Why The Induction Of The British Bulldog Into The HOF Came Decades Too Late
The WWE Hall Of Fame was first celebrated back in 1993. The first inductee was none other than the late, great Andre The Giant. He was the only inductee that year, and the following years legends like Gorilla Monsoon, “Classy” Freddy Blassie, Chief Jay Strongbow, Buddy Rodgers and even Bobo Brazil were also inducted.
The following events were held the weekends of the King of the Ring pay-per-views for 1994 and 1995 and in 1996 the ceremony was held during the Survivor Series weekend. The fans wouldn’t see another ceremony however, until 2004 when wrestlers such as Sgt. Slaughter, Harley Race, Big John Studd, Don Muraco and so many others were honored and inducted.
The event is now most affiliated with Wrestlemania weekend and has been since 2004; until now that is, as the event had to be postponed due to obvious reasons.
And perhaps for fans of The British Bulldog, the postponement is so unfair, because these fans have been waiting a long time to see their favorite wrestler inducted … and the wait was certainly long overdue, as even The Sun reported from the UK.
Davey Boy Smith – A Brief History
Whether it was the work he did in the original tag team, The British Bulldogs with his cousin The Dynamite Kid, or his work with the Hart Foundation, to look back now on the career of this epic talent in the sport almost seems redundant; to merely mention his merits in a brief paragraph feels almost like a sin or wrong-doing and even an immoral act—dare I say it. Because to sum it all up in a simple paragraph would be robbing the essence out of a storied past that would need chapters and volumes of books to get across to those readers that don’t know very much about what he did in the ring day in and day out during his multiple runs at WWE and of course WCW—and let’s not forget the work he did in Canada for Stu Hart’s wrestling promotion in Calgary.
But in short, what we can say about the man is quite simply that to have watched him in the ring, performing was a sight indeed (and I would know, as I was front row for many of his epic bouts, and am honored to have been). We urge you to watch some of his most epic matches: The first-ever European Championship tournament in Germany vs. Owen Hart … the match for the Intercontinental title at Wembley Stadium at Summerslam 1992, and the list certainly goes on and on. Frame for frame, those matches were perfect showcases of talent, execution and story-telling, as only great wrestlers can tell a riveting story with ups downs, and incredible finishes such as those.
But perhaps a review of his epic career isn’t exactly what we have in mind here, as his merits are quite easily seen. All you need to do is take a look back at all the footage of his matches online, and trust us when we say you’re in for a treat.
Controversies
What we are interested in however, is the simple and direct question of why did it take so long to induct this great man and wrestler that passed away so suddenly in 2002 at the age of 39? Why wasn’t he inducted right away in 2004 when the ceremony made its triumphant return at Wrestlemania 20?
We feel he definitely merited this honor, as looking back, his accomplishments speak for themselves.
But, we are dealing with the WWE here, and unfortunately, Smith passed away with a load full of controversies surrounding his passing, namely issues with painkillers and steroid allegations that followed him around his entire career. And we know how Vince McMahon has a tendency to steer clear of controversial wrestlers who pass unexpectedly or rather due to mysterious or even slanderous circumstances. Perhaps this is why this induction was so long in coming, but we can never be certain.
What we do know, is that it was plain wrong to make Bulldog’s fans wait this long to see their favorite wrestler honored and given the merits he was most certainly due. Besides, reports have shown that at the time of his passing, his toxicology reports came back negative for containing any traces of morphine or steroids, which only adds to the mystery of his death. The only logical explanation is extended use of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which many wrestlers used during his era as well.
The Legacy Lives On
Due to obvious reasons, the WWE Hall Of Fame did not take place on Wrestlemania weekend. It was postponed, and a new date was not set, resulting in an even longer wait for British Bulldog fans to finally see their heralded and fallen hero inducted into a group he helped create and perfect. It’s sad that it took so long, as we’ve already said, but we can look forward to the moment with bated breath.
One individual who’s certainly looking forward to it is none other than his son, Harry Smith, who has had his own grievances with the company that catapulted his father to superstardom. He is a promising wrestler in his own right, and the apple certainly didn’t fall from the tree, as Harry is so much like his father. We hope to see him return from the independent circuit—where he’s been wrestling for years— to the companies at the forefront of the wrestling industry in grand fashion, either to the WWE or AEW in the near future; because to deprive the wrestling audience of such talent is a terrible tragedy worthy of Shakespeare … just like keeping excellence from the honor and privilege of the HOF is undoubtedly so as well.
Sources: Wikipedia (General Info.), TheSun, WrestlingBios/YouTube, WWE
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