10 Wrestlers With Surprisingly Successful Japanese Careers

Tom 'Dynamite Kid' Billington is regarded as one of the best workers of all-time. He wrestled all over the globe from his native United Kingdom, to Stampede wrestling in Canada, WWE in the United States and of course all over Japan.

The Dynamite Kid first achieved notoriety overseas in Japan from 1980-1984, wrestling in the junior heavyweight division. He had 3 matches with Tiger Mask feuding for the vacant WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1983, each match ended in a draw. While Dynamite Kid would capture this title in a tournament shortly thereafter, his true mark on Japanese wrestling is best on display with that series of matches against Tiger Mask which are renowned for both competitors' innovative moves and high-flying technical styles.

Dynamite's career outside of Japan was also successful. He had a lengthy WWE run with his tag team partner Davey Boy Smith as the British Bulldogs. Won a number of British and Canadian Stampede championships and also famously got into a backstage brawl the Jacques and Raymond Rougeau. Unfortunately, Dynamite suffered a career-limiting injury in 1986 at a house show during the Bulldogs' championship run, this back injury would require surgery and leave Billington with severe side effects for the rest of his career.

The legacy of Dynamite Kid is seen through the success of the lightweight and junior heavyweight wrestlers since his retirement. The influence of Dynamite Kid can be seen in the works of everyone from Chris Benoit to Jushin Liger and even talents today like Jay Lethal. While Dynamite had a storied career that included five-star matches, championships all over the world and numerous other accolades, the pinnacle of Dynamite's career occurred in Japan in the early 1980s.