Review: Pure Dynamite By The Dynamite Kid Tom Billington

Pure Dynamite: The Price You Pay For Wrestling Stardom

Tom "The Dynamite Kid" Billington with Allison Coleman

SW Publishing (Original) Winding Stair Press (Reprint), 1999

Hardcover, Paperback

The Dynamite Kid, born Tom Billington, is best remembered as one half of the British Bulldogs. Paired with his cousin, Davey Boy Smith, the Bulldogs were the pre-eminent tag team team during the early part of the WWF Hulkamania era. Whereas many of their contemporaries were big men who worked formulaic matches with limited moves sets, the British Bulldogs were a smaller team (by mid 80s WWF standards) that combined an array of unique tag team spots with cutting edge individual repertoires that gained them praise from critics and fans alike. Despite the fact that their main stream North American run last slightly over three years, the pair are widely regarded as one of the best teams of all time. In the early 90s the team parted ways.  While Smith went on to singles success in the WWF, The Dynamite Kid vanished from the North American scene. For a number of years, to the casual fan he was little more than a seldom mentioned footnote.
Over time, as more and more smaller wrestlers rose to prominence and the Internet provided easier access to his classic matches - most notably those from his visits to Japan - The Dynamite Kid gained wider recognition as an innovator of a technically sound, quick and hard hitting style. While his legend and fan base grew, Billington suffered numerous health problems that were direct results of the risks he took in and out of the ring. A combination of excessive steroid use and his intense, often reckless, wrestling style led to a premature retirement and permanent disability. Pure Dynamite was originally released in 1999 in the U.K. A North American reprint was released in 2001. 

Billington does a great job telling his story.  While there are some hints of bitterness, especially as it relates to Davey Boy Smith, The Dynamite Kid's tone reads more like that of retired wrestler relating the highs and lows of his career than that of an old timer with an axe to grind. With no plan to return to wrestling Billington writes with no political restrictions and he is open with his opinions and stories. He freely and unapologetically admits to his abuse of steroids and painkillers, suggesting that both were necessary evils for success in the industry during his era. At no point does he blame anyone but himself for his vices and gives no hint of any desire for sympathy from the reader.

Billington never waivers from the pride he has in his accomplishments.  While he notes a need to put on a great show for the fans, one also gets a sense that Billington's work ethic would not have allowed him to do any less than his best under any circumstances.

While early reviews of this book noted some inaccuracies, some of these are minor points that don't affect the credibility of the big picture and could be either a result of misspeaking or misremembering (i.e. referring to Rocky Johnson as Peter Miavia's son instead of son-in-law.)  Some stories - ones that have been disputed by his contemporaries (Jacques Rougeau, Bret Hart, Honky Tonk Man) - can neither be proven nor dis-proven and, thus, are up to the reader's discretion. While at times he may be a touch self aggrandising or overly critical of others, in most - if not all - cases Billington's blunt commentary of people/events gives the reader a clear view of both his personality and his perception of the places he has been and the people he has worked with.  

Overall the book is a strong entry into the world of wrestling biographies. The narrative, though it wanders on a few occasions, follows a clear chronological path. Most fans are likely to enjoy Pure Dynamite. Those with an interest in or memories of 1980s WWF, Japanese and/or Canadian wrestling history/personalities would especially like it. During his career most WWF fans did not see his Japanese work, his Japanese fans did not see his WWF work and neither saw the majority of his time in Stampede. As he details many of his more high profile matches, the book gives interested members of each group some good suggestions of what to watch.

*There are a few darker facets to Billington's personality during his career that are not touched on in the book but have been alleged by others in shoot interviews and other media. While they do paint a negative portrait of the author, I'm not certain that these omissions affect the quality of the book as much as they do the author's character (at the time). The distinction may be moot for some and not for others. 

Though it is sixteen years old (it actually pre-dates Have A Nice Day by a few weeks) Pure Dynamite holds up very well. 

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Those who enjoy the book will probably also enjoy the documentary Dynamite Kid - A Matter of Pride available at Highspots on DVD and via Digital Download.