British Bulldogs Thread:

[Montague]

Wow.....

Later this week, I may arrange and post a chronological account of some local headlines/new pieces featuring Davey.
Some involve controversy, but quite a few show a good side to the British Bulldog.

[Playboy]

Later this week, I may arrange and post a chronological account of some local headlines/new pieces featuring Davey.
Some involve controversy, but quite a few show a good side to the British Bulldog.

Let me know if you get anymore info in Dynamite Kid too.

[Montague]

The following articles are from the Slam Sports section of www.canoe.com:



Memories of a fateful night haunt Bulldog
July 6, 1997

By RICK BELL -- Calgary Sun 

The sun shines Saturday afternoon and the British Bulldog roars on his Harley to a Stampede barbecue at dad-in-law Stu Hart's place.
Family and friends gather just 24 hours before today's wrestling megashow In Your House, where Davey and the rest of the Hart Foundation grapple with the backstabbing likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

"It would be a great victory, right here in Calgary. It would be like the day I won in court," says Davey Boy.
That day is Feb. 7, 1996, and the British Bulldog walks out of the Calgary courtroom a free man, cleared of a charge of aggravated assault.

The threat of a long stretch behind bars and a career in ruins vanishes as a judge rules the wrestler acted in self-defence on the summer night in `93 when Davey Boy and his wife Diana went to the Back Alley.
"I'm not a thug. I'm not a big bully wrestler who goes around and beats up kids. I do my job in the ring and that's it. I don't go into nightclubs picking fights," the British Bulldog tells me.

"I'm an easygoing guy. If somebody asks me to do something for people like sick children. I never turn them down.
"This whole thing cost me a lot. Somebody saw an opportunity to challenge me and I wouldn't hit him. Six months later they say I assaulted him. But the truth came out. If anyone was assaulted it was me."

Yes, the court finds on that summer night Kody Light verbally harasses Diana and gives Davey Boy a test-of-strength handshake. The wrestler puts Light in a front face lock and takes him over to the bouncer.
When the bent-over Light stands up he falls, cracking his head on the cement floor.

The judge says Davey Boy didn't assault Light. It was Light who assaulted the British Bulldog.
The grappler's mind still holds memories of the call from Stu in Calgary months after the incident telling Davey Boy of the assault charges.

And how the cops surrounded his house in Tampa to pick him up while he was off in England.
And surrendering to police in Calgary.
And the sight of his name, The British Bulldog, dragged through the world's press.

"I'm past it now. I'm bitter in a sense because of the way the law works. Police telling me I'm going to prison before it went to court. You're convicted before you start."
But this day is a happy one. The working class kid from just outside Manchester has come a long way from the days of delivering fruit and vegetables on a bicycle.

"My parents didn't want me walking the streets, smashing windows and wrecking cars. They put me in wrestling school and it paid off."
It sure did. As we talk of today's hoped-for victory, young kids fool around Stu's outdoor wrestling ring, the burgers sizzle, the beer is cold and the sky is clear.

The British Bulldog is home.


source: http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/jul6_bell.html

[Montague]

pt.1


Fan Q & A with The British Bulldog
January 30, 1998



One on one with The Bulldog
It may have taken longer than expected, but SLAM! Wrestling's Greg Oliver finally interviewed The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith over the phone from his Calgary home on January 30, 1998.
Most of the questions were submitted by SLAM! Wrestling readers. Unfortunately, some of the three-week old questions were a little out of date by the time the interview was conducted, as The Bulldog had returned to action on WCW Monday Nitro January 26, beating Steve Mongo McMichael.
Below is the transcript of the 45-minute interview. I've given credit to the readers who sent in questions. As always, we welcome your comments at goliver@canoemail.com.

Q: Did it feel good to get back in the ring Monday night?
A: It felt great. I wasn't really expecting to be in the ring so fast in WCW. But they wanted to put me out there. They wanted me to be out there in the last pay-per-view, the Starrcade one, because Diesel, what's his name, Kevin Nash was hurt. They wanted me to wrestle Scott Hall. But my knee wasn't fully recovered. But I got there on Monday and found out I was working with Steve McMichael. It was good to get back in the ring. But I was a little bit ring rusty. It's like riding a bike, you just never forget right. You just keep going.

Q: How is the knee? [Frank Livyns, Belgium]
A: It's really good, you know. I got four tears fixed in it, but my anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] is still torn in half. They said that if they fixed that, it would take five to six months to heal. I didn't want to take five to six months off. I'd already taken two and half, almost three months off. I'd rather just get back in the ring. It doesn't feel like it's torn but it is. My legs are so strong that it doesn't really bother me.

Q: Are you going to take any precautions, like wearing a knee brace?
A: Yeah, I've got the knee brace still. I'll take some precautions -- wrap my knees, and really warm up before I go into the ring. Stuff like that. Since he fixed the four tears in it, it's been really strong. It feels as strong as it ever felt.

Q: Got a question here wondering how long you're signed for, and whatever details of the contract you can give. [Mike LaValley]
A: I don't really want to disclose the money part of it. I got more money than the WWF and less days.

Q: So how many days of the year would you be working?
A: I would say 180. As opposed to the 280 or whatever it was in the WWF. They had me going every single night. Just mind-boggling how many nights I would wrestle. I would never get a day off.

Q: How long have you signed for?
A: I've signed for three years.

Q: Did you learn anything from having the longer contract before? Did you purposely sign for less?
A: No, the WCW contracts are basically three-year contracts where Vince's [McMahon] were five-year contracts. It's the same old situation where you sign a WWF contract and everything's for them, and nothing's for you. You're locked in, you can't get out. It's always stipulations. Everything's for them, and nothing's for you. You have all these masterminds in the WWF running it, running a sinking ship I should say. That's what I told Vince on the phone. They're wannabes. They thrive on bad taste, shock value, fancy angles, things like that. Vince told me in December before I had the knee surgery that he wanted to go a different route. He wanted to get away from the wrestling and more to entertainment. I don't want to be involved in this sexual stuff and racism. All I've done is be a wrestler. I'm not turning obscene gestures towards the camera, talking about sending your wife over to my house and I'll show her a good hard time. It got to a point where I can't even let my kids watch the show. I told Vince that. I can't let my kids watch the show. Vince came out on TV and said we've going a different route, it's going to go be an adult show. If you don't want your kids watching, then don't let them watch TV. He said that himself right on TV. Shawn [Michaels] comes out on TV and says Davey's hurt his knee or something. He went on TV and forfeited the belt. Supposedly a knee injury that was career ending. They did an MRI on his knee and couldn't find anything wrong with it. They did an MRI on mine and said your knee's shot. I've actually had surgery. I told Vince I didn't appreciate Shawn saying that Davey had supposed knee injury. We all know about supposed knee injuries, because that's what he did when he forfeited the belt. He forfeited the Intercontinental belt too. I've always been business with Vince. In my match in England, they screwed me. The same referee that did my match did Bret's match. [The referee was Earl Hebner.] He rang the bell and gave Shawn the European belt. I don't mind putting someone over. It's just not the way to lose a belt.

