In late 1985, The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) debuted in the World Wrestling Federation. With an assortment of aerial moves at their disposal, this team quickly soared up the ranks of the WWF tag team division. Despite their size disadvantage, they scored victories over bigger teams like King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd. These victories and the managerial assistance of Capt. Lou Albano earned The Bulldogs a tag team title shot against current champions The Dream Team (Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine and Brutus Beefcake). On March 1, 1986’s Saturday Night Main Event The Dream Team successsfully defended their titles against The British Bulldogs in a grueling bout. The Bulldogs’ performance earned them a title shot at WrestleMania 2, held one month later on April 7, 1986. This time they were able topple the champions and achieved pro wrestling superstardom by being crowned WWF Tag Team Champions.

The British Bulldogs had a very successful title run resulting in victories over former Tag Team Champions like The Iron Shiek & Nikolai Volkoff and The Dream Team. However, in late 1986, The Dynamite Kid suffered a back injury that forced the titles off The Bulldogs. On January 26, 1987, The Bulldogs faced The Hart Foundation (Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart & Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart) in a controversial matchup. The Hart Foundation attacked The Dynamite Kid before the bell, which gave him the opportunity to sit out during the match and thereby protect his back from further injury. With The Dynamite Kid laid out on the floor beside the ring and the referee work of one Danny Davis, who assisted The Hart Foundation in winning the titles, Davey Boy Smith was overcome by his opponents and pinned. The Hart Foundation were crowned the new WWF Tag Team Champions, The British Bulldogs took some time off to allow The Dynamite Kid some time to recuperate, and Danny Davis was stripped of his referee duties and became a wrestler dubbing himself ‘Dangerous’ Danny Davis.

Upon returning to wrestling, The British Bulldogs jumped right back up to top contendership for the tag team titles. However, during this time, The Dynamite Kid’s back problems worsened. In a 2-out-of-3-falls Tag Team Championship match on May 2, 1987’s Saturday Night Main Event, The British Bulldogs defeated The Hart Foundation in two straight falls. However, since the first was via disqualification, the titles remained on the waists of The Hart Foundation. The Bulldogs went on to feud with The Islanders, who stole The Bulldogs’ mascot Matilda, and The Rougeau Brothers.

After November 24, 1988’s Survivor Series, The Bulldogs left the WWF and returned to Stampede Wrestling, where they won the International Tag Team Championship. The Bulldogs later lost the titles due to interference by Smith’s cousin Johnny Smith. The Dynamite Kid blamed Davey Boy for the loss and a violent feud erupted between the two. Eventually, The Dynamite Kid’s back problems resulted in his wheelchair bound paralysis and Davey Boy Smith continued to achieve fame and success with World Championship Wrestling and WWF until his untimely death on May 18, 2002.

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