In the history of Professional wrestling, few men have had the global impact on the sport as the 'DynaImite
Kid'. Born in Lancashire in 1958 young Tommy Billington was apparently
destined to become a boxer until at the age of 13 when he met Ted
Betley.
In 1975 he left school and began to ply his trade in the ring as the Dynamite Kid, after merely a year he had become the British and European Champion. During this time he had a chance encounter with Bruce Hart of the legendary Hart family, it was this meeting that prompted Dynamite to head to Calgary Canada and a future in Stu Harts Stampede Wrestling.
After
many memorable matches in Stampede, Dynamite travelled to Japan where
his career was really about to take off. His matches with Tiger Mask
have since become the stuff of legends and set new standards for
Professional wrestling.
When
arriving back in Canada in 1982 the Dynamite Kid got married and began
the next chapter in his legendary career when he started teaming with
his young cousin Davey Boy Smith another native of the UK.
In 1984
Dynamite defeated both Davey Boy and the Cobra to become the NJPW Junior
Heavyweight Champion. At this time Vince McMahon persuaded Dynamite
and Davey Boy to join the then WWF as the British Bulldogs, they would
go on to become one of the greatest teams in the Company's history.
At
Wrestlemania 2 ,the pair would become WWF Tag Team champions, however
disaster was about to strike. Nine months after winning the titles Tommy
sustained a kick to the spine from a high flying corner post
drop.resulting in a broken back, requiring surgery. He lay on the apron
throughout the bout in this condition, before anyone realised what had
happened. ( There is an amateur video of the accident on our video
page). A mere five weeks later, and several months early, the Dynamite
kid struggled back into the ring in what can only be described as a
superhuman effort to drop the straps to the Hart Foundation, on the
order of McMahon.