A tremendously gifted mat wrestler.  While a teenager in England, Tom Billington went
under the guidance of Ted Betley and prepared for his professional mat debut.  In 1975,
the Dynamite Kid burst on the scene and quickly gained both a following and a
reputation.  He won several major championships in his native country before traveling to
the Stampede Organization in Western Canada.  The promotion was run by Stu Hart, a
well known trainer of mat wrestlers.  Many of Hart’s children had also joined the business,
among them were Bret and Owen Hart.

While in Japan, the Dynamite Kid wrestled the legendary Tiger Mask and the two put on
many highly skilled contests.  Their bouts are still beloved today by fans of workrate and
catch-as-catch can.  He also began to team with his cousin Davey Boy Smith.  The British
Bulldogs were formed.  In 1984, the Dynamite Kid captured the WWF World Junior
Heavyweight Title.  It wasn’t before long that the Bulldogs were making an impact on the
organization.

On Thursday, November 7, 1985, near Chicago, he participated in wrestling’s first pay-per-
view, the “Wrestling Classic.” Dynamite Kid participated in a 16-man tournament and
wrestled Nikolai Volkoff in the opening round.  He won in an astonishing 6-seconds.  In the
second round, he got by “Adorable” Adrian Adonis.  The Dynamite Kid’s semifinal
opponent was Randy Savage, a former ICW World Heavyweight Champion.  Savage beat
him in a tough contest.  The performance was greatly respected.  

Dynamite and Smith took Captain Lou Albano and it seemed obvious that they were one
of the top teams gunning for the World Tag Title.  If any manager could lead them, it was
the accomplished Albano.  On April 7, 1986, the Bulldogs captured the WWF World Tag
Team Title from the Dream Team in Rosemont, Illinois.  A long reign was ahead, and it
could have possibly been longer.  The British Bulldogs could quite have possibly
dominated the scene well into the ‘90’s if an injury nearly ended the career of the
Dynamite Kid.  During a match, he suffered 2 torn lumber discs.  Amazingly enough, he
appeared on January 26, 1987 in Tampa to defend the belts against the Hart Foundation,
Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart.  He had recently had the discs removed and doctors pleaded
with him not to wrestle.  The Dynamite Kid went against all odds and did his duty to
wrestle.  He did much to the delight of his fans.  Their respect quadrupled.  With help from
Jimmy Hart and rogue referee Danny Davis, the Foundation won the tag straps.

Unbelievably, the Dynamite Kid’s career did not end.  Only two months later, he was in
Pontiac, Michigan before more than 90,000 screaming fans for WrestleMania III.  Matilda,
the Bulldog’s mascot, was with them.  Dynamite Kid and Smith teamed with Tito Santana in
a loss to the Foundation and Davis.  Their popularity remained emmensly high.  The
Bulldogs were one of ten teams to participate in a huge elimination match on November
26, 1987 in Richfield, Ohio.  Both Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith were eliminated by
the Islanders when Haku pinned Kid.  Their team of babyfaces went on to win.

Before an estimated 20,000 fans in New York City, the Bulldogs wrestled to a draw on
August 29, 1988 against the Canadian Team of Jacques and Raymond Rougeau.  The
duo made their final pay-per-view appearance in November ’88 during the Survivor
Series.  Afterwards, both men left the organization and returned to Canada.  The
Dynamite Kid also ventured back to Japan.  In late 1990, Davey Boy returned to the
WWF, but Dynamite Kid stayed in Japan where he formed a new tag team with Johnny
Smith.  On December 6, 1991, he retired from the business, but did make a return later in
the decade.

The Dynamite Kid impacted a generation of fans and wrestlers.  His style rubbed off on a
host of this generation’s top athletes, among them the “Canadian Crippler” Chris Benoit.  
The Dynamite Kid was a legend of professional wrestling on many levels.  In August 2001,
the paperback of Pure Dynamite:  The Price You Pay for Wrestling Stardom was
released.  The 220-page book was written by Tom Billington with Alison Coleman as a
contributor.

TITLE HISTORY:
   -WWF World Junior Heavyweight Title (1984) defeated Cobra and Davey Boy Smith,
   vacant title victory
   -Co-holder of the WWF World Tag Team Title (1986-’87) w/ Davey Boy Smith

PAY-PER-VIEW RECORD:

-WWF Wrestling Classic                vs. Nikolai Volkoff                               Won
-WWF Wrestling Classic                vs. Adrian Adonis                               Won
-WWF Wrestling Classic                vs. Randy Savage                              Lost
-WWF WrestleMania II                 Tag Match w/ Davey Boy Smith            Won Tag Title
-WWF WrestleMania III                Six-Man Tag Team Match                     Lost
-WWF Survivor Series ’87             Ten-Man Tag Elimination Match         Team Won
-WWF WrestleMania IV                Six-Man Tag Team Match                    Lost                
-WWF SummerSlam ’88               Tag Match w/ Davey Boy Smith            Draw
-WWF Survivor Series ’88             Ten-Man Tag Elimination Match         Team Won


Research by Tim Hornbaker
The Dynamite Kid Wrestling History
PPV Ring Record        TV Ring Record        Career Record
Legends of Pro Wrestling