7 Reasons The British Bulldog Must Be Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame 2017
5. His In-Ring Ability
One of the strongest pound for pound men ever to step into the squared circle, Davey was a force to be reckoned with. Being able to gorilla press pretty much anyone on the roster, and hold a vertical suplex for literally days on end (okay maybe not literally, but for a bloody long time), Mr Smith was a powerhouse of a presence. And yet, he had the speed and agility of a modern ‘205 Live’ Cruiserweight.
Years partnered with pioneering wrestler Tom Billington the ‘Dynamite Kid’ (who warrants his own HoF article) as the British Bulldogs coming out of Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling, Davey was a new breed of wrestler that laid the foundations for the modern styles we see today. The likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and more recently Neville and Cesaro all take shades from Davey’s influence. He was a man who was built with muscles on top of muscles, but (unlike many of his peers at the time), could also kip up, flip, roll, dive and demonstrate tremendous acrobatic skills as well. It’s hard to think of a match that Davey was involved in, that wasn’t a solid, entertaining battle.
He could go toe to toe with any kind of wrestler; big guys, small guys, grapplers, high flyers, submission specialists, and always bring the best out in them.