Davey Boy Smith Jr. On MLW Making Strides, Talks Bringing Hart Foundation Name Into 21st Century

– Davey Boy Smith Jr. spoke with Wrestling Epicenter for a new interview discussing his work in MLW, his Hart Foundation stable, AEW and more. You can check out some highlights and video below per the site:

On his take on the MLW product: “I think MLW is making some great strides. I see improvement every single week with their product. I think it provides something for everybody. If you like hardcore wrestling, if you like shoot style, if you like Lucha Libre style… They bring the best of guys from Mexico, Canada… All over the place. They’ve even brought over some guys from Japan. It is great that I’m able to be a part of MLW. I’ve known (owner) Court Bauer for quite a long time. Court has always been great with me. He’s really given Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman Jr, and myself the green light to go out and do our thing and it has really been an awesome experience.”

On carrying the Hart Foundation name into the 21st century: “Absolutely! Myself, Teddy, and Brian have our ties to the Hart family either by blood or through relationships. It is great to have it live on and to sort of “carry the torch”, as they say. Brian Pillman Jr is doing a great job.”

On Teddy Hart finally making it to a national brand: “Over the years, he has matured and learned from some of the past mistakes that he had made. Now that Court has given him the green light and the opportunity, he’s going full force with it. It was his idea to go with the New Hart Foundation and, since then, we’ve all grown off of it.”

On the progression of the youngest Hart Foundation member, Brian Pillman Jr: “Brian has been doing a great job. He seems to be listening to the advice that myself and Teddy Hart have been giving him. He’s got good guys in his corner like Rip Rogers and Jim Cornette. He’s got other guys too. He’s got a lot of his father’s attributes athletically as well as charasmatically. I’m excited for the future for Brian.”

On the Hart Foundation’s rivals the Dynasty: “You know what? Story line wise, we don’t get along. And, they’re not the ideal type of wrestlers that I would like. But, they are all very talented. I think Hammerstone… I really respect Hammerstone not only because he wants to learn but he has a great physique also. He does a lot of things that impress me like that dropkick that he does off the top rope. He does a lot of things that big guys don’t have to do but he makes that effort. I think MJF is just a genius on the microphone. And, everything he… He and Holliday both do in the ring has meaning and purpose.”

On why he left NJPW this year: “I had my back up against the wall with everything. The thing was, they had complete control. Like, say I went out there, which I was doing, and busted my ass and worked as hard as I could have and put on great performances… But, at the same time, if I had cut my hair like Brian Knobbs, gone out there and wrestled like Nailz or Steve McMichael, it would not have changed anything. Whatever they had in mind, that is the way it was going to go. So, my inspiration and motivation was down towards the very end. There is nothing that I could do because that is just the way they were going to have it. When the new owners came in, Harold Meij, I could see how that things were changing. Like Michael Elgin said (in an interview with us earlier this year), “new toys” kind of quote. They were going in that direction. They were only giving me 4 tours a year and they told me they could not increase KES’ (Killer Elite Squad) workload. There were other things too. I’m actually doing an upcoming event for CMLL with Teddy hart and Brian Pillman Jr. If I were still there (NJPW), they would not have allowed that.”

On rumors of him being offered a spot in Impact Wrestling: “They (NJPW) would not allow me to do stuff with Impact Wrestling. At the same time, I wanted to be exclusive to them (NJPW) but they were only giving me 4 tours a year. That isn’t full time work. So, I had to step away.”

On praise for Michael Elgin: “I hope I have the chance to step in there with him one day soon. I think he’s one of the best guys out there. He’s a real hard worker too.”

On his former KES partner Lance Archer AKA Vance Archer AKA Lance Hoyt: “What the wrestling business is missing right now is big guys. Lance is a big guy. He’s got great size. He’s got great athletic ability. For a guy like him to go up to the top ropes and do a moonsault is pretty damn impressive. Even though he and I have gone our separate ways as a tag team, it is great to see we’re both doing big things for our careers. I know Lance had a really great match with Will Ospreay a couple months ago and just this past weekend, I had a great match with Tom Lawlor at Bloodsport.”

On the Bret Hart Hall of Fame attacker: “He got what he deserved and he should have got more. Bret and Nattie were like sitting ducks in the ring. I can’t believe the guy had the nerve to do that. He’s obviously got mental problems. Other than that, he’s just a complete idiot and looking for attention. Hopefully jail treats him right. That was a really special moment that he took away from my family. Bret was out there to induct my uncle, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. It is a good thing I didn’t get to him sooner because I was really mad. When I went out there, I was almost seeing red. I thought it was almost a work at first. How could this happen? Unfortunately, WWE security should have been on top of things better. Hopefully they learn from this experience and do better next year for the Hall of Fame or whatever. There were no barricades or anything. Lucky the guy didn’t have any weapons on him. Guys like that, you never really know what they’re capable of.”

On his father, The British Bulldog, not being in the WWE Hall of Fame: “You know, i think both he and Owen Hart are both conspicuous by their absence. I do believe he will be in the Hall of Fame eventually. Why he isn’t already, I’m not sure. I wish I had the answers. But, I don’t. I don’t know how the WWE decides who is going in the Hall of Fame this year or next year. I think Jim Neidhart should have been inducted earlier. I’m not sure how they rate things as far as that goes.”

On the birth of AEW: I think it is a good thing because any competition is good competition, right? I think I’m going to be checking out NXT tonight (on USA) and AEW (when it starts on TNT). I think Cody Rhodes is a very smart guy. I think MLW would be a good fit for me. But, I am actually legally contracted to Major League Wrestling. So, I don’t know if I could sign with AEW and work exclusively for them or do appearances for them. I know that MJF is signed to AEW now but is able to do appearances with MLW as well. I would love to do appearances for AEW if Court Bauer and they could work together. But, they’ve been doing some great stuff and I’m really excited to see what AEW has in store for the future.”