Tom Billington, best known as former WWE tag team champion The Dynamite Kid, has passed away. He was 60 years old. Billington is considered one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time. His in-ring style, described by WWE.com as technically brilliant and wildly aggressive, influenced generations of competitors and resonates to this day.
Billington passed away on his 60th birthday. His health had been deteriorating significantly since suffering a stroke in 2013. Many credit the British Bulldogs vs Hart Foundation rivalry in the 1980s as one of the best tag team feuds ever. Unfortunately, only Bret Hart survives from the 4 men who worked those matches.
Reactions To Dynamite Kid’s Passing
The pro wrestling community is paying respects to the Dynamite Kid on social media. Here are some reactions to his passing:
It deeply saddens me to announce the passing of Tom Billington the “Dynamite Kid.” ???I was really happy and glad I got to see Dynamite one last time last June in the UK. ?? ???. Dynamite was certainly an inspiration to myself and many others and really revolutionized pic.twitter.com/req7CWTdxm
— Harry Smith, “Davey Boy Smith JR” (@DBSmithjr) December 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/georgiasmith87/status/1070263617638014976
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrAk7JbFQrS
https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1070259106701815808
https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/1070336124403347458
https://twitter.com/FrankieKazarian/status/1070322041650180096
https://twitter.com/Tyler_Bate/status/1070271933420326912
Dynamite Kid was instrumental in the evolution towards today’s style. Most current wrestlers owe him a debt of gratitude for his role in the shift towards talent and effort over look and size. He’s also one of the saddest cautionary tales in risking too much in that effort.
— Todd Martin ?? (@ToddMartinMMA) December 5, 2018
Dynamite Kid was simply awesome and definitely made a believer out of a younger me, His matches with Tiger Mask can be used as an educational resource for anyone wanting to do this for a living
— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) December 5, 2018
Dynamite Kid Videos
In light of his passing, WWE’s official Youtube Channel has uploaded several videos of the Dynamite Kid in action.
Comments
10 responses to “The Dynamite Kid Has Passed Away”