Stampede WrestlingStampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight ChampionshipStampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title for lighter wrestlers in the Canadian promotion, Stampede Wrestling. It has existed since 1978.-Title history:...
(5 times) - Stampede International Tag Team ChampionshipStampede Wrestling International Tag Team ChampionshipThe Stampede International Tag Team Championship is the main tag-team title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. It was created in 1958 as the NWA International Tag-Team Championship...
(6 times) – with Sekigawa (1), Loch Ness MonsterMartin RuaneMartin Austin Ruane was an English professional wrestler of Irish descent. Best known by his ring name, Giant Haystacks, he wrestled in such places as Great Britain, the United States, Canada, India, and Zimbabwe...
(1), Kasavudo (1), and Duke Myers (1), Davey Boy Smith (2) - Stampede North American Heavyweight ChampionshipStampede North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship is the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming the top title in 1972 after the previous top...
(1 time) - Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight ChampionshipStampede World Mid-Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title, one of the lesser known secondary titles created for Stampede Wrestling in 1979, and was the focal point of the 1982-83 feud between the Dynamite Kid and the Great Gama...
(4 times) - Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
- World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Davey Boy Smith
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1983) vs. Tiger MaskSatoru Sayamais a Japanese professional wrestler, best known as the original Tiger Mask. He's wrestled under his real name as well as the names Sammy Lee, and masked Super Tiger, Tiger King, Tiger Mask and The Mask of Tiger...
on 23 April - Best Flying Wrestler (1984)
- Best Technical Wrestler (1984) - tied with Masa SaitoMasa Saitois a former Japanese professional wrestler better known as Mr. Saito or . He wrestled for several years in various promotions operated by the National Wrestling Alliance . He later joined the World Wrestling Federation , where he teamed with Mr. Fuji to hold the World Tag Team Championship twice...
- Best Wrestling Maneuver (1984) Power clean dropkick
- Match of the Year (1982) vs. Tiger Mask on 5 August, TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... - Most Underrated (1983)
- Tag Team of The Year (1985) - with Davey Boy Smith
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameThe Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
(Class of 1996)