The “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith being Hall of Fame bound is purely speculation as the WWE hasn’t confirmed it as yet.
The news comes from Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer. If true, Smith will be the latest addition to wat appear to be a stacked group heading into the HOF. He’ll join Batista and the nWo, along with other rumored enshrines the Bella Twins and Jushin Thunder Liger during this year’s WrestleMania week.
Should be in already
Fans are mostly in a state of shock as many thought he was already in or that he should’ve already been enshrined, and they’re all correct. As was the case in the WWE rosters through the 1980s and 90s, Smith was a super talented wrestler that won over fans with his in-ring performance and innocent looking smile.
He seemed approachable, likable, and kind and by many reports he was all of those things and more. It helped his reach prominence as one-half of the British Bulldogs tag team in the 1980s. Alongside his cousin, the Dynamite Kid, they started in Stampede wrestling in Canada before moving to the WWE where they were the face tag team for a while, regularly facing heel teams like the Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) and the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff.
They eventually won the WWE Tag Team Championship before Smith broke off on his own to begin a very successful solo career. Always considered the powerhouse of the two, he developed a physique that was among the best in the WWE as he went on to compete in AJPW (All Japan Pro Wrestling), WCW, and WWE, winning numerous titles along the way.
He was the WWE’s inaugural European Champion and held the title for a record 206 days, but his greatest moment is arguably his 1992 Summer Slam match against his brother-in-law, Bret “The Hitman” Hart. In a true classic, he eventually defeated Hart for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Gone too soon
As has been the all-too common event over the years in regards to wrestlers from the 1980s, Davey Boy Smith died May 18, 2002 from a heart attack while vacationing in Invermere, British Columbia. An autopsy revealed previous anabolic steroid use may have played a part in his death, but no specific reason could be found.
Prior to this, he’d been training to resume his wrestling career, appearing in tag team matches with his son, Harry Smith (Davey Boy Smith Jr.), the week before his death.
Two funeral services were held. One by Andrea Redding, the woman he was with when he died, and the other by the Hart family. Bret Hart attended both.
It’s great to see Davey Boy Smith Hall of Fame bound finally; the fact this should’ve been done years ago doesn’t matter if this is legitimate. He made it. With that in mind, this better not be something that’s made up or grasped at for headlines. He deserves so much better.
Now, Christian better be next.
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