Turn Back the Clock: The British Bulldog

**Loose Cannon** · 07-05-2007, 12:17 PM

You'll be seeing these around here over time. I wanted to to share my own personal thoughts on some legends of wrestling. Kind of talk about career highlights, downfalls, matches as I saw it back then and see it today. I'm not going to review entire careers, angles, matches involving said wrestler, but more so reflect back on the careers of some of the greats. First up is Davey Boy Smith.

The British Bulldog's career to me was a constant case of ups and downs. One minute Davey Boy would be riding high as one of the top guys in the company and the next he would be in the gutter. It eventually came to a tragic ending, but he did leave a lasting legacy behind and one guys can learn from.

He was a star in Canada with Stu Hart, but became an even bigger star in the WWF as one half of the British Bulldogs. They were simply awesome. Arguably the greatest team in the world when they were on. They stole the show at Wrestlemania 2 in a fantastic match with the Dream Team. I think Dynamite was the star of the team early on, but Davey Boy eventually carried to team at the end. Something people might not know is that they were real close to signing with Crockett before WWF and would of been brought in to feud with the Road Warriors. Crockett definately missed the boat, but honestly, I would of rather had them with Vince anyway.

Bulldog eventually came back as a babyface in the 90's after Dynamite got injured. His comeback really didn't take off at first. I remember a feud with the Warlord over who was the strongest. It was kind of lackluster to say the least. He started getting really popular in the UK as the WWF started touring over there and reached agrrement with Sky Sports. He started gaining momentum and worked Hennig over the IC Title for a little bit. He headlined a lot of European tours and was becoming one of the company's top babyfaces.

Summerslam 1992 will always be remembered to me as Davey Boy's career highlight. That's the match cemented his heroic statuts in Europe. This is the Bulldog I like to remember. Although I cheered Hart 100%, my respect for Bulldog went up about 100x more after this match.

Unfortunately, his day in the sun ended right there. He eventually would drop the belt to HBK and be let go from the company as the steroid investigation was underway. He would go to WCW and be brought in as a top babyface, but his time there is very forgettable. Wrestling was at a low at this point anyway. He would go back to the WWF and would eventually turn heel, which put some life into his career. He worked great matches with HBK and Bret and altered his look a little.

He teamed with his brother in law and they became very successful. I loved watching these two work together. It was so natural and they came off as a solid team. A dream match for me would be Bret and Jim vs Davey and Owen. Ironically, Owen and Davey didn't have thier best match as a team, but against one another.

One of the greatest Raw matches in history was Owen vs Davey at the finals for the European Title. This was such a classic back and forth match and the crowd ate it up. The finish is one of my favorite finishes of all-time.

Soon after Bulldog and Owen would be involved in the angle that started to turn the company around financially. I always say 1997 WAS the turn around year that eventually paid off come 1998. Davey Boy became 1/5 of the Hart Foundation and was thrust right into the biggest angle of 1997. I'd say the last great British Bulldog match and hell, maybe the swan song for the Hart Family, came at the Canadian Stampede PPV in 1997. This was one of the most sucessful shows the company ever did. If you were a fan of the Harts, this was "it". You couldn't script it better.

The story of the British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, goes from triumph to tragedy soon after. He eventually left the WWF after Montreal and went to WCW. He suffered a terrible injury in the ring and was doing more and more drugs, pain killers etc....His marriage went to shit and he was very unstable. I'm not going to get into the lawsuit with Owen, but he was eventually brought back to the WWF in a very forgetable role. He was actually suppossed to team with Owen again before Owen's death.

When Davey passed we were staring to get into that streak of all these guys we grew up on in the 90's passing away. It was sad as you realize time had went by so quick. Just 10 years prior I watched him in his crowning moment and then he was gone. I can't say I was shocked as years of abuse caught up to him. You hated to see him go out the way he did.

Maybe the WWF will never again have a guy like Davey Boy Smith, arguably the biggest overseas draw the company had, along with a few others. He will forever be remembered as a wrestling hero to many. To me, as time passes, and wrestling continues to change, he'll stand tall as the UK's son to wrestling.

**Slow** · 07-05-2007, 03:06 PM

that was beautiful, man.

What a legend

**Nervous Ferret** · 07-05-2007, 03:19 PM

IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME

**Verbose Minch** · 07-05-2007, 03:46 PM

Next up...Gillberg.

**Gray** · 07-05-2007, 04:19 PM

Always remember meeting the Bulldog[s] at a local event down here near Liverpool, im pretty sure the Dynamite Kid was with him [Hence the brackets] but at the end of the show i went and had my picture taken with Davey.

