Dynamite Kid - WikiHQ

Thomas Billington (5 December 1958 – 5 December 2018), best known by the ring name the Dynamite Kid, was a British professional wrestler.

Trained by former wrestler "Dr Death" Ted Betley, he competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). With his cousin Davey Boy Smith, he was also known for being one half of the tag team The British Bulldogs.

He had notable feuds with Tiger Mask in Japan and Bret Hart in Canada.

Billington is considered by many, including Bret Hart, to have been one of wrestling's most influential in-ring performers, having increased the level of athleticism involved in the art, bringing together styles from Britain, Mexico, Canada and Japan.

Early life

Billington was born on 5 December 1958 in Golborne, Lancashire, near Manchester. He had two sisters and a younger brother named Mark. His father Bill and uncle Eric Billington were boxers in their youth and his grandfather Thomas Billington was a bare-knuckle boxer. He was a member of the Billington family. One of his ancestors James Billington was a wrestler who in 1891 became chief executioner of Great Britain and Ireland..

Academic work was not a priority to him, but he was drawn to sports 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. Dynamite Kid made his debut working in 1975 for Max Crabtree. Billington’s first match filmed for TV was taped 30 June 1976 in Lincoln (and transmitted 30 October by which time another match against Pete Meredith had been filmed and screened) saw him lose by technical knockout to veteran heel "Strongman" Alan Dennison after injuring his throat on the top ring rope. and subsequently Smith (in kayfabe), replacing Betley as Smith's trainer following Betley's (real life) retirement.

During his early days, he won the British Lightweight title on 23 April 1977, and the Welterweight title on 25 January 1978. He subsequently won the European Welterweight Championship defeating French wrestler Jean Corne in a match screened on ITV as part of the 1978 FA Cup Final coverage. He was also instrumental in starting the career of then-Judo star Chris Adams while still competing in the UK, was scouted and moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1978. He would make occasional home visits over the next few years, including challenging World Heavyweight Middleweight Champion Rollerball Rocco in a televised title match ending in a double knockout.

Billington made a big impact in his matches for Stampede Wrestling with the increasingly popular Bruce Hart and rookie Bret Hart. Despite differences between them due to comments made about Stu Hart in his autobiography, Bret still regards him as "pound-for-pound, the greatest wrestler who ever lived." Billington 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. and several wrestlers including Roddy Piper, Junkyard Dog and Billy Jack Haynes would substitute for him when tag title defences 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 his 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 The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff; Billington refused, saying that he would only drop the belts to The Hart Foundation. The match itself was an odd sight, as Billington could barely walk due to back surgery. Billington was knocked out by Jimmy Hart's megaphone early in the match, avoiding him having to wrestle much in the match for story purposes. 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.

Billington was known for being a tough guy and for his stiffness as a worker. Mick Foley reported that, when he and Les Thornton (another British wrestler) wrestled the Bulldogs in a tag-team match early in Foley's career, Billington manhandled him so badly in the ring that he tore a ligament in Foley's jaw with his signature Hook Clothesline, preventing Foley from eating solid food until his recovery. 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. Although their team would win the match after team captains The Powers of Pain (The Barbarian and The Warlord) eliminated the last remaining opponents The Conquistadores, the Bulldogs had earlier been eliminated when Billington had been pinned by Smash of the tag team champions Demolition.

Return to Stampede Wrestling, England and Japan (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 Baba, along with the liberty of choosing which tours they wanted to participate in. Upon returning to Stampede, the Bulldogs were involved in a feud with Karachi Vice over the Stampede International Tag Team Championship. However, by February 1989, Dynamite became involved in a brutal feud with Johnny Smith after Johnny interfered and attacked the Dynamite Kid, before cutting his hair. In May 1989, the Bulldogs split up in Stampede, but remained a team in AJPW. Over in Stampede, the Bulldogs feuded with each other, with Dynamite forming The British Bruisers with Johnny Smith and Davey Boy Smith teaming with a young Chris Benoit.

In 1990, Davey Boy Smith abruptly withdrew the Bulldogs from AJPW's annual World's Strongest Tag Determination League 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. Back home in the UK, from 1991 onward, he would regularly appear for local promotions All Star Wrestling and Orig Williams' BWF where, due to his WWF success, he was a headline attraction this time around. 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". with whom Billington had one son and two daughters (Marek, Bronwyne and Amaris). Following the end of his marriage to Michelle, he moved from Canada back home to Golborne with his parents. There he married for a second time to a woman named Dot; with her he had three stepsons; John, Steven and Mark. Dot died on 9 July 2024. Before his death Billington had two granddaughters, Miami and Taya. He is now survived by three more grandchildren: Madix, Harlow and Miko.