Q: Back to the reader questions. What are some of your best gym lifts? [JEFF]
A: On a good day, I can squat five-six hundred pounds. I don't do too much deadlifting because of my back. It's not as strong as it used to be. My whole back. I've got to watch my discs, and that. I've been known to bench-press 525 pounds. 550.

Q: How many hours a day would you work out?
A: I work out two hours a day. Every day.

Q: That's just with weights?
A: Yeah.

Q: What would you do cardio-wise?
A: I do half-an-hour on the stairmaster. I just finished completing my workout video. I've got my own workout video coming out on the market sometime next month.

Q: Well you should tell your company to get in touch with us when it's all prepared and get in touch with us.
A: It's actually prepared now. We're just waiting for them to bring it to my door. I okayed the video. It's called The British Bulldog's Basic Bodybuilding Workout. It's open-close on the Bulldog. It's my private life. It shows my holiday, return, my cars, my house. And Diana's in the video with me too. So it appeals to young kids and women who want to get in shape.

Q: Where's this going to be available?
A: It's going to be available in Canada. We're going to try to get it into Europe. I'm going to try to get it everywhere I can. The women who does the movie show, Kirstie Day, and her husband does the news, Larry Day, they want to enter it in the Houston Film Festival. She thinks it's going to be a really hot seller. I think its one of the first times a wrestler has ever done a workout video. I don't know anyone else who's ever done a workout video.

Q: I've got a question here. How did you meet your wife Diana? [Kes107]
A: I met her when I first came to Calgary in 1981. She saw my picture in the Stampede Wrestling Magazine and she asked who I was. I'd met Bruce [Hart] in 1977 in England when I was training to be a wrestler. Bruce said [to Diana] that I was Dynamite's cousin and was coming over to wrestle for Stampede wrestling. She took my picture out of the magazine and put it in her high school binder. I came over and I met her. She came over the Bret's house and was looking for someone to go to a movie with her and a friend. She was trying to call Owen, and I said I'll go with you. I don't mind. We went to the movie together, and we've been together even since.

Q: How many children do you have?
A: I've got two children. Harry and Georgia.

[Montague]

pt. 2


Q: What do you think about the state of British wrestling, and what do you think could be done to improve it? [gary@infernal.demon.co.uk]
A: It's gone downhill. I was back there in 1993 and I was doing my own little thing with the old promoter I used to wrestle for in '78 to 1980. We ran all over the U.K. We did really well. But it was taken off TV, so people lost interest in it. All tuned in to WWF and WCW. So it's just gone downhill. I'd love to see it come back up. I can see with myself back in WCW, and Bret, all we're missing is Owen, really, to put wrestling back on the map in the United Kingdom. It's a weird place to be and to wrestle. And people are just dying for it. When I wrestled Shawn Michaels in Birmingham, it was sold out in two hours. You just can't give people enough. And England's so big, there's so many places you can run. Right now there's, well I shouldn't say there's no talent there -- there is talent there. It's just not shown on TV, on British TV. For the independent circuit, the British wrestlers, it's a shame because there's some potential there.

Q: What do you miss the most about England? [Inderdeep]
A: I miss my family and all my friends. The fans are really good to me. Especially being born and raised in the United Kingdom, I just missed England period. There's rumors I might buy a house there. Could be a possibility to move my family there.

Q: Is that just a rumor, or are you just trying to float that?
A: No, I'm thinking of it. I just got off the phone with my Mom. She told me there was a house that I really liked for sale. I'm supposed to go and check it out. I might just check it out. My wife and kids, they love England. They'd move there in a heartbeat.

Q: What's your favorite British football team? [Inderdeep]
A: I used to follow Manchester United.

Q: Back to the video a little bit. Following Bret's footsteps, are you considering getting into acting? [Inderdeep]
A: I'd like to. I'm kind of like Bret. You've just got to know the right people and be in the right place at the right time. I'd like to do things. It's not like I'd need a stunt man to take my bumps. I can do it. If someone wants to go through a window, I can go through a window. As long as there's something to land on.

Q: What are some of your favorite pastimes? What do you like to do in your spare time? [Inderdeep]
A: I play video games with my kids. When it's not cold out, I like to ride my Harley. I play around a lot on the computer. I like to play the Flight Simulator games. I've got a real neat computer. I like to learn how to fly planes and helicopters and things like that. Play solitaire.

Q: Do you do much on the Internet?
A: A little bit. Not too familiar with the keyboard. I'm like, aw geez, where's the next letter. But when it comes to video games, that's my favorite.

Q: That completes our more personal section. We're getting into the most wrestling-related questions now. The next bunch are about the end of your WWF run. The next question comes from Charlottetown, PEI. Would you call your break-up with the WWF a clean one? [Mike Gallant, PEI]
A: It was pretty clean. The only thing that left a sour taste in my mouth was that I was straight lied to. Vince looked me straight in the face and just lied to me. He said what's going to happen in Bret and Shawn's match [Survivor Series 1997]. I was going to run down there when Shawn gave the superkick to Bret and I was supposed to pull the referee's leg, and he was supposed to DQ Bret for outside interfere. I was actually waiting in the gorilla position -- what we call the production position -- to run to the ring. All of a sudden I hear Shawn's music, and I wonder what's going on. And Bruce Pritchard [a WWF honcho, formerly Brother Love] took his headset off and threw it down. I thought, something's wrong here. They didn't show it on TV, but I walked down to ring and I talked to Bret and asked what was going on, that wasn't the finish I was given. And Bret said 'They screwed me.' I said, 'Did they really screw you? Don't play mind games with me. This is serious. They're playing with someone's life, career here.' He said, 'No, they screwed me.' I just couldn't believe it. So he'd been screwed and I'd been lied to. And Owen. We were both standing behind the curtain ready to run down.

