Author Topic: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...  (Read 10878 times)

Playboy

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Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« on: December 05, 2018, 04:36:36 AM »
Former WWF Tag Team champion Tommy Billington who is better known as The Dynamite Kid has passed away today, on what was his 60th birthday.
Read more at https://www.mandatory.com/wrestlezone/news/1027897-dynamite-kid-dead#fYFeIVyghBh9xkB6.99

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2018, 04:08:50 PM »
R.I.P., Mr. Billington.


Playboy

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2018, 06:58:14 AM »
To enlighten everyone, The Dynamite Kid (one half of the famous British Bulldogs tag team of the eighties), has spent the last 20 years of his life in a wheel chair after loosing the use of his one leg (later both) due to severe back issues. The years of bumping hard, later pain killer abuse to mask the injury (3 percocets before every match plus 3 more after his match)so he could still wrestle for crowds have left him paraplegic. He became bitter in his latter years becoming alcoholic and his health declined. He did start to come out of his shell recently in the last year meeting and greeting with fans and so forth in his Native England. He died on his birthday of all days. Let us remember this great wrestler who inspired many for how he wrestled.

funk51

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2018, 12:48:54 PM »
one of the better wrestling bios.
F

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2018, 02:39:09 PM »
Great performer. PIP :'(

Griffith

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2018, 05:56:24 AM »
R.I.P Dynamite Kid.

One of the greatest wrestlers ever.

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2018, 05:13:18 PM »
Great performer. PIP :'(

R.I.P Dynamite Kid.

One of the greatest wrestlers ever.


It's always nice to see educated fans find this board...
 :)

Ronnie Rep

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2018, 11:30:18 AM »

It's always nice to see educated fans find this board...
 :)
His matches with Tiger Mask with New Japan were epic.

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2018, 02:14:20 AM »
His matches with Tiger Mask with New Japan were epic.


Oh, absolutely! One of them was voted match of the year.

I used to have all kinds of photos and footage posted in the British Bulldog thread here. I actually put a good bit of work into that thread, along with excellent contributions from quality members - many of whom sadly no longer post here.

Also unfortunate is that, over time, much of the footage is no longer viewable. Videos were deleted, hotlinking was disabled, etc. But, there's still some great discussion throughout those pages, and I encourage you to check that thread out sometime if you haven't already.

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2018, 02:25:03 AM »
I believe this is the shoot interview Highspots.com conducted with Billington several years ago. I'm not sure if/how long it will stay up, but here it is for anyone interested.



I only watched the first several minutes of this after happening upon it by accident yesterday. Maybe it gets better farther into it, but from the little I saw, Dynamite really wasn't giving the interviewer much.
There's been a lot of good AND bad things said about Tom Billington over the years, and I easily believe most of them.

Griffith

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2018, 05:04:31 AM »
I believe this is the shoot interview Highspots.com conducted with Billington several years ago. I'm not sure if/how long it will stay up, but here it is for anyone interested.



I only watched the first several minutes of this after happening upon it by accident yesterday. Maybe it gets better farther into it, but from the little I saw, Dynamite really wasn't giving the interviewer much.
There's been a lot of good AND bad things said about Tom Billington over the years, and I easily believe most of them.

Thank you!!

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2018, 04:48:10 PM »
Thank you!!


You're welcome.

Did you get to watch much of it?
I see it's already been taken down.

Griffith

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2018, 12:09:58 AM »

You're welcome.

Did you get to watch much of it?
I see it's already been taken down.

I watched about half of it.

He was not giving much information really. The most informative pieces of that interview were included in the documentary 'A Matter of Pride' which I have seen as is well worth watching.

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2018, 02:37:30 AM »
I watched about half of it.

He was not giving much information really. The most informative pieces of that interview were included in the documentary 'A Matter of Pride' which I have seen as is well worth watching.


Yeah, I'd have been pretty disappointed had I purchased this interview.
Tom's shoot with Live Audio Wrestling back around 2000 was far more informative (and lively) than what I saw of the above.

Regardless, Billington's book "Pure Dynamite" was the first wrestling autobiography I ever read, and it remains my favorite.

LurkerNoMore

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2019, 09:34:36 PM »
I'm reading Terry Funk's book now.  Just read the chapter where he talks about how Dynamite would kill himself night after night in Japan.  He loved to make everyone respect him, but everyone always talked how sad it was to watch him pull himself up the hand rail in order to get onto the tour bus and drag himself down the aisle.

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #15 on: March 26, 2019, 02:06:03 AM »
His matches with Tiger Mask with New Japan were epic.


It's almost a little sad that most "general public" wrestling fans will only remember Dynamite in the capacity of "one-half of the British Bulldogs," when he did so much more.

I think Davey is and will always be remembered more for his singles work that lasted long after the original Bulldog team and Billington's career was over.

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #16 on: March 28, 2019, 05:49:23 AM »
Kind of makes you wonder if Dynamite didn't hurt his back in late 86' and being forced to retire in 1991 what could have been.

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #17 on: March 28, 2019, 10:57:46 AM »
Kind of makes you wonder if Dynamite didn't hurt his back in late 86' and being forced to retire in 1991 what could have been.


Maybe his turn down the “self-destruction” path would have been delayed and/or not as drastic.

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #18 on: March 29, 2019, 07:41:40 AM »

Maybe his turn down the “self-destruction” path would have been delayed and/or not as drastic.
Felt bad for him when I saw pics of him just before his death. I idolized him as a kid and loved his work.

Montague

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Re: Tom Billington known as the "Dynamite Kid" has passed away...
« Reply #19 on: March 29, 2019, 09:35:25 AM »
Felt bad for him when I saw pics of him just before his death. I idolized him as a kid and loved his work.


Oh, same here.

He was and remains my all-time #2!!