| Davey Boy Smith Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Smith in 2011 | |
| Birth name | Harry Francis Smith[1] |
| Born | (1985-08-02)August 2, 1985 (age 39)[2] Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Parent(s) | Davey Boy Smith (father) Diana Hart (mother) |
| Relatives | Harry Smith (great-grandfather) Stu Hart (grandfather) Natalya Neidhart (cousin) |
| Family | Hart (maternal) Billington (paternal) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Black Assassin[3] Brakuss[4] British Bulldog Jr. Bulldog Hart[5] Davey Boy Smith Jr.[6] David Hart Smith[7][8] DH Smith Harry Smith |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[9] |
| Billed weight | 260 lb (118 kg)[9] |
| Billed from | Calgary, Alberta, Canada[8] |
| Trained by | Bruce Hart[10] Davey Boy Smith[10] Tokyo Joe[11] Johnny Smith[12] Billy Robinson[13][14] Josh Barnett[12] |
| Debut | 2000[1] |
Harry Francis Smith[1][15] (born August 2, 1985), better known by hisring nameDavey Boy Smith Jr., is a Canadianprofessional wrestler andcatch wrestler. He currently performs forMajor League Wrestling (MLW), where he is a two-timeOpera Cup winner and a former two-timeMLW World Tag Team Champion, andAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a formerTriple Crown Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his time inNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a former three-timeIWGP Tag Team Champion as part of theKiller Elite Squad withLance Archer, as well as being a two-timeGHC Tag Team Champion inPro Wrestling Noah (also alongside Archer) due to NJPW's working relationship with Pro Wrestling Noah. Smith is also known for his time in theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he was a three-timeNWA World Tag Team Champion, andWWE from 2006 until 2011[16] under the ring nameDavid Hart Smith, where he won theUnified Tag Team Championship along withTyson Kidd as part ofThe Hart Dynasty.[7][8] He also performed in WWE's then-developmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) under the ring nameDH Smith.[17] Smith has also appeared forWorld of Sport Wrestling (WOS Wrestling) under the ring nameBritish Bulldog Jr.
He is the son of the late wrestler "The British Bulldog"Davey Boy Smith, andDiana Hart, the youngest daughter of promotersStu Hart andHelen Hart.
Harry Francis Smith was born on August 2, 1985, inCalgary,Alberta, Canada. He is of predominantlyBritish descent through his father, professional wrestlerDavid Smith who was fromGreater Manchester,England, and his motherDiana Hart who belongs to alarge family ofUlster Scot heritage. Smith also hasGreek ancestry through a maternal great-grandmother,[18]Irish ancestry through his maternal great-grandfather, long-distance runnerHarry James Smith,[19] andItalian ancestry through his paternal grandmother.[20]
He has a younger sister namedGeorgia who is avoice over artist and wrestling personality.[21][22]
Smith's mother Diana is aHart family member, being the youngest daughter of wrestlerStu Hart and promoterHelen Hart, thus he is the nephew of her eleven siblings, all of whom have been involved in wrestling in one way or another. His maternal cousinsNatalya Neidhart,Matthew,Teddy,Matt,Bruce Jr. andTorrin Hart, as well as step-cousinMike also wrestle or used to wrestle, whileLindsay is an on-air personality. Smith is close withNatalya as the two lived together as children while their fathers were wrestling as a team.[23] He is also very good friends with her husbandT.J. Wilson whom he shared an apartment with at one point.[22][24] His father's family also have a history in wrestling, his father and his cousinThomas "The Dynamite Kid" Billington wrestledas a tag-team for many years and Billington's daughter Bronwyne is a wrestling valet.[25] He is also second cousin to Dynamite's two nephewsThomas Billington II and Mark Billington II who are wrestlers as well.[26]
Smith began wrestling at the age of eight,[1] he was first trained by his fatherDavey Boy Smith and uncleBruce Hart.[10] Smith started training with Tokyo Joe during high school, crediting the training for preparing him to wrestle in Japan.[27] He made an early appearance with the then World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) on October 5, 1996, at the age of 11 when he teamed with his cousinTed Annis againstTJ Wilson and Andrew Picarnia at a WWFhouse show in Calgary.[1] He also appeared at the conclusion ofIn Your House 16: Canadian Stampede with the rest of the Hart family.[28] He made his professional debut at the age of fifteen at the Rockyford Rodeo, and went on to become a mainstay of the Calgary-basedStampede Wrestlingpromotion. In May 2002, Smith teamed with his father on two occasions, shortly before his father died.[1] Smith was offered a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment in the summer of 2004, but opted to attend college and wrestle in Japan before signing.[1][29]
In 2004, Smith began teaming with TJ Wilson as "The Stampede Bulldogs",[1] a reference to "The British Bulldogs", thetag team composed of his father and his father's first cousin theDynamite Kid.[10] In the same year, Smith formed astable known asThe Hart Foundation Version 2.0 with Wilson,Jack Evans, andTeddy Hart. The Hart Foundation Version 2.0 initially performed in Stampede Wrestling before expanding to theUnited States, where they competed inMajor League Wrestling.