Q: What will you miss the most about the WWF and who were some of your friends there? [Topper Lee]
A: They were all basically my friends, all the wrestlers. I don't think that I'll really miss that much. It was good to be, but it's not good to be lied to. If they're going to do that to Bret, then what are they going to do to me? They had already done it to me in England, which I accepted. But when they did that to Bret, I said this is going way too far. There's no telling what they're going to do the next night on RAW. That's when I went back to the dressing room to talk to Bret. When I got to the dressing room, I saw Vince coming. I said 'Bret, Vince is coming.' He said to tell him not to come in. So I told Vince not to go in there. 'He doesn't want to talk to you, to see you right now.' He said that he wanted to address the matter. Bret was taking a shower. He came out of the shower. Bret said 'If you're still here when I put my clothes on, I'm going to punch you out.' He called Vince a bunch of names, and some of the office guys told us to leave, everyone else to leave. I got up to leave, and Owen got up to leave. And I said to Owen, 'don't leave Bret here by himself. He doesn't know what's going to happen.' So we sat back down. Bret finished getting dressed, and then went over and just punched Vince. Knocked him out with one punch. Then Shane [McMahon, Vince's son] jumped on Bret's back and I pulled him off. And then after Bret a few more times, Vince grabbed him around the waist and I pulled Bret off. I kind of twisted my knee. I said 'enough's enough.' I didn't want Bret to do any serious -- I shouldn't say serious damage, it was kind of too late for that. He was already knocked out. I thought enough was enough.

[Montague]

pt. 3


Q: How do you feel about Owen staying there? [Jaime Cole, Barbara]
A: Vince is just keeping him there in spite of Bret. When I talked to Vince in November-December before my surgery I told him that I didn't want to be a part of these obscene gestures and stuff like that. He said that he's going a totally different way, and I said that I didn't like the way he was going. He said, 'You sound like you're bitter.' And I said that I am. He said, 'well maybe you should find yourself a new job.' And I couldn't believe that he'd say that to me. And I said, 'Really?' And he said 'Yep'. So then I called my lawyer, and he called WCW. Within 20 minutes I was hired. My lawyer called up Vince. Jim Ross and Vince's attorney told him that Davey's got a full release. And the next day, they denied saying it. They said 'we never said that. If he wants out of his contract, he'll have to pay a fine of $150,000.' I said to my lawyer, 'I can't believe that. I'm the one that saved Vince. I pulled Bret off Vince. And I'm getting fined?' How the hell can you fine me $150,000? For what? What have I done wrong? Vince said, 'that's the way it's going to be, pal.' I said, 'that's a rotten way to treat me after all the service I've given you.'

Q: What was your take on the USA Vs Canada feud you were involved with in the Hart Foundation? [Brian Gilbert]
A: "I didn't really mind the feud. That was allright. I didn't really like going out there and putting the USA fans down. They paid their money to see us wrestle. You can't really get on the microphone and insult the fans of the United States of America. That's what kind of put a bad taste in my mouth, too. I felt very uncomfortable saying some of the things that I was told to say, doing some of the things I was told to do. Like planting someone in the audience with an American flag, and having to pull the American flag out of the guy's hand and break it in half. I didn't really want to do that. The feud itself -- there was a lot of money-making involved in it for Vince. I think that Bret, myself, the whole Hart Foundation was so strong that when we went to the States we were just selling out no matter what. When we came to Canada, the fans would just cheer the hell out of us. Some the wrestlers from the States, they didn't like that, but that's just the way things go. The fans would cheer me or Owen and boo other wrestlers. They couldn't handle it. We'd say, well this is what we have to go through in the States. It's a turnabout.

Q: That leads to a logical question that everyone wants to know. Will the Hart Foundation be re-united in WCW? [Johnny G., Queen's, NY]
A: One of my stipulations in my contract was that we couldn't use the name. The only way that I could get my release and sign an agreement was that we couldn't use the name Hart Foundation. Or any similarities at all to the Hart Foundation. I told my lawyers, 'I'm not the Hart Foundation. I'm the British Bulldog. What's that got to do with anything?' That was just a matter of Vince holding on to me. Him thinking 'what else can I do to hold him back from appearing in the WCW ring? Let me think of something. Well, he can't be a part of the Hart Foundation. You can't wear the jackets. You can't tag up with Bret.' It's like, fuck off. Gimme a break here. We're the ones who came up with the whole Foundation. We're all together. We're all brothers or brothers-in-law. It's like breaking up a family. You just can't do that.

Q: We've got a question that leads from that. Do you think that any member of the Hart Foundation will ever go into the WWF Hall of Fame? [anita]
A: I don't think so. Not after what happened at the Survivor Series.

Q: There's one question here. It hurts to say, but Jim Neidhart is, and has been for a while, a high-profile jobber. How do you feel about that, and will that ever happen to you? [Dustin Diaz]
A: I don't know what to say about that. Jim's had a good run in the WWF. Then they let him go, and I got him hired in WCW in 1993. He kind of overpriced himself when he went in 1993. And so they didn't really want to touch him. I don't think that they'd do that to me, on the basis that if they want to run England, or run Europe, it would be silly to do that to me. To sign me up for three years, they will use me to the best of my abilities to draw them money in Europe.

Q: Have you discussed with WCW any plans for a British/European tour? [Ryan Gray]
A: Yeah, they're working on Europe right now. And they're working on Canada. They're getting the TVs [shows] all on good stations. So hopefully they'll do good.

Q: More questions about allegiances here. Before you were in WCW, you were with Lex Luger as the Allied Powers. Do you see that re-uniting? [Greg]
A: We could possibly tag up. I've still got my jacket, even though Vince gave me a contract, wanting me to sign it saying that he owns all the rights to the name Allied Powers. I never did sign it. They day that we were supposed to sign it was the day that Lex left for the WCW. So I never did sign the contract saying that I'd give the name to Vince. I've still got the jacket upstairs. I think that I've worn it one time.

Q: Would you consider teaming up with fellow Brits like Chris Adams or Steve Regal? [Clifford D. Pine]
A: Yeah. There's a lot of potential there. There's Steve Regal. There's Fit Finley, who I've known for a very long time. There's always potential to get together. The more the merrier, I guess. There's strength in numbers.

[Montague]

pt. 4


Q: Even the Canadian contingent is there. There was Benoit and Jericho last night [Thursday Thunder]. It was nice to see.
A: Yeah, I was just traveling with Chris [Benoit] last week. We drove because I had not seen Chris in a few years. It was nice to travel with him again and talk to him. WCW's expanded so much. When I was there, it was go to the Centre Stage [where WCW used to tape] and try to give tickets away to people to get them to come into the arena. Things like that. We couldn't even fill that. Now it's like, this is really weird, you know. It's just packed. These big arenas, and you go backstage and you've got all the talent people and agents. It's almost like the WWF, the way it was in the early 80s. That's what I see WCW as -- what wrestling used to be like in the early 80s. And Hogan was nice to me. And Savage was nice to me. Everyone was nice to me.