Was a really good night, sure the picture i have is somewhere, it was only one of them Polaroid ones from the good old days, but it was a nice moment to get up close to one of my heroes of the Hart Foundation [Even though i dont think he was included back then]

*Upon further inspection through one of my posts on another forum, it does look like it was indeed Dynamite Kid he was teamed with. Daaaamn*

**True Brit Grit** · 07-05-2007, 05:09 PM

Absolutely fantastic stuff, couldn't agree more with it, especially the Canadian Stampede.

I remember Davey was supposed to beat HBK and retain the Euro title in Birmingham in 1997 but Vince changed his mind at the last and had him drop to Shawn - I think a re-match was planned for Manchester in 1998 but obviously the whole Montreal thing put a stop to most Heart Foundation stuff - looks more likely now that Vince made Davey drop the belt with Montreal in mind after all.

Fantastic stuff though, I'm already looking forward to the next.

**Rob** · 07-05-2007, 06:15 PM

This was really good LC.

**James Steele** · 07-05-2007, 06:28 PM

**Anybody Thrilla** · 07-06-2007, 06:44 PM

All of my favorite work from the Bulldog (save the Wembley match) was with Shawn Michaels. When Shawn Michaels beat him for the Intercontinental championship at Saturday Night's Main Event is one of my favorite matches EVER, and I loved the feud he had with him circa 1995-96 when Jim Cornette was accusing the then WWF champion Shawn Michaels of coming onto Davey's wife, Diana.

***

DIANA: Shawn...you know you want me.

MICHAELS: With all due respect...please, do not flatter yourself.

(Diana waits a moment before slapping Michaels hard across the face. Michaels takes a second to regain composure)

MICHAELS: ...Well....I guess we know who wears the pants in the Smith family.

(The Bulldog takes a second, tackles Shawn to the mat, chaos ensues)

One of my favorite moments ever.

**Stickman** · 07-06-2007, 07:04 PM

Good memory ABT, I totally forgot about that but that was classic.

**Loose Cannon** · 07-06-2007, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anybody Thrilla

All of my favorite work from the Bulldog (save the Wembley match) was with Shawn Michaels. When Shawn Michaels beat him for the Intercontinental championship at Saturday Night's Main Event is one of my favorite matches EVER, and I loved the feud he had with him circa 1995-96 when Jim Cornette was accusing the then WWF champion Shawn Michaels of coming onto Davey's wife, Diana.

***

DIANA: Shawn...you know you want me.

MICHAELS: With all due respect...please, do not flatter yourself.

(Diana waits a moment before slapping Michaels hard across the face. Michaels takes a second to regain composure)

MICHAELS: ...Well....I guess we know who wears the pants in the Smith family.

(The Bulldog takes a second, tackles Shawn to the mat, chaos ensues)

One of my favorite moments ever.

wow yea. It's weird, I have seen that exactly 1 time (the time it aired) and reading your writing, I could see the whole thing in my head perfectly.

07-05-2007, 12:17 PM	#1
Loose Cannon I'm all there is Posts: 31,811	Turn Back the Clock: The British Bulldog You'll be seeing these around here over time. I wanted to to share my own personal thoughts on some legends of wrestling. Kind of talk about career highlights, downfalls, matches as I saw it back then and see it today. I'm not going to review entire careers, angles, matches involving said wrestler, but more so reflect back on the careers of some of the greats. First up is Davey Boy Smith. The British Bulldog's career to me was a constant case of ups and downs. One minute Davey Boy would be riding high as one of the top guys in the company and the next he would be in the gutter. It eventually came to a tragic ending, but he did leave a lasting legacy behind and one guys can learn from. He was a star in Canada with Stu Hart, but became an even bigger star in the WWF as one half of the British Bulldogs. They were simply awesome. Arguably the greatest team in the world when they were on. They stole the show at Wrestlemania 2 in a fantastic match with the Dream Team. I think Dynamite was the star of the team early on, but Davey Boy eventually carried to team at the end. Something people might not know is that they were real close to signing with Crockett before WWF and would of been brought in to feud with the Road Warriors. Crockett definately missed the boat, but honestly, I would of rather had them with Vince anyway. Bulldog eventually came back as a babyface in the 90's after Dynamite got injured. His comeback really didn't take off at first. I remember a feud with the Warlord over who was the strongest. It was kind of lackluster to say the least. He started getting really popular in the UK as the WWF started touring over there and reached agrrement with Sky Sports. He started gaining momentum and worked Hennig over the IC Title for a little bit. He headlined a lot of European tours and was becoming one of the company's top babyfaces. Summerslam 1992 will always be remembered to me as Davey Boy's career highlight. That's the match cemented his heroic statuts in Europe. This is the Bulldog I like to remember. Although I cheered Hart 100%, my respect for Bulldog went up about 100x more after this match. Unfortunately, his day in the sun ended right there. He eventually would drop the belt to HBK and be let go from the company as the steroid investigation was underway. He would go to WCW and be brought in as a top babyface, but his time there is very forgettable. Wrestling was at a low at this point anyway. He would go back to the WWF and would eventually turn heel, which put some life into his career. He worked great matches with HBK and Bret and altered his look a little. He teamed with his brother in law and they became very successful. I loved watching these two work together. It was so natural and they came off as a solid team. A dream match for me would be Bret and Jim vs Davey and Owen. Ironically, Owen and Davey didn't have thier best match as a team, but against one another. One of the greatest Raw matches in history was Owen vs Davey at the finals for the European Title. This was such a classic back and forth match and the crowd ate it up. The finish is one of my favorite finishes of all-time. Soon after Bulldog and Owen would be involved in the angle that started to turn the company around financially. I always say 1997 WAS the turn around year that eventually paid off come 1998. Davey Boy became 1/5 of the Hart Foundation and was thrust right into the biggest angle of 1997. I'd say the last great British Bulldog match and hell, maybe the swan song for the Hart Family, came at the Canadian Stampede PPV in 1997. This was one of the most sucessful shows the company ever did. If you were a fan of the Harts, this was "it". You couldn't script it better. The story of the British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, goes from triumph to tragedy soon after. He eventually left the WWF after Montreal and went to WCW. He suffered a terrible injury in the ring and was doing more and more drugs, pain killers etc....His marriage went to shit and he was very unstable. I'm not going to get into the lawsuit with Owen, but he was eventually brought back to the WWF in a very forgetable role. He was actually suppossed to team with Owen again before Owen's death. When Davey passed we were staring to get into that streak of all these guys we grew up on in the 90's passing away. It was sad as you realize time had went by so quick. Just 10 years prior I watched him in his crowning moment and then he was gone. I can't say I was shocked as years of abuse caught up to him. You hated to see him go out the way he did. Maybe the WWF will never again have a guy like Davey Boy Smith, arguably the biggest overseas draw the company had, along with a few others. He will forever be remembered as a wrestling hero to many. To me, as time passes, and wrestling continues to change, he'll stand tall as the UK's son to wrestling. Last edited by Loose Cannon; 07-05-2007 at 03:19 PM.

