After getting into a real life backstage fight with Jacques Rougeau, the Bulldogs wrestled their last WWF match at the 1988 Survivor Series. In 1991, he was divorced from his first wife Michelle Smadu (the sister of Bret Hart's then-wife Julie), with whom Billington had one son and two daughters (Marek, Bronwyne and Amaris). 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. Dynamite Kid was injured in December 1986 in a tag match in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada against Don Muraco and Bob Orton, Jr. and several wrestlers including Roddy Piper, Junkyard Dog and Billy Jack Haynes would substitute for him when tag title defenses were made. 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. Dynamite made a big impact in his matches for Stampede Wrestling with the increasingly popular Bruce Hart, and rookie Bret Hart. McMahon acquiesced and at a TV taping on January 26, 1987, The British Bulldogs wrestled a match to drop the WWF World Tag Team Championship to The Hart Foundation; the match would air on the February 7 edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling.
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. [3] He made many enemies during his time in the WWF including Brutus Beefcake because he refused an autograph for Betley who was visiting his old student backstage at a 1986 WWF show,[2] The Honky Tonk Man whom Dynamite claimed had made light of injuries suffered by his friend Harley Race,[2] - an account largely corroborated by Hart - and Jacques Rougeau. WRESTLING legend Thomas Billington, known as “The Dynamite Kid”, has died on his 60th birthday.
With his cousin Davey Boy Smith, Billington became best known for being half of the tag team the British Bulldogs. 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.
He was born in Golborne, Lancashire. John Pollock looks at the complicated legacy that Tom "Dynamite Kid" Billington leaves behind following his death on Wednesday at the age of 60. Although somewhat undersized, he possessed a ferocity and determination that earned him the nickname The Dynamite Kid. Dynamite brought his cousin, Davey Boy Smith over to Calgary to work for Stampede. Johnny Smith would end up taking Davey Boy Smith's spot in the World's Strongest Tag Determination League, and the duo (known as the British Bruisers) continued to compete in All-Japan Pro Wrestling.
They also competed in All-Japan Pro Wrestling where they were paid $20,000 each by Giant Baba. 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 himself, however, has claimed that the Rougeau incident was not in fact the final straw that drove him to leave the WWF. Mick Foley tells the story of when Kid and Smith wrestled the team of Les Thornton and a young Mick Foley. [2] Billington announced his retirement on December 6, 1991 due to years of steroid abuse (which included an incident where he used horse steroids), working a high impact style, and cocaine usage.