Q: In your past WCW tenure, you shared a main event with Sting. What are your memories of that, and where do you see yourself fitting in to WCW? [Meladdin1]
A: I have good memories of tagging with Sting. We laughed about some of the things, some of the Clashes, some of the photo shoots we did in England. Where you had the guy blow up the boat, and I saved Sting. It was a kind of mini-movie thing. We just laughed at how horrible it was. It was a mistake. He asked, 'you remember when we did this?' And I said 'yeah. That was the worst thing I ever did.' 'Yeah, that was the worst thing I did too.' We just laughed about it.

Q: Do you see yourself on par with Sting, who is by far the biggest thing they have going at the moment? Where do you fit in the scheme of things?
A: I think I'll slowly but surely fit in somewhere. I don't know where right now. I talked to Bret the beginning of this week, he said he was in Boston tomorrow night [January 31] then they're taking him off TV for three or four weeks. I don't know if they don't know what to do with him, or if they're planning something big or what. There's so many guys right now in WCW that are under contract that they don't know what to do with them. So I'm just sitting back waiting for my opportunity, my chance to get in there and do something. I don't want to rush into it.

Q: Do you think there's too many people in WCW?
A: There is a lot of guys, but I think there's enough guys that they could run, if they wanted to, two or three shows a night in different cities. You could have Sting in one place in the main event, Bret in another place and event.

Q: But if you all have contracts that say you can only wrestle 150 to 200 dates, doesn't that make the planning a lot harder?
A: I don't really know. That's a hard one. I'm not the one that's planning it. They're the ones that are planning it. If they want me to wrestle more than that, then I guess I'll wrestle more than that. They came up with the number of days, I didn't. If they want me to wrestle three or four times a week, I'll do it. I'm used to it. It's not going to turn me off any. But again, it's a lot easier than WWF. It's a lot easier on my body. I'm not taking all these bangs, getting hit by chairs, being physically damaged. I think being in the WCW, you can look at it and go, this schedule I'm doing, I could do this for another ten years. Whereas in the WWF, you go, the schedule I'm doing here, I could get hurt tomorrow night. You just don't know.

Q: I've got a question that leads well from that. If you were to retire tomorrow, who would you like your last match to be against? [Dr. Placid Lasrado]
A: I would say Bret. I could say Hogan, because I've never wrestled Hogan. I'd love to go over to Europe and wrestle Hogan.

Q: Interesting answer. I hadn't considered that you'd never wrestled Hogan.
A: No, I've never, never wrestled him. If he was the world's champion, I like to go over to England. Bulldog Vs Hollywood Hulk Hogan. People have never seen that. I'd be interesting to see.

Q: The next bunch of questions deal with the past. When did you first start wrestling pro? [Rob Taylor, Niagara Falls, ON]
A: I started when I was 15. I started training when I was 12, and turned pro when I was 15. So I've been around for a number of years.

Q: Who trained you?
A: Ted Betley.

Q: Obvious question here. Do you still keep in touch with the Dynamite Kid? [Caetano Pereira]
A: I haven't spoken to him in a number of years.

Q: Do you know his status? What's going on with him these days?
A: He has a job in England. Just a regular job. His back's bad. My Mom sees him more than I do. His Mom and my Mom live practically next door to each other. He's just got a regular job.

Q: So we'll probably never see him in the wrestling ring again? [Caetano Pereira]
A: He went to Japan a couple months ago, last month, or something like that. And he broke his foot, or something like that. That's what I was told. I don't know how true that is. That's what my Mom said. That's the first I'd heard of it.

Q: How as your childhood growing up? Any bullies or family problems or were you fairly normal? [Bean62]
A: Normal. No bullies. Never really had a problem in the dressing room, with any of the wrestlers. I'm a pretty happy, go-lucky guy. I don't look for trouble. I don't want trouble.

Q: In the past, you never really got much shot at the WWF World Title, despite being a main eventer. Do you regret that, or is that something that you thought would have eventually happened? [creasy]
A: I thought that it eventually would have happened. When Bret had the belt, I worked with him a few times overseas and in the States. We always had good matches. Yeah, I regret not having title matches.

Q: Bret, in his interview with us, called his match against you at Wembley the best match he ever did. What are your thoughts on that match?
A: That was the best match I ever had.

Q: What are your favorite memories from Stampede? [Chris Brady]
A: Oh, god. Stampede wrestling was probably some of the happiest days of my life. Really. We did lots of driving no matter what the weather conditions were like. Twelve guys in a van and just set off to Vancouver or Regina every Tuesday or Lethbridge. There were funny jokes played on all of the wrestlers. I was living with Bret at the time. I used to live with Bret in a little house in Calgary. I was going out with Diana. I was just really happy. It was a really good territory to be in. It was really booming at that time. In the early eighties, no matter where you went, Edmonton or Lethbridge, Red Deer or Calgary, it was sold out no matter what. I was just glad that they gave me the opportunity to come over and wrestle for them.

[Montague]

pt. 5  


Q: What are your thoughts on Bruce Hart's attempts to be the area started again?
A: I think it's good that he gets something going. He's really bored with his time and his brother Ross's. When they can be doing something. They've got some investors and they're trying to get wrestling established in Calgary once again because WWF comes once or twice a year. I don't think WCW has ever been here. There's a lot of fans out there who want to watch wrestling. They'll want to come down to see it. It's just a matter of Bruce and Ross getting the right talent to come down at wrestle for them. We've heard that they've already got TV time and Ed Whalen's going to be doing commentary again. I heard it's going to be just like the old Stampede wrestling days. That's what they're aiming for anyways. It's always good when you've got competition out there, I always say.

Q: This may be a simple one to answer. Was the sexual harassment accusation of Shawn Michaels by Diana legitimate or just another attempt by the WWF to get ratings? [JEFF]
A: It was just an attempt by the WWF to get ratings.

Q: Your feelings on that?
A: I didn't mind it at first. I'm working the main event, and this and that. But it was Jim Cornette's idea, and Bruce Pritchard's. They took it one step, and then tried to take it one further and I just put the brakes on it and said no. You've got to stop doing this now. You're not dealing with someone out of the crowd now, you're dealing with my wife. I'm not standing for it. There was the thing with Brian Pillman. You know, he's passed away, just leave him alone. Don't have his wife and family on TV and keep plugging it on TV. They'll do anything for ratings. It's unbelievable.

