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. He defeated Davey Boy Smith earlier in the tournament, and would go on to defeat The Cobra in the finals.ĭynamite Kid made his WWF television debut on August 29, 1984, where he and Bret Hart defeated Iron Mike Sharpe and Troy Alexander in a match eventually shown on September 15, 1984, on the Maple Leaf Garden broadcast.
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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. 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. Dynamite and Kuniaki Kobayashi competed for the vacant titles, but no winner was decided. 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. 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.
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. 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. Billington was also introduced to speed during his stay in Canada by Jake Roberts.Īfter doing big business in Canada, Dynamite was booked on his first tour of Japan, working for International Pro Wrestling from July 19–25, 1979. Dynamite Kid began taking steroids in 1979 when Big Daddy Ritter, aka the Junkyard Dog, introduced Billington to the anabolic steroid Dianabol.
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". 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.ĭynamite made a big impact in his matches for Stampede Wrestling with the increasingly popular Bruce Hart, and rookie Bret Hart. During his early days, he won the British Lightweight title on April 23, 1977, and the Welterweight title on January 25, 1978. His first shot in the pro ranks was working for Max Crabtree, as he debuted in 1975.
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Professional wrestling career Early years (1975–1984) 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. His father, the brother of Davey Boy Smith's mother, was a miner and itinerant laborer who often took young Thomas to see wrestling matches in Wigan, then as now, well known for its wrestling tradition. In addition, he had also received training in boxing during his formative years, which helped instill toughness in him before his career.