Natalya has added her voice to the long-running conversation around whether Dynamite Kid should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, arguing that the groundbreaking British wrestler deserves recognition despite the complicated elements of his life and career.
Speaking with Peter Rosenberg, Natalya discussed Tom Billington’s importance to her own family, to the development of the in-ring style associated with the Hart Dungeon, and to a generation of performers who studied the intensity and innovation he brought to the ring. Billington, best known as Dynamite Kid, died in 2018 at the age of 60.
The former WWE Tag Team Champion has long been considered one of the most influential wrestlers of his era. Alongside his cousin Davey Boy Smith as the British Bulldogs, Dynamite Kid helped shape WWE’s tag division in the 1980s and produced matches that remain reference points for wrestlers and fans. His career, however, was also marked by serious injuries, substance abuse and significant personal and backstage issues.
Natalya did not avoid that complexity while explaining why she believes his influence merits a place in WWE’s Hall of Fame.
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“I know Dynamite Kid’s daughter really wants to get her dad into the Hall of Fame,” Natalya said, referring to Bronwyne Billington, who has appeared as the “Dynamite Doll.” “But I do think the Dynamite Kid should one day be in the WWE Hall of Fame. I think that day is sooner than later.”
A major connection to the Hart family
For Natalya, the argument is not simply rooted in the British Bulldogs’ accomplishments. It is also tied to Billington’s lasting place within the extended Hart family circle. Dynamite Kid was closely associated with the Harts, shared the hard-edged technical foundation that emerged from Stu Hart’s Calgary Dungeon, and was viewed by several members of the family as an exceptional wrestler.
Her father, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, had a particularly close relationship with Billington. Neidhart and Bret Hart became one of WWE’s defining tag teams as the Hart Foundation, but Natalya said her father always spoke highly of the experience of working with Dynamite Kid.
“My dad loved wrestling Dynamite,” Natalya said. “He and Dynamite were very close, and Bret even says that Dynamite taught him probably the most of anyone in the industry of just how to be the best.”
That assessment carries weight considering Bret Hart’s own standing as one of the most respected technical wrestlers in WWE history. Hart has often been linked with a style built on credibility, timing, physicality and a deep focus on making every movement matter. Dynamite Kid’s work embodied many of those same principles, whether he was wrestling in singles competition or as half of the Bulldogs.
Billington’s offense was notably explosive for his era. His snap suplexes, diving headbutts, hard kicks and compact movement gave his matches a speed and urgency that stood apart. He blended that athletic approach with the rugged grappling identity associated with British wrestling and the Dungeon-influenced performers around the Hart family. The result was a body of work that has continued to influence wrestlers well beyond his active years.
The British Bulldogs’ WWE legacy
Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith arrived in WWE as the British Bulldogs and became one of the promotion’s standout teams during the mid-1980s. The contrast in their presentation was immediately effective: Smith brought visible power and size, while Billington supplied breathtaking explosiveness and a more compact, aggressive style. Together, they created a combination that made their matches feel distinct from much of the tag team wrestling presented at the time.
The Bulldogs won the WWE Tag Team Championship and remain strongly associated with WrestleMania 2, where they defeated The Dream Team of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine to capture the titles. Their championship reign and major-event profile gave them an enduring place in WWE history, while their work also helped demonstrate that tag bouts could be treated as major attractions rather than simply supporting contests.
Natalya looked back on that shared wrestling identity while discussing the place both teams occupy in the Hart family legacy.
“I think of like the Hart Foundation, I think of Bret. I think of my dad. It’s like that Dungeon style. And then I think of the Bulldogs. Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, the magic that they made,” Natalya said.
Davey Boy Smith was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021. A Dynamite Kid induction would give WWE an opportunity to formally recognize the other half of one of its most memorable teams, while also acknowledging a performer whose influence extends far beyond a single championship run or WrestleMania moment.
Influence and difficult realities
Any discussion of Dynamite Kid’s legacy also requires an honest look at the darker aspects of his story. His physical style came at a substantial cost, and injuries became a defining part of his later life. Substance abuse compounded those difficulties. His career and reputation have additionally been shadowed by controversy and accounts of damaging behavior away from the ring.
Natalya acknowledged that he was not a simple or uncomplicated figure. At the same time, she argued that the struggles and flaws surrounding a major performer do not erase the impact of the work that person produced.
“So you know, yes, Dynamite was very complicated,” Natalya said. “But here’s the thing, I have yet to meet anybody who’s at the very top of their game who hasn’t been through ups and downs.”
That is a perspective that recognizes both sides of Billington’s legacy: the extraordinary wrestler who changed expectations for what could be done in the ring, and the cautionary example created by the physical and personal damage that surrounded his career. His story is frequently cited as both an inspiration for his innovation and a warning about the toll professional wrestling can take when injuries, pain and destructive choices accumulate.
A Hall of Fame induction, if it happens, would likely invite renewed discussion of those contradictions. WWE Hall of Fame selections routinely honor a performer’s historical significance and contributions to the company, but recognition does not remove the need to address the difficult realities attached to certain careers. In Billington’s case, that conversation would be inseparable from any celebration of his in-ring brilliance.
A legacy that continues through a new generation
The Billington name remains active in major North American wrestling promotions through Tommy Billington, Dynamite Kid’s nephew. Tommy Billington is signed to AEW and Ring of Honor, carrying a family connection that remains meaningful to fans familiar with the original Dynamite Kid’s impact.
Bronwyne Billington’s wish to see her father honored has also kept the subject visible. Natalya’s comments provide another significant endorsement, particularly because they come from someone whose family history is so closely connected to Dynamite Kid and the wrestling culture that produced him.
There is no indication that WWE has announced Dynamite Kid for a future Hall of Fame class. Natalya’s belief that the moment is “sooner than later” is her own view, not a confirmation of plans. Still, the case for his inclusion has clear pillars: his WWE Tag Team Championship history with Davey Boy Smith, the landmark Bulldogs partnership, his connection to the Harts, and the influence his wrestling style has had across generations.
For Natalya, the matter ultimately comes back to the wrestling itself. Dynamite Kid’s career remains complicated, but his technical ability, intensity and impact on performers such as Bret Hart made him impossible to overlook. Should WWE choose to honor him, the induction would recognize one of the era’s most gifted and consequential wrestlers while also reopening a candid conversation about the full, difficult story behind that legacy.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.