07-05-2007, 03:06 PM	#2
Slow The Rev RC 4 Lyfe Posts: 641	that was beautiful, man. What a legend

07-05-2007, 03:19 PM	#3
Nervous Ferret love yourself Posts: 47,788	IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME

07-05-2007, 03:46 PM	#4
Verbose Minch I'ma gonna win Posts: 1,743	Next up...Gillberg.

07-05-2007, 04:19 PM	#5
Gray Posts: 743	Always remember meeting the Bulldog[s] at a local event down here near Liverpool, im pretty sure the Dynamite Kid was with him [Hence the brackets] but at the end of the show i went and had my picture taken with Davey. Was a really good night, sure the picture i have is somewhere, it was only one of them Polaroid ones from the good old days, but it was a nice moment to get up close to one of my heroes of the Hart Foundation [Even though i dont think he was included back then] Upon further inspection through one of my posts on another forum, it does look like it was indeed Dynamite Kid he was teamed with. Daaaamn

07-05-2007, 05:09 PM	#6
True Brit Grit Licking The Lid of Life Posts: 580	Absolutely fantastic stuff, couldn't agree more with it, especially the Canadian Stampede. I remember Davey was supposed to beat HBK and retain the Euro title in Birmingham in 1997 but Vince changed his mind at the last and had him drop to Shawn - I think a re-match was planned for Manchester in 1998 but obviously the whole Montreal thing put a stop to most Heart Foundation stuff - looks more likely now that Vince made Davey drop the belt with Montreal in mind after all. Fantastic stuff though, I'm already looking forward to the next.

07-05-2007, 06:15 PM	#7
Rob Part time poster Posts: 22,963	This was really good LC.

07-05-2007, 06:28 PM	#8
James Steele TPWW's HHH Mark Since '04 Posts: 29,886

07-06-2007, 06:44 PM	#9
Anybody Thrilla Cranky Kong Posts: 78,671	All of my favorite work from the Bulldog (save the Wembley match) was with Shawn Michaels. When Shawn Michaels beat him for the Intercontinental championship at Saturday Night's Main Event is one of my favorite matches EVER, and I loved the feud he had with him circa 1995-96 when Jim Cornette was accusing the then WWF champion Shawn Michaels of coming onto Davey's wife, Diana. *** DIANA: Shawn...you know you want me. MICHAELS: With all due respect...please, do not flatter yourself. (Diana waits a moment before slapping Michaels hard across the face. Michaels takes a second to regain composure) MICHAELS: ...Well....I guess we know who wears the pants in the Smith family. (The Bulldog takes a second, tackles Shawn to the mat, chaos ensues) One of my favorite moments ever.

07-06-2007, 07:04 PM	#10
Stickman Stickman Posts: 15,119	Good memory ABT, I totally forgot about that but that was classic.