Wrestlers and promotions from around the globe paid tribute to groundbreaking British high-flyer Dynamite Kid upon learning of his death earlier this month. One way New Japan Pro Wrestling showed respect to Kid was by making his historic matches with Tiger Mask free for a while. A few days later on December 9, the company held a memorial ceremony for the junior heavyweight pioneer with a memorial ceremony before the final show of the World Tag League tour in Iwate. The promotion uploaded the five-minute ceremony to their streaming service, NJPW World, earlier today as free content.
In the video, you see Davey Boy Smith Jr., son of Dynamite Kid’s tag team partner, the British Bulldog, enter the ring with a framed photo of Kid. He’s followed by NJPW “Team New Japan” babyface wrestlers, who surround the ring and bow their heads respectfully during a ten-bell salute. As Smith presents the photo to audience members on all sides of the ring, the emotion at the loss of a man he considered a family member is clear on his face.
I was honored to represent “Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington tonight, 👏 🙏and hold his picture for the 10 bell salute for Japanese fans. Arigato Kid San! 🇯🇵🤝🇬🇧🤝 🇨🇦 🤼♂️ 🐶 ❤️💪 pic.twitter.com/sqc4CA6Z6C
— Harry Smith, “Davey Boy Smith JR” (@DBSmithjr) December 9, 2018
After his match on this show, Smith said backstage that, “the spirit of Dynamite Kid lives on in Davey Boy Smith Jr. Real strong style, Kid style!”
Smith also paid tribute to Kid earlier on the tour during Killer Elite Squad’s match with Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi. As Page later pointed out on Instagram, he and Smith performed a Kid vs. Tiger Mask sequence early in the bout.
https://twitter.com/HangmanPageFans/status/1070723007767822337
Smith and his tag partner Lance Archer also departed from their villainous personas just slightly in their promos after they won the match. Smith declared that “Tonight, you saw the power of K.E.S. and the spirit of the Dynamite Kid.”