Smith traveled toEngland in January 2006, appearing withOne Pro Wrestling atNo Turning Back on January 6, 2006.[30] Smith was billed as the mystery opponent ofNWA World Heavyweight ChampionJeff Jarrett, ostensibly hand-picked by his uncle,Bret Hart.[1][30]
In January 2005, Smith went on a five-week tour ofJapan, wrestling withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling as "Black Assassin" and suffered a broken hand in the process.[3][1] Later that year, Smith left Stampede Wrestling and wrestled severaldark matches for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE),[1] before embarking upon a second tour of Japan. He returned to Stampede Wrestling in October 2005, and on November 25, 2005, was defeated by T.J. Wilson in the finals of a tournament for the vacant North American Heavyweight Championship.[1]
On April 1, 2006, Smith and several of his relatives attended the induction of Bret Hart into theWWE Hall of Fame.[29] While there, Smith met with WWE executives,John Laurinaitis andCarl De Marco, and signed a developmental contract with on April 4, 2006.[1][29][31] He wrestled dark matches for the company before his debut, defeating wrestlers likeRob Conway andMike Knox, and losing toRandy Orton.[32][33]
Harry debuted inOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW), at the February 14, 2007 television tapings, in a tag team match withKofi Nahaje Kingston, in which they defeated The Belgium Brawler andNicholas Sinn.[34] At the following taping, the duo of Harry and Kofi became collectively known as the Commonwealth Connection and facedLa Résistance in a losing effort.[35] Smith was then sent toDeep South Wrestling (DSW), where he reformed the "Stampede Bulldogs" with T.J. Wilson.[10][36]
After WWE ended its relationship with DSW, Smith moved toFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW).[10] On June 26, Smith won a 21-manbattle royal to become the first everFCW Southern Heavyweight Champion.[10][37][38]
Smith then joined up with his cousins Teddy Hart andNattie Neidhart to form theNext Generation Hart Foundation.[39] They debuted in a six-person mixed tag team match, losing to Mike Kruel,Vladimir Kozlov andMilena Roucka.[39] They were later victorious in a non-title match against theOVW Southern Tag Team Champions, the James Boys.[40] Smith then returned to FCW to form another version of the New Hart Foundation, along with Hart, Wilson andTed DiBiase Jr.[41] He appeared in a winning effort againstCarlito in a dark match during a taping ofRaw in theUnited Kingdom.[42]
On October 16, Smith lost the FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship toAfa Jr.[38][43] He was unable to make the referee's ten count and wascounted out, due to being in the United Kingdom with WWE.[43]
In mid-2006, Smith appeared onRaw, despite not being part of the main roster, in a segment where he and others in the locker room chased awayECW invaders. He then was not seen again on the main roster in over a year.[44]
He made his television debut as "DH Smith" on the October 22, 2007 episode ofRaw, defeating Carlito using his father's trademarkrunning powerslam.[45][46] He dedicated the match to his father.[45] On October 29, Smith andJeff Hardy defeated Carlito andMr. Kennedy.[47]
On November 2, 2007, it was reported that Smith had been suspended for 30 days due to violations of "WWE's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy".[48] Smith returned to the active roster on December 17 by defeatingCharlie Haas onHeat.[32][49] After his return, Smith would wrestle primarily onHeat.[50][51][52]
As part of theWWE Supplemental Draft on June 25, 2008, Smith was drafted to theSmackDown brand.[53] Smith, however, returned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) on August 26, without making his SmackDown debut.[54] He made the decision to return to FCW on a full-time basis so he could mature, and put more effort into developing his in-ring work and his personality.[55] On October 30, Smith won theFCW Florida Tag Team Championship with TJ Wilson, defeatingJoe Hennig andSebastian Slater,[10] but they lost it toTyler Reks andJohnny Curtis on December 11, 2008, at the FCW television taping.[56]
