One of the most famous steroid users in the WWE was the Dynamite Kid. Real name Tom Billington, he had a “Napoleon Complex” which saw him try to overcompensate for his small stature.
This meant training harder than anyone, being angrier and more violent and, most importantly, getting as big as he could. He employed the use of steroids – as much of the WWE roster did in the 1980s – to pack on muscle at an alarming rate, getting much too big for his frame.
The Englishman suffered a back injury in 1986 that effectively ended his career. His body could not carry the incredible amount of muscle he had accrued, although that was not what convinced him to give up the gear.
Dynamite Kid spoke with CNN for the documentary Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling. It was made after the death of Chris Benoit, to shine a light on the issues surrounding his death. This included steroid use, and Benoit’s worshipping of his hero, Dynamite Kid.
The Englishman revealed that he was a regular steroid user during his career. He noted that all the big men in the WWE were using, so he went along with it too.
However, Dynamite Kid revealed that a doctor discovered a heart defect in 1991. He was immediately warned to stop using steroids, or his enlarged heart would eventually kill him. This is what happened to his former tag team partner Davey Boy Smith (the British Bulldog), who died in 2002 from a heart attack.
“So, he [the doctor] said it [an enlarged heart] lies from taking steroids. So he said ‘Don’t take steroids again, and you’ll be okay’. I’ve never touched steroids since 1991.”
“Before that, I did regular, you know, for years. I took it for the job, because I was in the WWF. Most of them was all big men, so I though ‘Well I’ll do it too”.