Billington was a close friend of Wayne Hart. When Billington was living in Calgary, they co-owned an apartment together where they lived with their respective girlfriends.

Altercations with other wrestlers

Billington had several violent interactions with fellow wrestlers. One such event was with Bruce Hart, in which Billington broke Hart's jaw.

Another was while in WWF, where wrestler Jacques Rougeau Jr. felt that Billington had bullied him and sucker punched Billington in the face with a fist holding rolled up quarters, knocking out Billington's front teeth, which required 45 stitches and resulted in a severe concussion.

Health problems

In 1997, after having a great deal of complications he was experiencing with walking due to the large number of back and leg injuries he sustained during his career, Billington lost the use of his left leg. In November 2013, Billington reportedly had a stroke.

In 2015, he was named in a lawsuit filed by WWE after the organisation received a letter from him indicating that he intended to sue them for concussion-based injuries sustained during his affiliation with WWE. He was represented by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who is involved in several other lawsuits involving former WWE wrestlers. Billington's lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018.

Death

Billington died on 5 December 2018, his 60th birthday. The exact cause of death remains unconfirmed, but the BBC report of his death placed it in the context of the above-mentioned health issues. At the time of his death Billington’s siblings stated that his health issues resulted in him being depressed, was in a long term care facility and that he took numerous medications for his health conditions.

Legacy

Billington's British training, combined with an aerial arsenal honed during numerous tours in Japan, influenced a generation of later wrestling stars, especially those normally associated with Stu Hart's "Dungeon".

In February 2013, Highspots.com released a documentary named Dynamite Kid: A Matter of Pride on the Dynamite Kid.

In October 2014, Billington was presented with a lifetime achievement award at Gloucester Leisure Centre by Superstars of Wrestling UK.

Billington is featured in the 2016 documentary Nine Legends.

The playable character "Dynamite Tommy" in the Mat Mania/Mania Challenge/Exciting Hour arcade games of the mid-1980s is often presumed to be modeled after Billington. The artwork for the game features the character wearing a championship belt which is quite similar to the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship which Billington held.

Billington's nephews Thomas and Mark have become professional wrestlers, having been trained by Marty Jones and have formed a tag team, The Billington Bulldogs.

On 16 September 2021, Vice TV aired (as part of their series Dark Side of the Ring) a retrospective of Billington's life, both in and out of the ring. Included in that program are interviews with Dynamite's former wife, daughters, and wrestlers Dan Spivey and WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley.

Championships and accomplishments

All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Smith
NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fighting Spirit Award (1984, 1985) – with Davey Boy Smith
World's Strongest Tag Determination League Skills Award (1989) – with Davey Boy Smith
World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fair Play Award (1990, 1991) – with Johnny Smith
Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
AGPW International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame
Class of 2001
Joint Promotions
British Welterweight Championship (1 time)
British Lightweight Championship (1 time)
European Welterweight Championship (1 time)
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Greatest Gaijin Junior Section (2002)
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Assassin
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Ranked # 5 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Davey Boy Smith in 2003.
Ranked #41 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship (4 times, inaugural)
Stampede International Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Sekigawa (1), Loch Ness Monster (1), Kasavudo (1), Duke Myers (1), Davey Boy Smith (2)
Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship (4 time, final)
Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)
Tokyo Sports
Lifetime Achievement Award (1991)
World Wrestling Federation
WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Davey Boy Smith
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Flying Wrestler (1984)
Best Technical Wrestler (1984) - tied with Masa Saito
Best Wrestling Maneuver (1984) <small>Power clean dropkick</small>
Hardest Worker (1983)
Match of the Year (1982) <small>vs. Tiger Mask on 5 August, Tokyo, Japan</small>
Most Underrated (1983)
Most Impressive Wrestler (1983-1985)
Tag Team of The Year (1985) - with Davey Boy Smith
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Luchas de Apuestas record

{|class="wikitable sortable" width=100% style="text-align: center"

!width=20% scope="col"|Winner (wager)

!width=20% scope="col"|Loser (wager)

!width=20% scope="col"|Location

!width=20% scope="col"|Event

!width=15% scope="col"|Date

!class="unsortable" width=5% scope="col"|Notes

|Bruce Hart (hair) || Dynamite Kid (hair) || Calgary, Alberta || Stampede || 1980s ||

Notes

References

External links

Dynamitekid.com, archived