Davey Boy Smith
A powerhouse of British wrestling who headlined Wembley Stadium in a match that defined an era for European sports entertainment.
1962–2002 (age 40)·English professional wrestler·Birthday: November 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born in Golborne, Lancashire, David Smith was a physical prodigy who turned his strength and charisma into transatlantic wrestling stardom. He broke through in the 1980s, often teaming with his cousin, the Dynamite Kid, forming a tag team that redefined speed and power. His solo career peaked in 1992 at SummerSlam, where he defeated Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, a landmark moment for British wrestling. Smith's career was a rollercoaster of championship highs and personal struggles, but his embodiment of the bulldog spirit—tough, tenacious, and fiercely patriotic—left a permanent mark on the industry. His legacy is that of a working-class hero who carried a nation's hopes on his broad shoulders.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Davey was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Davey Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Davey's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
Key Achievements
- Defeated Bret Hart to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship in the main event of SummerSlam 1992 at Wembley Stadium.
- Won the WWF European Championship twice, becoming its inaugural titleholder in 1997.
- Captured the WWF Tag Team Championship with the Dynamite Kid as The British Bulldogs.
- Held the WCW World Tag Team Championship with Lex Luger.
- Headlined multiple major pay-per-view events for the WWF in the early 1990s.
Did You Know?
He was married to Diana Hart, daughter of wrestling promoter Stu Hart, making him part of the famous Hart wrestling family.
His son, Davey Boy Smith Jr., also became a professional wrestler.
He was known for his incredibly muscular physique and was one of the first wrestlers to popularize full-body airbrushed ring attire.
Before his wrestling fame, he worked as a bodyguard for the pop group Sweet.
“It's not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”
