The British Bulldog was once hand-picked as the man to replace Big Daddy and save British wrestling.
When Big Daddy retired from wrestling at the end of 1993, the British wrestling scene was in disaray.
The fall off from its peak in the 1970s and the 1980s was stark, but the scene wasn’t dead yet. Even though World of Sport had been cancelled, and the only wrestling on TV was Reslo on S4C, live events still provided a living for many wrestlers.
However, most of them had Big Daddy to thank for that. With his name on the bill, hitting his belly flops and big splashes, the punters were bound to buy tickets.
By 1993, Big Daddy’s health was waning, and he was forced into retirement. His last match was in Margate, and drew a fraction of what the WWE did the year prior at Wembley Stadium.
British wrestling was all but did, although they had high hopes that Davey Boy Smith could be the man to bring it back.
WCW Fired Davey Boy Smith In 1993
Davey Boy Smith, also known as “The British Bulldog”, had a torrid time in 1993. After jumping from the WWE to WCW, he expected to be pushed as a main event talent and finally hold the World Heavyweight Championship.
However, a dispute with the promoter over his pay, as well as going on strike when they refused to honor his contract, left him on bad terms with Bill Watts.
This meant that when British Bulldog was charged with assault after a bar fight, they were more than happy to fire him, with cause.
After being fired, Davey Boy Smith returned to the UK to become the next Big Daddy.
Click here to read more in-depth about why WCW fired the British Bulldog
British Bulldog Returned To England After His WCW Release
After WCW fired him, it wasn’t long before the British Bulldog was snapped up to become the new face of British wrestling.
In the February 21st, 1994 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote about Davey Boy Smith’s return to England.
He noted that he returned to his home country to wrestle for Max Crabtree – the brother of the recently retired Shirley “Big Daddy” Crabtree. The British Bulldog joined Dale Martin Promotions (which was renamed “Ring Wrestling Stars) after leaving WCW, and was primed to become the next big star in the country.
However, he wrestled for a different promotion than his cousin and former tag team partner Thomas Billington. He and the Dynamite Kid had fallen out in the years before, with Billington signing for Brian Dixon’s All Star Wrestling instead.
“Davey Boy Smith is currently wrestling in England for Max Crabtree in England.” Dave Meltzer wrote about the British Bulldog.
“Dynamite Kid works for a rival promotion as The British Bulldog in England. The heat, at least from Dynamite’s side, between the two of them as reported from a London tabloid a few weeks back is a lot more severe than even the tabloid story indicated.”
Cards with the British Bulldog on continued to draw, but also continued the slow decline the industry suffered with Big Daddy at the helm.
Not even one of the top stars in the world could save it. With no TV deal on the horizon, and big stars like Giant Haystacks and Kendo Nagasaki quickly aging out of the business, there was nowhere to go but down.
By the end of the year, the British Bulldog was back in the WWE. His run in the UK had been a bust, and the business would ultimately never recover to the level it was during its peak in the 1970s and 1980s.
Smith wrestled a handful of matches across England on the RWS British Bulldog UK Tour 1994. It was mainly in tag team matches, and little information is available regarding the number of fans who attended the shows.
However, given that he returned to the US later than year, it can’t have been too fruitful for the British Bulldog.
