“Dynamite Kid” Thomas Billington, Remembered As 1/2 Of Tag Team Champions British Bulldogs, Passes Away At 60! RIP

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“Dynamite Kid” Thomas Billington, Remembered As 1/2 Of Tag Team Champions British Bulldogs, Passes Away At 60! RIP.

WWE reports:

      Dynamite Kid passes away

      WWE is saddened to learn that Thomas Billington, known to his fans as Dynamite Kid, has passed away at age 60.

      Born in Golborne, Lancashire, England, Billington pursued sports-entertainment as a means to avoid a life as a coal miner. Although somewhat undersized, he possessed a ferocity and determination that earned him the nickname The Dynamite Kid.

      As a singles competitor, he made his mark in WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, developing a style that was both technically brilliant and wildly aggressive. It was in Japan, however, where Dynamite Kid set a new standard for junior heavyweight competition in a legendary series of matches against Tiger Mask, which would influence an entire generation of competitors, and help set the stage for brands like WWE’s 205 Live.

      Dynamite Kid joined WWE in 1984 with his cousin, Davey Boy Smith, forming one of the most popular tag teams of their era, The British Bulldogs. Alongside their mascot, an English bulldog named Matilda, the duo battled it out in classic matches against Bret “Hit Man” Hart & Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart of The Hart Foundation, and defeated Greg “The Hammer” Valentine & Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake to win the World Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 2.

      WWE extends its condolences to Billington’s family, friends and fans.

WWE also has a touching photo gallery for the Dynamite Kid here.

On behalf of the IP team, I’d like to offer our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Thomas “Dynamite Kid” Billington.

John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!