On April 15, 2009, Smith was drafted to theECW brand as part of the2009 Supplemental Draft, without making any appearances on SmackDown.[57] Smith made his ECW debut on May 12, as avillain, attackingFinlay during Finlay's match with Tyson Kidd (TJ Wilson), using the name David Hart Smith.[7] Smith, Kidd and Natalya formed a new version ofThe Hart Foundation, named The Hart Trilogy at first, although on the May 27 episode ofECW, the name was tweaked toThe Hart Dynasty.[58][59] Smith was victorious in his first match for ECW, defeating Finlay on the May 19 episode, with help from Kidd and Natalya.[58]
On June 29, The Hart Dynasty were traded to the SmackDown brand, and entered a feud withCryme Tyme.[60] At theWWE Bragging Rights pay-per-view in October, Smith and Kidd competed in a seven-on-seven tag match withChris Jericho,Kane, Finlay,Matt Hardy andR-Truth as Team SmackDown to defeat Team Raw.[61] In December 2009, they challengedD-Generation X for theUnified WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful.
The Hart Dynasty appeared atWrestleMania XXVI, first competing in a battle royal which was won byYoshi Tatsu then helping Bret Hart during his match againstVince McMahon, and the following night onRaw they defeated the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions ShoMiz (Big Show andThe Miz) in a non-title match at Hart's behest, effectively turning face in the process.[62][63] At theExtreme Rules pay-per-view, Smith and Kidd earned a Unified Tag Team Championship match by defeating ShoMiz in a tag teamgauntlet match (which also included the team ofJohn Morrison andR-Truth and the team ofMontel Vontavious Porter andMark Henry).[64] During the2010 WWE Draft on the April 26 episode ofRaw, The Hart Dynasty, accompanied by Natalya and Hart, defeated ShoMiz to win the Unified Tag Team Championship, when Kidd made The Miz submit to theSharpshooter.[65][66][67]
The following day, all three members of The Hart Dynasty were moved to the Raw brand as part of theSupplemental Draft.[68] On the May 10 episode ofRaw, he was defeated byChris Jericho, granting Jericho and The Miz a shot for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship atOver the Limit, but The Hart Dynasty were able to retain.[69][70] The following night, on May 24, they were attacked byThe Usos (Jimmy and Jey) and Tamina, provoking a feud.[71][72] AtFatal 4-Way, The Hart Dynasty defeated The Usos and Tamina in a six-person mixed tag team match when Natalya pinned Tamina, and Smith and Kidd defeated The Usos atMoney in the Bank to retain the championships when Smith made Jimmy Uso submit to the Sharpshooter.[73][74] AtNight of Champions, The Hart Dynasty lost the WWE Tag Team Championship toCody Rhodes andDrew McIntyre in aTag Team Turmoil match which also involved The Usos,Vladimir Kozlov andSantino Marella, and the team ofEvan Bourne andMark Henry.[75]
After a failed attempt to regain the championship, in which Kidd was pushed off balance during their double-team Hart Attack move, Kidd and Smith began to have a falling out with one another. This culminated on the November 15 episode ofRaw, when Kidd refused to tag in and attacked Smith during a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship againstThe Nexus (Justin Gabriel andHeath Slater).[76] ending their partnership. On the December 2 episode ofWWE Superstars, Smith beat Kidd in a singles match. Afterward, Smith offered to shake Kidd's hand, but Kidd slapped him across the face.[77] On the next episode ofRaw, Kidd defeated Smith in a rematch.[78]
When I was in WWE I lost the passion and when I left WWE, I thought that my career was done.
