Drew McIntyre & Sheamus Recall Being Inspired By British Bulldog Growing Up

The British Bulldog enters the WWE Hall of Fame tonight, and a couple current stars recalled growing up as big fans of his in Drew McIntyre and Sheamus. McIntyre and Sheamus spoke with Sports Illustrated for a new feature on Davey Boy Smith, who will be posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame at tonight’s show. You can check out highlights below:

McIntyre on being inspired by Smith growing up: “I grew up watching him. He made me think this was something that was possible. For so long I heard, ‘Wrestling, that’s an American thing.’ Seeing the Bulldog and the Union Jack, that gave me hope … The Bulldog was ahead of his time, extremely athletic, and he looked like a superhero. My favorite was Bret Hart, who was always intertwined with him, especially in the Hart Foundation. He brought so much joy to wrestling. Plus, when I was younger, hearing the Bulldog come out to ‘Rule Britannia,’ he made me believe that it was a wrestling song. I remember thinking, ‘Man, the Bulldog is popular; they play his song in church and at public places.’ As a kid, I couldn’t get over that.”

Sheamus on being a big fan of Smith: “Even though he’s British and I’m Irish, and there’s a big rivalry between the Brits and the Irish, I always loved the Bulldog. I loved the Bulldog, especially in his days with Dynamite Kid … When WWE came to Dublin, I was so excited to see the British Bulldog. We didn’t get Hogan or the Warrior, but we got the Bulldog. He was in the main event against Ted DiBiase, and I remember thinking that match was incredible. I was always a Bret Hart fan, so I loved when they were together in the Hart Foundation. He showed an entirely different side to his work when he teamed with Owen, too. Technically sound, he was a joy to work. And he showed it wasn’t just American wrestlers that could do this.”