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"He was never the same guy" - Details on backstage fight that led to Dynamite Kid leaving WWE

Dynamite Kid passed away in 2018 on his 60th birthday
Dynamite Kid passed away in 2018 on his 60th birthday

The latest episode of VICE show "Dark Side of the Ring" included details on Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau’s infamous backstage fight in WWE.

In 1988, Dynamite Kid (real name Tom Billington) performed in WWE alongside Davey Boy Smith as The British Bulldogs. The Fabulous Rougeaus, consisting of Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau, were also members of WWE’s tag team division at the time.

On one occasion, Dynamite Kid punched and kicked Jacques Rougeau backstage, causing his face to suffer severe swelling. Rougeau retaliated by using a roll of quarters to knock Dynamite Kid’s teeth out when he next saw him at a television taping.

On a special episode of "Dark Side of the Ring," Dynamite Kid’s ex-wife, Michelle Billington, said he gave her a gun because he believed that their family’s lives were at risk.

“I was like, ‘I don’t want that gun. I was so scared of it,’” Billington said. “He goes, ‘I don’t want to scare you. I talked to [former WWE Superstar] Dino Bravo...’ He said he saw an envelope with Tom’s name, our address, and inside of it it had a picture of our house, me and the kids. [The message inside the envelope said] ‘If there’s any retaliation, anything, your family’s gonna be dead.’”

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley worked with Dynamite Kid in 1986, and he said the Englishman was “never the same guy” after this incident with Jacques Rougeau.

Jacques Rougeau’s threat to Dynamite Kid was not real

The Rougeau Brothers vs. The British Bulldogs
The Rougeau Brothers vs. The British Bulldogs

Dynamite Kid left WWE due to his fear that someone could kill his family. Michelle Billington added that the family even had to move to another house because they no longer felt safe.

Explaining his role in Dynamite Kid’s WWE departure, Jacques Rougeau said the threats toward his rival’s family were not real. He did not want Dynamite Kid to retaliate after their backstage fight, so he pretended to have links to someone in the mafia.

“I didn’t like Dino Bravo but I knew he was a stooge,” Rougeau said. “I knew he was a stooge for The Bulldogs. Whatever I said to him, he was gonna bring it back to The Bulldogs. I took a piece of paper and I wrote a name down. I wrote a fictive name, an invented name, and I told Dino, I said, ‘You see this name here? I gotta call him every night. If I don’t call him one night, things will be taken care of.’ And I’m glad to hear that it worked.”

Rougeau spoke to Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Dr. Chris Featherstone earlier this year about his animosity with Dynamite Kid. Watch the video above to find out more details on their relationship behind the scenes.

Please credit Dark Side of the Ring and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.


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