After losing to Kidd, Smith would be restricted to appearing onSuperstars, mostly participating in tag team matches withYoshi Tatsu orDarren Young.[80] Smith's last match was on the April 28 edition ofSuperstars, where he lost to Zack Ryder.[81] After months of inactivity, Smith was released from his contract with WWE on August 5, 2011.[82] His release (as well as the releases ofChris Masters andVladimir Kozlov) was referenced in aworked shoot moment on the August 8 episode ofRaw byWWE ChampionCM Punk.
On August 20, 2011, Smith, working under his real name, made his return to the independent circuit defeating Dan Maff at Pro Wrestling Syndicate.[83] On August 27, 2011, Smith, working under his real name, made his debut for JapaneseInoki Genome Federation (IGF), losing toHideki Suzuki. On September 3, he teamed withBobby Lashley in a losing effort againstKendo Kashin andKazuyuki Fujita. On November 6, Smith wrestled in the main event of aStampede Wrestling show inBarrie, Ontario,[84] defeatingFit Finlay.[85]
In December 2011, Smith took part inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling'sIndia project,Ring Ka King under the ring name Bulldog Hart.[5] During the first week of tapings, Hart andChavo Guerrero Jr. were crowned the promotion's inauguralTag Team Champions.[86] On January 19, in their first defence of the titles they lost to two members of RDX,Scott Steiner andAbyss.[87] On January 20, Smith teamed up with Chavo, Jwala, Mahabali Veera andMatt Morgan to take on Abyss, Deadly Danda, Scott Steiner,Sir Brutus Magnus andSonjay Dutt in World Cup Of Ring Ka King steel cage match and won.[87]On January 29, 2012, Smith made an appearance forPro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), teaming withDavey Richards in a tag team match, where they were defeated byThe Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson).[88]
On January 13, 2012, Smith defeatedThe Almighty Sheik andKevin Steen to become the first Heavyweight Champion of Resistance Pro Wrestling promotion.[4][89] Over the next few months, Smith would take onRhino in various matches culminating on May 11, in a steel cage match with special refereeRaven which once again Smith would win.[90] However, the title was stripped on October 14, 2012.[91]
On June 28, 2024, Smith challenged Innovative Hybrid Wrestling Champion "The King" JP Simms for the IHW Championship at the Riverview Sunfest.
On August 13, 2012, New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that Smith would be returning to the promotion the following month as a member ofMinoru Suzuki'sSuzuki-gun stable, forming a regular tag team with stablemateLance Archer.[92][93] Smith said that New Japan wanted a huge monster as Archer's partner. Also, he received a good offer from All Japan Pro Wrestling, but he chose NJPW due to the previous relationship.[79] Smith wrestled his return match on September 7, when he, Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki andTaka Michinoku were defeated in an eight-man tag team match byHiroyoshi Tenzan,Satoshi Kojima,Togi Makabe andYuji Nagata, following a disqualification.[94] On September 9, Smith submittedIWGP Tag Team Champion Hiroyoshi Tenzan in another eight-man tag team match, after which he and Archer, dubbing themselvesK.E.S. (Killer Elite Squad), made a challenge for his and Satoshi Kojima's title.[95] On September 24, New Japan renamed Smith "Davey Boy Smith Jr.".[6][96] On October 8 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, K.E.S. defeated Kojima and Tenzan to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[97][98] K.E.S. made their first successful title defense on November 11 atPower Struggle, defeating Tenzan and Kojima in a rematch.[99][100] From November 20 to December 1, K.E.S. took part in theround-robin portion of the2012 World Tag League, finishing with a record of four wins and two losses, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament in the second place in their group.[101][102] On December 2, K.E.S. defeated Always Hypers (Togi Makabe andWataru Inoue) to advance to the finals of the tournament.[103] Later that same day, K.E.S. was defeated in the finals of the 2012 World Tag League by Sword & Guns (Hirooki Goto andKarl Anderson).[103] On January 4, 2013, atWrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, K.E.S. defeated Sword & Guns in a rematch to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[104][105] On February 10 atThe New Beginning, Smith and Archer defeated Tenzan and Kojima for their third successful defense of the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[106] On March 11, Smith entered the2013 New Japan Cup, defeatingIWGP Intercontinental ChampionShinsuke Nakamura in his first round match.[107] Smith's main event win over the former three-timeIWGP Heavyweight Champion was referred to as the biggest of his career.[108] Six days later, Smith advanced to the semifinals of the tournament with a win overYujiro Takahashi.