Q: What are your thoughts on Brian's passing away?
A: I was really sad because I was traveling with Brian. He roomed with me, we drove together. I was supposed to meet him that same day. I flew in to Minneapolis and saw Bret and Owen and Jim Neidhart at the airport in Minneapolis and they were going to the show in Minneapolis. I'd just come off a knee injury again and Owen said 'come to the arena and chat with the boys.' And I said that I didn't want to go, but everyone was trying to get me to go to the arena. I said I was going to go to St. Louis, check in, and get a good night's sleep. Get ready for the pay-per-view. I've got to meet Brian there. I got to the hotel and asked if he had checked in. They said, no he's not checked in. I thought, that's real weird, he's not checked in. The next day, about 4 o'clock that afternoon, that's when I found out. I just couldn't believe it.

Q: Who was a tougher opponent, Bret or Owen and why? [TheLouje]
A: That's really hard. Bret's a good technical wrestler, one of the best. Owen's a good technical wrestler. Owen's a little sneakier than Bret, more mischievous than Bret. I would say Bret's tougher. Just when you think you've got him beat, he turns your move. It's like playing a game of chess. You get so frustrated with Bret. Another great match was with Owen in Germany for the European title. Thirty-five minutes of non-stop, packed action. That's what I'm known for. That's what I do. That's what I do best. That's all I've done for 20 years. And for someone to turn around and say to me, we don't want you to wrestle like that anymore, we want to go this way, that's like ... I don't want to do that.

Q: On the topic of the European title, what are your thoughts on it being defended almost exclusively in the U.S.? It's not a European title anymore.
A: No it's not. When they took it off me, it didn't mean anything. Then the way Hunter won it ... When you had seen Owen and I go at it for 30 minutes in Germany, giving a non-stop wrestling action match. Then to see Shawn and Hunter lock-up, and hit the ropes and splashing, and covering. It's like ahhhh ... After the match I had with Shawn in Birmingham, it just degraded the belt like poof. It doesn't mean anything. Like the tag team belts don't mean anything any more in the WWF. It's switched back and forth so many times it doesn't mean a thing.

Q: What has been your most memorable moment in your career? [Dr. Placid Lasrado]
A: I would say, again, Wembley Stadium. That was the biggest of events. My most nervous event. I'd come back from staph infection of my knee. Not wrestling for six weeks, and then going into the ring with Bret for 40-45 minutes in front of 83,000 people. Wow. Having Lennox Lewis carry my flag out to the ring.

Q: He's Canadian too.
A: Yeah, I know.

Q: He's from Kitchener [Ontario], where I grew up. One of the heroes around town.
A: It's weird, I think he tries to have a London accent.

Q: It think that's the word - tries.
A: It think that was his downfall. They tried to put him over in England. When he stepped into the ring with me in Wembley Stadium, he couldn't believe it. He was just totally shocked. He just couldn't believe a wrestling could pull in as many people as we did. He tried to do the same thing with Frank Bruno where he did that thing in Cardiff, or somewhere like that, in the outdoor arena. He wasn't the same. He tried to it. In England, he tried to portray himself almost as me, I think. With interviews, and commercials and things like that, drinking the tea. When they found out he was born and raised in Canada, it was like 'you're not really English.' These people are not stupid. You're either from there or you're not. When I went over there for the first time for the WWF, they quizzed me up and down. They swore blind that I wasn't British. It's like, where do you think I'm from? They thought I was acting like a Britishman. Newspapers came down to my house, and I had to take them to my house, to my school, introduce them to the people who taught me in school and everything to prove. Show them my passport, birth certificate and everything. Because if they found out you're not really from England ... His [Lewis'] parents are British, but he was born in Canada. They just bury you.

Q: That leads right into the last couple of questions. Can you ask Dave Smith about his time at Golborne Comprehensive School. This is from someone named Simon Swzandt.
A: [Laughs] Yeah, that's where I went to school!

Q: Yeah, he apparently knows that. So he asks what your days were like at school there? [Simon Swzandt]
A: They were good. I was still going to that school when I started wrestling. The headmaster had come up to me and said you've got to go home. Your Mom called. That's when the promoter called saying some wrestler's sick and you've got to be Brighton tonight. We're going to need you there. I was like, oh my god. So I had to leave school at noon that day. Then one day, on Saturday afternoon, they put me on TV with Big Daddy against Nick McManus and Steve Logan. That's when the whole country saw me on TV. I had my headmaster come up to me and say, 'that's what you're doing. You're wrestling on the side.'

[Montague]

pt. 6


Q: So how did your life change from there? Were you recognized everywhere?
A: Oh yeah. All the kids at school -- 'we saw you on TV on Saturday's wrestling'. It brought me out in a new light, because I had kept it really secret. No one knew what I was doing, that I was training to be a wrestler. All of a sudden, I couldn't keep it a secret anymore because I was on World of Sport on ITV on a Saturday afternoon when everyone's watching it. It's like, 'young David from Golborne'. 'Oh my god, he's on TV! We didn't know he did that.'

Q: There's a question from the same guy. Do you still go to the Queen Anne? [Simon Swzandt]
A: Oh my god, this guy must live next door to me.

Q: What is the Queen Anne?
A: It's my local pub. When I go home, I go there every night.

Q: How often would you get home? [Simon Swzandt]
A: I like to get home as often as I can really. If I'd known I was going to be off this long, I'd have gone home for a week or two. But you never know when someone's going to call and say we need you right now. So I was kind of on hold. Then I got sick after my surgery. I got staph infection in both of my legs. Both my legs went completely black. That was pretty scary because no one knew what was wrong. I couldn't eat. I was just throwing up constantly. One of my nephews died from the same disease. So I went to one hospital and the doctor said get off anything you're taking, off antibiotics. You might be having a allergic reaction. So I did and I got even sicker. So my brother-in-law came over, he saw my legs. This is the same guy who's son died. [Editor's note: Matthew, the son of Georgia Hart and B.J. Annis died in July 1996] He took me to the same doctor that took care of his son. He said to me that I've got a staph infection in both of your legs. You've got to get on antibiotics right away. So as soon as I started taking them, then I got better. It was pretty scary, especially after going through a surgery and being so healthy. And I was under a lot of stress too. I think that's what caused the too, a lot of stress. This crap with Vince. Fining me $150,000, things like that. Going through a lot mental stress. Not knowing what I was going to do next, not knowing where I was going to be. My wife was under a lot of stress because everything was so tense.

Q: Got two more questions here. Who was your favorite tag team partner? [Kathy Elsi]
A: The Dynamite Kid.

