Harry Smith and Natalya on British Bulldog’s Hall of Fame Induction, Why It Took So Long, His Importance to UK Wrestling

Speaking with Corey Graves on After the Bell, Harry Smith and Natalya discussed the announcement of Davey Boy Smith’s WWE Hall of Fame induction. As reported earlier, Smith will be inducted in the 2020 class during WrestleMania week and Smith will be inducting his father into the Hall.

Discussing the late inductee, Smith and Natalya (and Tyson Kidd) talked about the Bulldog’s importance to the UK wrestling scene and why it took so long for him to finally be inducted. Highlights and the full podcast are below:

Smith on his father’s induction: “You know, it’s been long overdue, but I’m really excited and glad to be inducting my father into the 2020 Hall of Fame. I mean, it’s something that’s great not only for my family but for the WWE Universe as well. And I’m so excited and jacked up about it.”

Natalya on Davey Boy’s induction: “It feels like the time has never been better. And the fact that you know, we look at how much WWE has grown since the heyday of the British Bulldog. You look at even just English wrestling. And so many people – not just English wrestlers, but so many people in our industry say that it was the British Bulldog that inspired them to want to get to WWE. And they look back on that match that Bret and Davey had at Wembley Stadium in 1992, and they say, ‘That was the match that I watched, that was the match that inspired me to do this.’ And I feel like that’s truly what makes a Hall of Famer, is how much they inspire people. And Davey’s just — his work and his legacy, and being the British Bulldog has just stood the test of time. And he’s still so relevant to the culture of WWE today.”

Smith on the induction taking as long as it did : “I knew it was of course going to happen. It just was a matter of when. And I understand that the Hall of Fame’s not really a race, it’s not going anywhere and they need — we need a certain number of people and stars each year. You can’t just throw everybody in that first year, and then so it was just a matter of which year was gonna be the best fit obviously. And here we ware in 2020, it’s awesome and it’s a long time coming.”

Natalya on Davey Boy’s importance to British wrestling: “There was no bigger British wrestling star than Davey Boy Smith. And you think about again, going back to that match. That iconic match in 1992, Summerslam, Wembley Stadium. It was — I mean, Davey was a rock star. They sold out Wembley Stadium faster than the Michael Jackson concert. And it just, I get goosebumps talking about it, because Davey, with Lennox Lewis walking him out to the ring and my aunt Diana being involved, and this beautiful story with my uncle Bret. Davey was at the pinnacle of his career, but just really — I mean, I don’t know if British wrestling was ever hotter than when the British Bulldog was at his height at that time.”

Smith on his dad’s influence on British wrestlers and fame beyond wrestling: “Yeah, you know, and the amount of influence that my father had on the current and past WWE superstars like myself, and Wade Barrett, and current ones like Finn Balor. I mean, he really influenced a lot of WWE superstars and like you said, he was a household name. You could mention the British Bulldog and not even be a wrestling fan. People have asked me just in passing, and I’ve told them who my father was. And they weren’t necessarily wrestling fans, but they knew the association and the name.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE’s After the Bell with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.