18. Davey Boy Smith (November 24, 1962 - May 18, 2002)
One of the most popular wrestlers to never win a world title, Davey Boy Smith was a star in the WWF for many years as both a babyface and a heel. After a successful run in Stampede and Japan, Smith entered the WWF in the 1980s alongside his partner Tom Billington, better known as the Dynamite Kid. Davey and Dynamite immediately changed the entire landscape of the WWF tag division as their double-team moves and fast pace made them stars. Their feud with the Hart Foundation produced many great matches and the bouts are fondly remembered by fans today After Dynamite's departure, Smith became a singles star and captured the Intercontinental title in the main event of Summerslam 1992 in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium in London. It was the pinnacle of Davey's career and should have propelled him to a world title run. Unfortunately, he soon dropped the IC title to Shawn Michaels and was released from the promotion due to his usage of steroids and HGH. After an unsuccessful run in WCW, Smith returned to the WWF and became tag champions alongside Owen Hart. This led to the formation of the evil Hart Foundation stable in 1997 and produced one of the best shows the WWF ever put on: Canadian Stampede. Following the Montreal Screwjob, Smith's career started to slide. He left for WCW once again but injured his back when he was slammed on a trap door in the ring used for the Ultimate Warrior's surprise entrances. This led to an addiction to painkillers that would ultimately be his undoing. Smith briefly returned to the WWF, now wearing jeans to cover his leg braces, but the magic was gone. The WWF put him in rehab and tried to get him to clean up his life. Davey's wife Diana also divorced him during this time and he started to date Bruce Hart's ex-wife. It was truly a soap opera of epic proportions. Despite the WWF-funded rehab, Davey Boy Smith was found dead of a heart attack in May 2002. The autopsy stated that years of steroid abuse probably played a part in his death. Davey was only 39 years old.