Q: What ever happened to Matilda? [Roger Brown]
A: She passed away a couple of years ago.

Q: Now who's dog was that?
A: That was my dog.

Q: Would you like to say any final things to your fans?
A: Just keep watching The British Bulldog. I'll get my break in the WCW. I'll bring wrestling back to TV where it should be [in Britain], not some freak show.

Q: Thanks for your time.
A: You're welcome.


source: http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBritishBulldog/bulldog_interview.html

[Montague]

Bulldog on the shelf
December 2, 1998



By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling  
Davey Boy Smith wants to set the record straight.

He's still employed by WCW, but is off on disability with full insurance coverage, but at only a third of his pay.

"My back's screwed up pretty bad," said the British Bulldog from his Calgary home. The cold weather "really screws" with his back and he is getting sick of needles. His wife, Diana, takes care of him.

The British Bulldog was injured in a match against Alex Wright and Disco Inferno when he was slammed onto the elevated trap door in the WCW ring set up for Ultimate Warrior appearances. Smith said that he didn't even know the trap door was there until he was dropped onto it.

Contrary to internet scuttlebut, he isn't bound for the WWF.
"I've not been in contact with them at all," he said.
And when asked if he was going to be the Blue Blazer, he laughed hard.

He's happy with the work schedule with WCW -- "I'm getting more money with WCW, working four or five days a month ... it's simple mathematics" but not with everything in the company.

The cut in pay while on injury leave upsets him as does the release of brother-in-law Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart.
"I don't know why [they let Neidhart go]," he said, then reconsidered. "Well, I know why, but they weren't big reasons."

A few missed shows were part of the problem, but the Bulldog knows that Neidhart's career was hitched to his own, and with him on the shelf, there wasn't much incentive to keep The Anvil.

The British Bulldog Workout video appears poised to finally hit the shelves soon, after being in the can for over a year.
He approached WCW President Eric Bischoff about marketing and selling the tape, but that didn't pan out. Now, it appears that Blockbuster Entertainment will get the tape to market.

The bad back is preventing the him from working out in the gym, and that too is frustrating the fitness fanatic.
"That's what has been pissing me off too," he said. Doctors speculate that it could be anywhere from four to six months before he can resume an active lifestyle.

Davey Boy Smith knows that there is a possibility that his wrestling career may be over, but isn't ready to give in yet, even if it means facing more doctors with more needles.

He will likely get involved with the Cambridge, Ontario-based ICW as an investor, but not as a wrestler. A chain of gyms has also been talked about.


source: http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/dec3_bulldog.html

[Playboy]

Bulldog on the shelf
December 2, 1998



By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling  
Davey Boy Smith wants to set the record straight.

He's still employed by WCW, but is off on disability with full insurance coverage, but at only a third of his pay.

"My back's screwed up pretty bad," said the British Bulldog from his Calgary home. The cold weather "really screws" with his back and he is getting sick of needles. His wife, Diana, takes care of him.

The British Bulldog was injured in a match against Alex Wright and Disco Infernowhen he was slammed onto the elevated trap door in the WCW ring set up for Ultimate Warrior appearances. Smith said that he didn't even know the trap door was there until he was dropped onto it.

Contrary to internet scuttlebut, he isn't bound for the WWF.
"I've not been in contact with them at all," he said.
And when asked if he was going to be the Blue Blazer, he laughed hard.

He's happy with the work schedule with WCW -- "I'm getting more money with WCW, working four or five days a month ... it's simple mathematics" but not with everything in the company.

The cut in pay while on injury leave upsets him as does the release of brother-in-law Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart.
"I don't know why [they let Neidhart go]," he said, then reconsidered. "Well, I know why, but they weren't big reasons."

A few missed shows were part of the problem, but the Bulldog knows that Neidhart's career was hitched to his own, and with him on the shelf, there wasn't much incentive to keep The Anvil.

The British Bulldog Workout video appears poised to finally hit the shelves soon, after being in the can for over a year.
He approached WCW President Eric Bischoff about marketing and selling the tape, but that didn't pan out. Now, it appears that Blockbuster Entertainment will get the tape to market.

The bad back is preventing the him from working out in the gym, and that too is frustrating the fitness fanatic.
"That's what has been pissing me off too," he said. Doctors speculate that it could be anywhere from four to six months before he can resume an active lifestyle.

Davey Boy Smith knows that there is a possibility that his wrestling career may be over, but isn't ready to give in yet, even if it means facing more doctors with more needles.

He will likely get involved with the Cambridge, Ontario-based ICW as an investor, but not as a wrestler. A chain of gyms has also been talked about.


source: http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/dec3_bulldog.html

A guy with talent like the bulldogs wrestling these idiots.....wow....way to go WCW creative suit and ties.....

[Montague]

Let me know if you get anymore info in Dynamite Kid too.

Do you want current news or archival stuff?

He keeps a pretty low profile these days.

[Playboy]

Do you want current news or archival stuff?

He keeps a pretty low profile these days.

Sorry for the delayed reply...I just read all the Davey Boy Smith Q/A stuff. Very interesting. Do they have the same sort of thing for Dynamite? Also, I read in the above interview with Davey that Billington had a job in England. What could he be possibly doing if he's in a wheelchair?

Very good find on that Davey stuff, Monty. 

[Montague]

Sorry for the delayed reply...I just read all the Davey Boy Smith Q/A stuff. Very interesting. Do they have the same sort of thing for Dynamite? Also, I read in the above interview with Davey that Billington had a job in England. What could he be possibly doing if he's in a wheelchair?

Very good find on that Davey stuff, Monty.  

I'll do some digging later on today, but I've got a lot more I can post on Davey.

The last I'd heard, Dyno was working on former wrestler John Naylor's farm.
Now, that was more than 10 years ago, and I'm not even sure what the extent of that "work" encompassed.

Being a UK born citizen and living there now, I would imagine he's able to collect some type of disability compensation, or possibly does/can do some type of job(s) through their DPW...I don't know if that's contingent on settling prior tax debts, nor do I know if Billington owed or settled any UK tax debts.
I believe Bret claimed Tom owed a ton of Canadian back taxes before leaving in the early 90's, but I don't know whatever became of that, either.


I should call him up later and ask!
 

[Playboy]

I'll do some digging later on today, but I've got a lot more I can post on Davey.

The last I'd heard, Dyno was working on former wrestler John Naylor's farm.
Now, that was more than 10 years ago, and I'm not even sure what the extent of that "work" encompassed.