[109] On March 23, Smith was eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by Hirooki Goto.[110] On April 5, Smith and Archer made their fourth successful defense of the IWGP Tag Team Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura andTomohiro Ishii.[111] Two days later atInvasion Attack, Smith unsuccessfully challenged Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[112][113] On April 20, Smith and Archer defeated Ryan Genesis and Scot Summers inHouston,Texas to not only retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship, but to also win theNWA World Tag Team Championship.[114] On May 3 atWrestling Dontaku 2013, K.E.S. lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship back to Tencozy in a four-way match, which also includedTakashi Iizuka andToru Yano, andManabu Nakanishi andStrong Man, though neither Smith nor Archer was involved in the finish.[115][116] K.E.S. received a rematch for the title on June 22 atDominion 6.22 in a three-way match, which also included Iizuka and Yano, but were unable to regain the title, when Kojima pinned Archer for the win.[117][118] On August 1, Smith entered the2013 G1 Climax.[119] The tournament concluded on August 11 with a match, where Smith was defeated by his tag team partner Lance Archer, costing him a spot in the finals and ending his tournament with a record of five wins and four losses.[120][121]
On November 9 atPower Struggle, K.E.S. faced Tencozy andThe IronGodz (Jax Dane and Rob Conway) in a two-fall three-way match. In the first fall, they lost the NWA World Tag Team Championship to Dane and Conway, but came back in the second to defeat Tencozy for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[122][123] From November 24 to December 8, K.E.S. took part in the2013 World Tag League.[124] After winning their round-robin block with a record of five wins and one loss,[125] they were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by their old rivals, Tencozy.[126] On January 4, 2014, atWrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, K.E.S. lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship to the winners of the tournament,Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson).[127][128] K.E.S. received a rematch for the title on February 9 atThe New Beginning in Hiroshima, but were again defeated by Bullet Club.[129][130] On May 25 atBack to the Yokohama Arena, K.E.S. failed to regain the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Tencozy in a three-way match, which also included Rob Conway andWes Brisco.[131] On June 21 atDominion 6.21, K.E.S. received another shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championship, this time in a regular tag team match, but were again defeated by Tencozy.[132] From July 23 to August 8, Smith took part in the2014 G1 Climax, where he finished eighth out of the eleven wrestlers in his block with a record of five wins and five losses, scoring a big win overHiroshi Tanahashi on the final day.[133][134] On October 13 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, K.E.S. defeated Tencozy to regain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[135][136] From November 22 to December 5, K.E.S. took part in the2014 World Tag League.[137] The team finished their block with a record of four wins and three losses, narrowly missing the finals of the tournament.[138]
On January 10, 2015, K.E.S., along with the rest of Suzuki-gun, took part in a major storyline, where the stable invaded aPro Wrestling Noah show. During the attack, K.E.S. beat downGHC Tag Team ChampionsTMDK (Mikey Nicholls andShane Haste).[139][140] This led to a match on February 11, where K.E.S. defeated TMDK to become the new GHC Tag Team Champions.[141] In May, K.E.S. made it to the finals of the2015 Global Tag League, where they were defeated byMasato Tanaka andTakashi Sugiura.[142] After ten successful title defenses, K.E.S. lost the GHC Tag Team Championship toNaomichi Marufuji and Toru Yano on May 28, 2016.[143] K.E.S. regained the title from Marufuji and Yano on November 23.[144] They lost the title toGo Shiozaki andMaybach Taniguchi on December 3.[145] Two days later, it was announced that Suzuki-gun was gone from Noah, concluding the invasion storyline.[146]
The entire Suzuki-gun returned to NJPW on January 5, 2017, attacking the Chaos stable with K.E.S. targeting IWGP Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano.[147][148] On February 5 atThe New Beginning in Sapporo, K.E.S. unsuccessfully challenged Ishii and Yano for the IWGP Tag Team Championship in a three-way match, also involving Togi Makabe andTomoaki Honma.[149] K.E.S. were primed for a run as NJPW's top foreign tag team, but the plan was changed when Archer was forced to undergo surgery on a herniated disc in his back.[150] Following Archer's return to NJPW in August,[151] he and Smith defeatedWar Machine andGuerrillas of Destiny in a three-way tornado tag team match on September 24 atDestruction in Kobe to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the third time.[152] At the end of the year, K.E.S. took part in the2017 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of five wins and two losses, failing to advance to the finals due to losing to block winners Guerrillas of Destiny in their head-to-head match.[153] On January 4, 2018, atWrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome, K.E.S. lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship toLos Ingobernables de Japón (Evil andSanada).[154]
