Dynamite Kid
A ferociously intense British wrestler whose revolutionary high-flying, hard-hitting style in Japan changed professional wrestling forever.
1958–2018 (age 60)·British professional wrestler·Birthday: December 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Tom Billington, the Dynamite Kid, revolutionized junior heavyweight wrestling with matches against Tiger Mask in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The 5'8" powerhouse from Lancashire fought with a blend of technical precision and savage brutality. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he brought revolutionary intensity to the UK and Japan. His matches blended martial arts strikes with breathtaking aerial moves in a way never seen before. He later brought this stiff, realistic style to North America as part of the Hart Foundation's 'British Bulldogs' tag team. His relentless, pain-ignoring approach and personal demons took a severe toll, leading to a career cut short and life in a wheelchair. His influence is etched into the DNA of modern technical and junior heavyweight wrestling.
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.
Dynamite was born in 1958, 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 Dynamite Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Dynamite's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- His series of matches with the original Tiger Mask in Japan redefined the possibilities of junior heavyweight wrestling.
- Won the WWF Tag Team Championships with his cousin Davey Boy Smith as The British Bulldogs.
- Pioneered a stiff, strong-style offense that influenced countless wrestlers in Japan and beyond.
- Held multiple junior heavyweight titles in Japan, including the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Did You Know?
He was known for his immense strength, reportedly able to bench press over 400 pounds.
He wrestled his entire career with severely damaged hearing in one ear.
His intense in-ring style and backstage reputation for being tough on opponents earned him both fear and respect.
He retired from wrestling in his early 30s due to a debilitating back injury.
“I'll cripple anyone who gets in my ring, and I don't care who knows it.”
