Bret Hart and Others Pay Tribute To The Dynamite Kid

Though he was only associated with WWE for a relatively brief amount of time, Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington’s talent and roots spanning from his native England to Stu Hart’s Dungeon to Japan made his impact on the wrestling business a large one. As such, reflections on Billington’s passing are coming in from all around the industry. Here are some of the many to hit shortly after the news of his death came out:

 

 

 

 

 

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There are people in life that have a ripple effect both professionally and personally. Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington was one of those people.  The second professional wrestling match of my career was against Dynamite. I benefited from his greatness and through our matches in Stampede, WWE, and everywhere in-between, I became a better wrestler because of him. Dynamite truly was the best wrestler ever, pound-for-pound. Tom was family, my brother-in-law, and we were very close. In many ways I felt like one of the few people who truly knew him, both the good and the bad. I saw Tom one final time this past June in England and I can only hope he is finally at peace. My thoughts are with his children Browyne, Marek, and Amaris, and the entire Billington family.

A post shared by Bret (@brethitmanhart) on Dec 5, 2018 at 4:39pm PST

EXCELLENT WORKER INSIDE THE RING. TOUGH MAN OUTSIDE. GOD BLESS THE DYNAMITE KID pic.twitter.com/WWObV2gKE0

— The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) December 5, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

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He was one of the greatest who ever laced up the boots. He was an huge influence on me since 1986. He once told me to f**k off in a bar in #Winnipeg. And he is true legend and pioneer in our business… #RIPDynamiteKid

A post shared by Chris Jericho (@chrisjerichofozzy) on Dec 5, 2018 at 6:28am PST

I heard news that Tommy Billington also know as the Dynamite Kid has passed away.

Thank you for all the work you’ve done for our country and inspiring so many wrestlers to take a chance on themselves.

RIP Dynamite Kid. pic.twitter.com/yzQ74Swhhz

— ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) December 5, 2018

Damn.. RIP Dynamite Kid #BritishBulldogs pic.twitter.com/8TSgUZ6khD

— PAIGE (@RealPaigeWWE) December 5, 2018

Saddened to hear about the passing of Dynamite Kid. There was a time I watched every Dynamite match I could get my hands on including this tribute video countless times. Despite many attempts of re-creating his magic I would never come close. https://t.co/OzLSl4JCW7 via @YouTube

— Kyle O’Reilly (@KORcombat) December 5, 2018

RIP Dynamite Kid (Tom Billington). One of my first favorites. One of the first to make me realize that amongst the larger than life “wrestling characters” in the 80’s, there were straight up incredibly athletic wrestlers. A true game changer in every sense of the word. God speed.

— Frankie Kazarian (@FrankieKazarian) December 5, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

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Dynamite Kid and Tiger Mask made me want to be in New Japan when I was younger. Even more so than the WWF. My first ever real job in wrestling happened to be New Japan, as soon as i graduated high school and turned 18. To say it was an honor to step into the ring in the company where these two guys built what we know today as “Cruiserweights” is an understatement. I’m very sad to hear that we lost Dynamite 🧨 🙏

A post shared by TJ Perkins (@megatjp) on Dec 5, 2018 at 2:31am PST

The British Bulldogs vs Hart Foundation, to this day, are some of our favorite tag matches to watch.

The Dynamite Kid influenced so many of us who competed in the CWC tournament.

He broke down barriers & the set the bar so high. #RIPDynamiteKid

— Singh Brothers (@SinghBrosWWE) December 5, 2018

The Dynamite Kid was a before his time in ring wrestler
1982 I saw him vs Tiger Mask at @TheGarden & knew he was different#BritishBulldogs were 1 of my favorite tag teams as a kid pic.twitter.com/jX6WyQUxHh

— Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) December 5, 2018