Smith would work in NJPW during the following year, usually in multi-man matches. He lost against Toru Yano in the first round of the 2018 New Japan Cup[155] and faced the IWGP Tag Team ChampionsLos Ingobernables de Japón at Wrestling Honokuni.[156] Smith and Archer participated in the 2018 World Tag League, but they failed to win the tournament. He would lose again against Toru Yano in the first round of the 2019's New Japan Cup.[157] On June 15, 2019, it was reported that Smith would no longer be wrestling for NJPW.[158]
In 2018 Smith begun wrestling forMajor League Wrestling as a member ofNew Era Hart Foundation withTeddy Hart andBrian Pillman Jr. Their first feud was against the team ofRich Swann andA. C. H., whom they defeated on an episode ofFusion resulting in a concussion for Swann. On the November 2, edition ofFusion the Hart Foundation beat ACH, Swann andMarko Stunt in a six-man tag team match.[159] From there they began feuding with theMLW World Tag Team ChampionsLucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. andFenix). On January 2, 2019, it was revealed Smith signed a multi-year deal with Major League Wrestling. In the company's statement, they said he would continue to compete in Japan.[160][161] AtSuperFight on February 2, Smith and Hart defeated Lucha Brothers for the MLW World Tag Team Championship. On July 6, Hart and Pillman Jr. lost the titles to The Dynasty (MJF and Richard Holliday) in a ladder match, which aired on the July 13 episode ofFusion.
On the December 2, 2020 episode ofFusion, Smith lost toLow Ki in the opening round of theOpera Cup. Following his loss, MLW owner Court Bauer announced in a press conference that Smith would be leaving MLW.[162]
On February 12, 2020, Smith would appear live via webcam on an episode ofWWE'sonlinetalk show, The Bump, appearing alongside former tag team partnerTyson Kidd. On March 12, during the After the Bell podcast hosted byCorey Graves, it was announced that Smith's father, The British Bulldog, would be going into the2020 Hall of Fame class, but the event was postponed to the following year due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[163] On April 6, 2021, Smith, along with his family, represented his father at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony by accepting the award on his behalf.[164] After wrestling in a dark match beforeSmackDown on July 16, 2021, it was announced that Smith had signed a contract with WWE.[165] However, he was released on November 4 without appearing on television.[166][167][168]
Smith has since confirmed scrapped plans for his WWE return, he was due to re-debut for the company as "The Stampede Stud" as part of the SmackDown brand, however, after missing several weeks of WWE TV withCOVID-19 he was released before anything could come to fruition.[169]
On March 19, 2022, atCrockett Cup, Smith made his NWA debut asDoug Williams' tag partner defeating Alex Taylor and Rush Freeman in the first round of the Crockett Cup. On March 22, Smith and Williams were defeated byThe Briscoe Brothers in the finals of the Crockett Cup. On June 11, Smith & Doug Williams, now called theCommonwealth Connection defeatedLa Rebelión to win theNWA World Tag Team Championship. On August 27, 2022, Smith and Williams vacated the titles when Smith suffered an illness that prevented him from defending the titles.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. returned toMajor League Wrestling for the first time in two years at theFightland event, teaming withThe Billington Bulldogs (Thomas and Mark Billington) defeating The Bomaye Fight Club (Alex Kane,Myron Reed and Mr. Thomas).[170] Smith defeatedCalvin Tankman in the semifinals[171] andTracy Williams in the finals on the2023 Opera Cup.[172]
On February 29, 2024 atIntimidation Games, Smith andTom Lawlor defeated The Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice and 1 Called Manders) to win the MLW World Tag Team Championship.[173] However, they vacated the titles two months later.[174]
Smith was expected to make hisAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) debut in the 2020 Champion Carnival[175] but was unable to travel to Japan for the show due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[176]
Smith made his AJPW debut on December 31, 2023, where he teamed withHokuto Omori andMinoru Suzuki to defeat Baka No Jidai (Hideki Suzuki,Hikaru Sato, andSuwama). He took part in the 2024 Champion Carnival where he ended with 5 wins and 1 loss, losing the deciding match againstKento Miyahara and getting eliminated.
