7 Reasons The British Bulldog Must Be Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame 2017
Time to honour Davey Boy Smith...
It’s coming to that time again. It’s a new year and WrestleMania is fast approaching. And we know what that means; superstars of past and present will throw on their snug fitting tuxedos and honour a specific selection of icons in the world of sports entertainment at the WWE Hall of Fame.
Debate will always rage on about who should be inducted. It’s always a fun (and often heated) discussion to have with fellow wrestling fans. Everyone has their favourites, and mounts their cases for who they think must be part of the illustrious list of Hall of Famers.
It can get depressing when you start to chart who is in the HoF, and who is missing. ‘If Rikishi's in, surely Owen Hart should be in?’ I hear you scream.
Obviously the decisions are political, and naturally will reflect the current favour, direction and desires of the WWE. This year though, there is one man who simply MUST be inducted.
That man, is the late, great, Davey Boy Smith, aka the British Bulldog. And here’s why...
7. His Championship Pedigree
Two time WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, Two time WWE Hardcore Champion (okay, hardcore ain’t that big of a deal), and the first ever WWE European Champion, Davey Boy Smith has plenty of straps to his name, and most of these came in an era when the number of championships were far less (4 titles rather than the current 6, 7...8? I’ve lost track...), and holding them carried far more weight.
In the tag team division, with both the Dynamite Kid and Owen Hart respectively, Davey Boy dominated in two decades, and certainly played a huge part in adding value and prestige to those belts. Although, his IC reign was brief in 1992, he won it as the headliner of one of the marquee pay per views. How many IC champions can say that?
With the European Championship, Davey defeated Owen Hart in a tournament in Germany and carried that belt with honour and gravitas, establishing it as a legitimate new WWE title, until he lost the title to Shawn Michaels at ‘One Night Only’ in 1997 (who cheated to win! I was in attendance, and no, I still haven’t forgiven HBK!).
Other HoF inductees haven't got close to the championship pedigree of the Bulldog (Godfather, Bushwhackers...) Davey carried all of his belts with prestige, and backed it up in the ring.