Observer Flashback: Death of Dynamite Kid

Tom Billington, better known to wrestling fans as Dynamite Kid, passed away five years ago on this date, which also happened to be his 60th birthday.  Inside the ring, he was one of the most influential wrestlers of all time. His legacy outside the ring is far more complicated, however.  Billington's life and career were covered by Dave Meltzer in the December 10, 2018 edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Meltzer included in the issue a statement from Bret Hart about the influence Billington had on his career.  “There are people in life that have a ripple effect both professionally and personally,” said Bret Hart. “Tom `Dynamite Kid’ Billington was one of those people. The second professional wrestling match of my career was against Dynamite. I benefitted from his greatness and through our matches in Stampede, WWE and everywhere in-between, I became a better wrestler because of him. Dynamite truly was the best wrestler ever, pound-for-pound. Tom was family, my brother-in-law, and we were very close.