On November 4, 2024, Smith defeatedYuma Aoyagi to capture theTriple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the first time and his first world championship in a major promotion. He teamed with Kento Miyahara in the Real World Tag League, where they won all their matches to make it to the semi-finals. After defeatingRising HAYATO andYuma Anzai, they lost to the Saito Brothers (Jun and Rei Saito) in the final. On December 31, Smith lost his championship to Jun Saito, ending his reign at 57 days.
Smith became interested inmixed martial arts andsubmission wrestling in 2003 and sought outJohnny Smith, a retired wrestler and Calgary police officer, to teach himlegitimate techniques.[12] He metcatch wrestling legendBilly Robinson, who had also taught his trainer Tokyo Joe, during Smith's first tour withNJPW in 2005.[177][13] He took the opportunity to train under the veteran Robinson inTokyo despite having an injured hand at the time. Robinson would continue to coach and mentor Smith until his passing in 2014.[13] Also in 2005, Smith met catch wrestler,UFC andPancrase championJosh Barnett at an independent show inSeattle, and began training with Barnett when he returned months later.[12] Smith and Barnett later demonstrated techniques with Robinson in a DVD instructional, and Smith became an assistant catch wrestling coach under Robinson in 2011.[178] He has trained with Pancrase co-founderMinoru Suzuki as well.[14] He originally intended to pursue a career in MMA after being released from WWE in 2011 and trained atDave Batista's Gracie Fighter Tampa school.[12]
Smith entered his first submission grappling competition in December 2012, winning the super heavyweight division at aNAGA tournament.[179] In August 2016, he won the expert level super heavyweight division at NAGA in Las Vegas, coached by Barnett andErik Paulson.[180][181] In July 2018, Smith won the heavyweight division at theBilly Robinson Classic catch wrestling tournament, again coached by Barnett.[182][183]
Smith also trained in MMA withJake Hager in 2019.[184]
Smith lists his father, his unclesBret Hart andOwen Hart,Shawn Michaels andChris Benoit as his influences.[21] He also citesTed DiBiase as a big influence.[24] Smith appeared on an episode ofHogan Knows Best, takingBrooke Hogan on akayfabe date.[185]
Smith was involved in a minor controversy oversteroids, when, discussing how his father's drug abuse contributed to his death, Smith commented "I hope to be as big as him someday", leading to concerns over Smith using steroids.[24] Smith claimed that the remarks were taken out of context and that he had learned from his father's mistakes.[24]
On October 16, 2015, Smith announced he acquired the trademark to the "British Bulldog" moniker famously used by his father, and subsequently began wrestling as "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith Jr.[186]
On October 23, 2017, Smith saved the life of a suicidal woman in Calgary by stopping her from jumping off a bridge. He credited his years of grappling experience with being able to pull her away from the edge and pin her down so she was not a danger to herself and others untilemergency services arrived.[187][188]
On April 7, 2018, at a WrestleCon event inNew Orleans,Louisiana, Smith threw a cup of coffee atJake "The Snake" Roberts' face during a verbal argument before fleeing the scene. According to Smith, Roberts refused to apologize for derogatory comments he had recently made toward his late father. Smith was wanted by theNew Orleans Police Department for battery, however, Roberts later dropped the charges after Smith apologized and they spoke in person.[189]
Ahead of their show in Houston, Texas, Davey Boy Smith Jr. made a surprise appearance, working a dark match with Austin Theory against Odyssey Jones and Xyon Quinn (Daniel Vidot).
Harry Smith might get involved in the Orton/Hogan/Brooke angle at some point, as he appears in an episode of "Hogan Knows Best",
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