Davey Boy Smith

Davey Boy Smith
Smith seated, smiling
Birth nameDavid Smith
Born(1962-11-27)27 November 1962
Golborne, Lancashire, England
Died18 May 2002(2002-05-18) (aged 39)
Invermere, British Columbia, Canada
Cause of deathHeart attack
Spouse(s)
(m. 1984; div. 2000)
Children2; including Davey Boy Smith Jr.
FamilyBillington
Hart (by marriage)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
  • The British Bulldog
  • Davey Boy Smith
  • Young David
Billed height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1]
Billed weight260 lb (118 kg)[1]
Billed from
Trained by
Debut1978

David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Boy Smith and The British Bulldog.

Smith won titles within the WWF in three decades, from the 1980s to the 2000s. Though he was never a world champion, Smith nevertheless headlined multiple pay-per-view events in the WWF and WCW, in which he challenged for the WWF and WCW World Heavyweight championships. He defeated Bret Hart for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in the main event of SummerSlam 1992 at London's original Wembley Stadium; he also has the distinction of being the inaugural and longest reigning WWF European Champion in a total of 206 days, and to have held the title on the sole occasion where a match for that championship headlined a pay-per-view event, at One Night Only in 1997. Prior to finding singles success, Smith achieved stardom as one half of The British Bulldogs tag team, alongside the Dynamite Kid. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020.[2]

  1. ^ a b c "British Bulldog - WWE Profile". WWE. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  2. ^ Melok, Bobby (12 March 2020). "British Bulldog to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame". WWE. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2023.