British Bulldogs

:"For the tag-based game, see British Bulldogs (game). as the British Bulldog. For the Bulldogs, Great Britain's national Australian rules football team, see Great Britain (Australian rules football National Team)."

Infobox Wrestling team
article_name= The British Bulldogs
type=T


caption=“The British Bulldogs" Dynamite Kid (left) & Davey Boy Smith
members=Davey Boy Smith The Dynamite Kid
heights=Davey Boy:
height|m=1.80
Dynamite:
height|m=1.73
weights=convert|218|kg|lb st|abbr=on
billed= flagicon|United Kingdom Manchester, England
debut=1983
disbanded=1990
promotions=WWF Stampede NJPW AJPW|

The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid who competed through most of the 1980s in both North America and Japan and is by many considered one of the top tag-teams in history.cite book | author=Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson | title= The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams | publisher=ECW Press | year=2005| id=ISBN 978-1-5502-2683-6]

Career

Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith both began their careers in England, teaming up because of their family relations. The two were soon invited to join Stampede Wrestling by talent scout Bruce Hart. During their time in Stampede, Dynamite and Davey Boy began a heated feud as Dynamite provoked Smith by saying he was a test-tube baby.

The Dynamite / Davey Boy feud would continue in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where they became involved in a three way feud that also involved The Cobra over the NWA Jr. Heavyweight Titlecite book | author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will | title=Wrestling Title Histories | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=4th Edition 2006 | id=ISBN 0-9698161-5-4 ] . After they settled the feud, the two started to team as the British Bulldogs both in NJPW and Stampede wrestling. In 1984, the Bulldogs left NJPW to go to its bitter rival All Japan Pro Wrestling, effectively severing all ties to NJPW to this day.

World Wrestling Federation

In 1984, Vince McMahon bought out Stampede Wrestling (it continued as a WWF affiliate for years to come). The buyout meant that the British Bulldogs joined the World Wrestling Federation along with Smith’s brother-in-law Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart ( The Hart Foundation)cite book | author=Brian Shields | title=Main event – WWE in the raging 80s| publisher=Pocket Books| year=4th Edition 2006 | id=ISBN 978-1-4165-3257-6 ] . Initially the Bulldogs still toured with AJPW, but soon after they became WWF-exclusive.

The British Bulldogs' first and probably most well known feud was with the Hart Foundation, whom they knew well from their Stampede days, and thus was able to produce a series of good matches that helped elevate both teams in the WWF. With "Captain" Lou Albano and Ozzy Osbourne in their corner, the duo won the WWF World Tag-Team titles at WrestleMania 2 , defeating The Dream Team (Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine) .

The Bulldogs continued their feud with the Dream Team and also defended regularly against the former championship team of The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff. In late 1986, Dynamite Kid suffered a serious back injury during a match, forcing him out of the ring for a longer period of time (During this period Davey Boy Smith would defend the titles with various replacement partners.) On January 26, 1987, the British Bulldogs lost the titles to the Hart Foundation in a match that saw Dynamite Kid so debilitated that he was carried to the ring by Davey Boy Smith and did not see much physical action.

After being given time off to recuperate, the Bulldogs returned to the ring to continue their feud with the Hart Foundation and “Evil Referee” Danny Davis (who, in the storyline, cheated to help the Hart Foundation win the title). The teams met at WrestleMania III, where the Bulldogs teamed with Tito Santana to take on the trio.

When the Bulldogs returned, they were given a real, live Bulldog (Matilda) that would accompany them to the ring and even be the center of the Bulldogs' feud with The Islanders when they “dognapped” it (according to the storyline). The Bulldogs left the WWF after the 1988 Survivor Series, quitting the federation after backstage altercations between Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau.

tampede and AJPW

After leaving the WWF, the Bulldogs returned to their old “home” in Stampede and also resumed touring with the AJPW where they had moderate success as a tag team, but it was not as magical seeing these two wrestle there, as years of steroid abuse made them too large and Dynamite Kid’s back injury had made his previously exciting moveset more limited. They had feuds with the Cuban Commandos and the Karachi Vice in Stampede and won the Stampede International Tag-Team titles twice.

In 1990, Davey Boy Smith abruptly withdrew the Bulldogs from AJPW's annual Real World Tag League Tournament by returning to the WWF, and fabricating to the All-Japan office that Dynamite was in a serious car accident and couldn't compete. Since Davey Boy Smith had trademarked the term "British Bulldog" during the Bulldogs' previous run in the WWF, he decided to return to the WWF as 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." As a result of these actions, Dynamite passionately despised Smith for a long time cite book | author=Tom Billington and Alison Coleman | title= Pure Dynamite | publisher= Dynamite Kid Co | year=1999 | id=ISBN 978-0953709700] . Johnny Smith would end up replacing Davey Boy Smith's spot in the Real World Tag League tournament [cite web| url = http://www.puroresufan.com/ajpw/history/rwtl.php | title = AJPW Strongest Tag League Results (1990) | Date = November 15 – December 12 | Year = 1990 | author = Strong Style Wrestling | quote = 9. Dynamite Kid & Johnny Smith [6] ] , and the duo (known as the British Bruisers) continued to compete in All-Japan Pro Wrestling. The duo managed to capture the AJPW All-Asia Tag Team Championships, but the partnership was short-lived; the years of steroid abuse, working a high-impact style and cocaine usage caught up with "the Dynamite Kid" Thomas Billington as he suddenly announced his retirement on December 6, 1991.

Davey Boy Smith died on 18 May 2002, and Dynamite Kid is now confined to a wheelchair.

In wrestling

*Finishing moves:*Powerclean lift and Missile Headbutt (Both):*Fireman's Carry and Super Diving Headbutt (Both):* Diving headbutt (Dynamite):*Running Powerslam (Davey):*Snap Suplex (Dynamite) [Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.83)] :*Superplex (Dynamite)
*Signature moves:*Delayed vertical suplex (Davey):*Snap Clothesline (Dynamite):*Gorilla press (Davey):*Front dropkick (Dynamite):*Shoulder block (Davey):*Hook Clothesline (Dynamite):*Running powerbomb (Davey)
*Managers:*Lou Albano [Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.83)]

Championships and accomplishments

*World Wrestling Federation:*WWF World Tag-Team Championship (1 time)
*Stampede Wrestling:*Stampede International Tag Team Championship (2 times)
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated:*Top 100 Tag-Teams of the “PWI Years” Ranked #5
*Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards:*Best Wrestling Maneuver (1984) Power clean dropkick:*Tag Team of the Year (1985)

Notes

References

*cite book | author = Mick Foley | title = Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks | publisher = HarperCollins | date = 2000 | pages = 768 | isbn = 0061031011