Being a UK born citizen and living there now, I would imagine he's able to collect some type of disability compensation, or possibly does/can do some type of job(s) through their DPW...I don't know if that's contingent on settling prior tax debts, nor do I know if Billington owed or settled any UK tax debts.
I believe Bret claimed Tom owed a ton of Canadian back taxes before leaving in the early 90's, but I don't know whatever became of that, either.


I should call him up later and ask!
 

Very very interesting stuff.

Taxes are a whore anywhere in the world. Everytime I get my pay stub at work and I examine it, I cringe at what they take off.

[Montague]

Davey Boy feared he was dying
March 24, 1999



By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun

In the midst of a year full of personal tragedies, Calgary wrestler Davey Boy Smith was convinced he'd finally met an opponent he couldn't beat -- cancer.

Dealing with undiagnosed back and abdominal pain that put a hold on his wrestling career and caused him to lose 40 lb., the British Bulldog figured he was about to meet the same fate as his younger sister and mother did a few months earlier.

"I thought my life was over and I was going to die," said Smith, 36, whose sister Tracy lost a battle with cancer Nov. 7, just 12 weeks before the disease claimed his mother.
"I was a nervous wreck," he said.

"After seeing several specialists who weren't able to figure out what was causing the pain, they thought maybe it was a cancerous tumour.
"Knowing the history of cancer in my family, I thought I had cancer of the stomach."

With his head spinning, Smith spent four agonizing days awaiting the test results which would heavily impact the rest of his life.
"I kept thinking about my mom and sister and what they went through," said Smith, whose chiropractor started the battery of tests that ultimately determined his ailments weren't cancerous growths.

"I'm still in pain and they still don't know what's wrong with my back, but I'm just glad it's not what I thought it was."

Following a powerslam on a steel trap door that injured his back and knocked him from the World Championship Wrestling circuit six months ago, doctors have finally narrowed down the root of his pain.

"It's either two discs in my upper back that are smashed against the nerve, or it's an infection," said Smith, whose horrible year was made worse when his 13-year-old son, aspiring young wrestler Harry, had a steel plate inserted in his right arm to repair a broken humerus.

"If it's an infection they can give me antibiotics.
"If it's smashed discs, they'll want to operate which I won't let them do."

Despite the fact Smith compares his excruciating back pain to being stabbed with a knife, he vows to return to the ring.
The 240 lb. Smith has regained 20 lb. and wants to dispel any notion that he has retired.

He still has plans to return to the WCW, where he hopes to wrestle alongside brother-in-law and former partner Bret Hart.
"It's been a really bad year, but I'll be back -- hopefully at the end of April," said Smith who credits his wife, Diana, a former Mrs. Calgary, for helping him through it all.

"I can't stay out another six or eight months. It'll drive me crazy," he said.
"I'm going to come back bigger and better than ever."

Smith was hoping to make his return to the ring April 2 at the Stampede Pavilion when his brother-in-laws Bruce and Ross re-introduce Stampede Wrestling to the city.
However, doctors won't allow it, forcing him to settle for a role as one of the event's TV commentators.


source: http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBritishBulldog/bulldog_99mar24.html

[Montague]

Wrestlezone.com contributor Ken Napzok wrote & submitted this rather touching tribute to Davey Boy Smith on the anniversary of his passing:

The British Bulldog

           
On May 18th, 2002, the pro wrestling world lost Davey Boy Smith. His family, of course, lost way more than we can measure. Hard to believe it’s been nine years. While Rowdy Roddy Piper, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart were, and remain some of my all-time favorites, a special place in my book always remains for Davey Boy Smith.

            I always loved Piper, but my true appreciation of the Hot Rod came a little later on when I got older and began to soak in the performance side of the sport. I rooted for Michaels from the very moment he put Marty Jannetty’s face through the Barbershop’s gimmicked window, but before that I honestly had trouble remembering which Rocker was which. And while I screamed at Vince through my TV set with Bret was screwed in Montreal, the big confession was I didn’t think he would make it on his own when The Hart Foundation broke up. Before they became my favorites, I was a little kid who proudly called “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith my favorite wrestler.

            It was my early obsession with The Beatles and childhood interest in England that first lead me to the Union Jack-sporting British Bulldogs circa 1986, but it was the dazzling moves of Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith that kept my interest. At the time, they stood apart in the clothesline and legdrop landscape of professional wrestling. They were dazzling and different. Fast beyond comprehension. When The Islanders stole Matilda, I was furious... and therefore hooked on wrestling.

            The Bulldogs disappeared. (Remember this was pre-Internet. I had no idea Dynamite Kid has backstage heat with the Rougeaus or that they were back in Stampede Wrestling as well as tearing up Japan.) So did my weekly routine of watching wrestling. I was growing up, entering Junior High, and discovering “adult” things like baseball and science homework. Wrestling looked to be a thing of my past. Then, one fateful day, a good friend of mine named Gavin told me that this new guy had shown up in the WWF. His name was The British Bulldog. Just like that I was back on my living room floor the following Saturday watching WWF Superstars. I had to see if this “new” guy had anything to do with my old favorites. I was overjoyed when “Rule, Britannia” hit and out came Davey Boy Smith. He was bigger than I remembered, and I remained innocently and blissfully unaware as to why. He had long dreds now, no mascot, and the announcers rarely called him Davey Boy. But it was the same guy I had rooted for.

            For a short time in 1992, it could be argued that Davey Boy Smith was the most over face in the WWE and 80,000 plus in attendance at Wembley Stadium for SummerSlam ‘92 would agree. That card’s Bret Hart versus Bulldog main event remains my personal all-time favorite. I was prepared for a long Intercontinental Title reign, but it wasn’t to be. He dropped the belt Shawn Michaels by November and was soon gone for reasons I didn’t know at the time. Sometimes I wish I never did find out.

            I tried watching him in WCW, but he was playing volleyball with Sting and pirate midgets were blowing up their speedboats. Then I had to endure The Bulldog standing next to someone called The Shockmaster and I turned off my TV, never really watching WCW again.

            To my utter most excitement Davey Boy returned to the WWF at the 1994 SummerSlam as part of the Bret versus Owen family feud. By then my appreciation and support for other wrestlers had grown and Davey Boy was just “one” of my favorites. But it was a great time to be a card carrying member of the Bulldog Fanclub. His 1994-1997 run was probably his most successful period with many great moments, title runs, and main event spots. I missed most of the Attitude Era, which means I missed the tragic end. I heard about Davey Boy’s death through a news clip. While I can never, ever feel the loss of Davey Boy with the great weight felt by family and friends, his death struck a particularly painful chord in me as it was a chord directly tied to my childhood. When I think of Davey Boy Smith, I think of watching wrestling with wide eyed innocence and wonder.

