Davey Boy Smith made his mark in Japan with The Dynamite Kid as The British Bulldogs. They came to the WWF and won the WWF Tag Team Championship belts beating The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) in 1986 and were one of the most popular tag teams in WWF history. The British Bulldog reigned as Intercontinental Championship from August 29, 1992 to October 27, 1992, winning the belt in 'The Battle of The Brothers-In-Law' from Bret Hart in Wembley Stadium. He then teamed with brother-in-law Owen Hart to win the WWF tag titles beating The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart Gunn) on September 22, 1996 and eventually lost to Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin May 26, 1997. During their reign as champions, the two faced off in the finals of the WWF European championship, with Davey Boy winning the title.

In the late 90's, The Bulldog would suffer a serious back injury that has limited his wrestling abilities. He would eventually pass away.

The following is a reprint of the obituary column of the London Times following The British Bulldog's death. Wrestler who took on The Rock and captivated America clad in the Union flag and red, white and blue tights Davey "Boy" Smith, who ha died aged 39, twice won the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) Tag-Team Championships and European Heavyweight Championships, and was twice Hardcore Champion. Standing at 5 ft 11 in, with a 56 inch chest, 21 inch biceps, a 19 inch neck and weighing 18 stone, Smith, sporting a red, white and blue tights and a bizarre haircut, dominated wrestling in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He usually entered the ring swathed in the Union flag, before dispatching opponents with his trademark "Running Powerslam". They included North American wrestlers such as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (who, after defeating Smith at the No Mercy bout, starred in the film "The Scorpion King"), "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Shawn "Heartbreak Kid" Michaels, as well as Smith's brothers-in-law Owen and Bret "The Hitman" Hart. David Smith was born on November 27 1962 in Manchester and educated at Golborne Comprehensive, where he was a keen rugby player. He worked with the trainer Ted Betley before taking part in bouts with Shirly "Big Daddy" Crabtree.

But after "World of Sport" dropped wrestling (and Kent Walton's announcement "Greetings, grapple fans") Smith prospered oversease in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he met Tom "Dynamite Kid" Billington. Smith and Billington moved to Canada, where they competed in the trainer Stu Hart's Calgary Stampede, where Smith won two international championships with Billington and two with Stu's son Bruce, along with solo titles as North American Heavyweight and British and Commonwealth mid-heavyweight champion. The British Bulldogs, as Smith and Billington now styled themselves, moved into the WWF in late 1985. Soon they were tackling the likes of King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd, before---at their second attempt---taking the WWF tag-team championship from the "Dream Team" of Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake on April 2 1986. They held the title for several months, defeating all comers and acquiring Matilda, a bulldog mascot, before losing to the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) in January 1987---allegedly after the referee, Danny Davis, had been bribed.

After unsuccessful attempts to regain the belts, and a feud with another tag-team, the Islanders (who kidnapped Matilda), the pair split up. Smith returned to America in December 1990, sporting the beaded dreadlocks which won him the number five slot in the WWF Mullet Hall of Fame (after Michaels, Sid Justice, Hulk Hogan, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan) and accompanied by his new bulldog, Winston. But despite earning millions of dollars and solo successes, including defeating his brother-in-law Bret at Summerslam before 83,000 people at Wembley Stadium, Smith finally lost the Intercontinental title to Michaels, and---dogged by allegations of steroid abuse---left WWF for two years. He returned in 1994, first with Lex Luger (as "The Allied Powers") and then Owen Hart, with whom he won the title, although the pair soon fell out. Smith joined up with the rest of the Hart clan, before a stint with World Championship Wrestling, during which he suffered a back injury when he fell on a trapdoor. Smith suffered a further blow when Owen Hart died while being lowered into the rin in May 1999, but made several unsuccessful attempts later that year to take the heavyweight title from The Rock. His last major win was against Crash Holly at Hardcore in May 2000. Smith married Diana Hart, who survives him with a sun and daughter. After the marriage was dissolved, his companion was Andrea Hart, the estranged wife of Bruce, brother of Diana, Owen, and Bret.