            When you look back to the 1980’s and the explosion of pro wrestling, there are bigger names and personalities than Davey Boy that jump out at you. Most of these names get the “influential” status and rightfully so. It would be a gross oversight, though, to not include Davey Boy Smith in that category. He was a key part of a new style of wrestling that paved the way for the awe inspiring moves and moments of the present day. God Save the Queen and may God forever bless Davey Boy Smith.



credit: http://www.wrestlezone.com/editorials/article/the-british-bulldog-over-the-pay-per-view-limit-more-130091

[Playboy]

These are really good articles. Nice find. 

[Montague]

These are really good articles. Nice find. 

Thank you.

[Montague]

Spinal infection sidelines Davey Boy
April 2, 1999


By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun

Calgary wrestler Davey Boy Smith has been hospitalized in a fight against an undiagnosed spinal infection doctors say will inflict intense pain on his body.

Smith was admitted to the Rockyview Wednesday after tests determined a lump on his back was a bone infection requiring aggressive antibiotics and rest.

"Although it feels like there's a Rambo knife in my back, they tell me I haven't even started feeling the real pain yet -- it's not something I'm looking forward to," said a sedated Smith, 36, with his wife Diana by his side.

"The infection is going through my body right now and the doctor told me I'm in for the long haul. I'm scared because if this infection gets into my spinal column, well, the doctors said they didn't even want to talk about what that would mean."

Smith's family physician, Dr. Ronald Lim, suspects Smith is suffering from a staph infection in his spine, although test results aren't in yet. Lim says the infection isn't life-threatening but could keep him in hospital for at least six weeks.

"He'll feel a lot of pain -- I don't doubt that," said Lim.

"The worst is definitely not yet over but he's getting the proper treatment."

Smith saw two other specialists yesterday who determined his initial antibiotic treatment wasn't working and increased its strength.

"Right now I don't know about surgery -- we'll have to wait and see his response and won't know for a couple of weeks," said Lim.

"It's too early to say if it could threaten his career, but it's safe to say he'll be out four months at the very least."

Smith, known worldwide as the British Bulldog, was sidelined from the World Championship Wrestling circuit following a powerslam on a steel trap door that injured his back six months ago.

Smith's hopes of returning to the ring as early as next month came crashing down Wednesday when his thoughts turned to simply being able to walk.

"Everything has been put on hold with this," said Smith, who hoped to be a commentator at tonight's return of Stampede Wrestling at the Pavilion.

"This is pretty bad but I'm trying not to think about it. I'm scared."

Several months after losing his sister and mother to cancer, Smith got a similar scare recently when doctors ran tests to see if his back pains were linked to the deadly disease. It was determined at that point his ailment was either two crushed discs or an infection.

However, Tuesday night his daughter noticed a large lump on his back that caused his body to seize up.

Doctors have Smith on severe painkillers and antibiotics with hopes of avoiding surgery to remove portions of the infection.

Smith has a history of staph infections, including one that threatened to have his leg amputated in 1992.

Surgery cleared that up and was also needed for a knee injury he suffered just over a year ago breaking up a fist fight between Bret Hart and World Wrestling Federation president Vince McMahon. A year ago he had an infection in his hand that also required surgery.


credit: http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBritishBulldog/bulldog_99apr2.html

[Montague]

Davey Boy taking fight to court British Bulldog primed to fight WCW axing with a lawsuit
April 11, 1999


By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun

Davey Boy Smith knows all about getting kicked when he's down. After all, he's a professional wrestler.

But despite the fact he's lying in a local hospital awaiting possible back surgery, the British Bulldog isn't about to submit to his latest opponent.

Out of the wrestling loop since September with a back injury suffered in the ring, Smith received written notice this week his contract has been terminated by World Championship Wrestling. Incensed by the decision, and the impersonal way it was delivered, Smith said he's going to sue his former employer.

"It's a crock of (bleep)," said Smith, suffering from an undiagnosed and painful bone infection in his back.

"I'm shocked. I hurt myself in their ring because of their (negligence) and they do this? They put me in an unsafe environment and that's why I'm here."

Smith was sidelined in September when a WCW opponent power slammed him on a hidden trap door beneath the ring he wasn't told about. Doctors told him Friday they might have to replace 4 ins. of his fractured spine with titanium, which would end definitely his wrestling career.

Ironically, earlier this week, Smith's brother-in-law, Bret (Hitman) Hart, was also in Rockyview Hospital for groin surgery. And a couple floors below him was Bret's sister, Ellie, who is married to Jim Neidhart.


credit: http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/apr11_bull.html

[Playboy]

Davey Boy taking fight to court British Bulldog primed to fight WCW axing with a lawsuit
April 11, 1999


By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun

Davey Boy Smith knows all about getting kicked when he's down. After all, he's a professional wrestler.

But despite the fact he's lying in a local hospital awaiting possible back surgery, the British Bulldog isn't about to submit to his latest opponent.

Out of the wrestling loop since September with a back injury suffered in the ring, Smith received written notice this week his contract has been terminated by World Championship Wrestling. Incensed by the decision, and the impersonal way it was delivered, Smith said he's going to sue his former employer.

"It's a crock of (bleep)," said Smith, suffering from an undiagnosed and painful bone infection in his back.

"I'm shocked. I hurt myself in their ring because of their (negligence) and they do this? They put me in an unsafe environment and that's why I'm here."

Smith was sidelined in September when a WCW opponent power slammed him on a hidden trap door beneath the ring he wasn't told about. Doctors told him Friday they might have to replace 4 ins. of his fractured spine with titanium, which would end definitely his wrestling career.

Ironically, earlier this week, Smith's brother-in-law, Bret (Hitman) Hart, was also in Rockyview Hospital for groin surgery. And a couple floors below him was Bret's sister, Ellie, who is married to Jim Neidhart.


credit: http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/apr11_bull.html

That trap door incident shouldn't have even happened. A trap door in the ring....gimmie a break. They had to know that someone was prone to get hurt via taking bumps in the ring. Can you imagine getting suplex or slammed on a steel hinge?

[Montague]

That trap door incident shouldn't have even happened. A trap door in the ring....gimmie a break. They had to know that someone was prone to get hurt via taking bumps in the ring. Can you imagine getting suplex or slammed on a steel hinge?

That's because a trap door was the ONLY way a bum like Hellwig could get over.

[Playboy]

That's because a trap door was the ONLY way a bum like Hellwig could get over.

   

[Montague]

   

When trying to get over a guy who can't work, these are the kinds of ridiculous things you must do.