Davey Boy Smith talks about returning to MLW, working with the Billington Bulldogs, and more.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. recently returned to Major League wrestling as MLW is once again entering a new era with the return of MLW Underground and a new partnership with REELZ.
Speaking with Sean Ross Sapp in a recent interview, the son of the British Bulldog reflected on his early days with the company back when he was 17 years old and reflected on how he has grown and how the promotion as well.
Davey tells Fightful that he views Major League Wrestling as his home promotion.
"I’m certainly excited and glad to be back with Major League Wrestling. As well, I always have a special place in my heart for Major League Wrestling," he said. "It was my first independent pro wrestling event in the United States I worked for, a 17-year-old kid from Calgary, doing my chemistry homework on the plane along with Teddy Hart, TJ Wilson, and Jack Evans. Mr. Saint Laurent and Court Bauer reached out to me about returning and it just felt like the right thing to do. Schedule-wise, I’ve been content. I enjoy being home more. MLW’s schedule is a lot less and seems to be where I have a lot of creative input, and [is] really the right place for me. MSL and Court have been great to me over the years and really have given me a great opportunity, said that the doors are open for me to come back and it’s been really great so far. I’ve brought along my cousins from the UK, the Billington Bulldogs. We’ve been having a blast ever since. I like to consider MLW my home."
Not only is MLW the home of Davey Boy Smith Jr., but MLW houses several second and third-generation talents including Ross and Marshall Von Erich and Jacob Fatu. Smith was very complimentary of all of the legacy talent in MLW when speaking with Fightful.
"Absolutely. You got guys like the Von Erichs, they’re a couple of great talents as well. Jacob Fatu, he’s quite a specimen. The guy is athletic as hell, and those Samoans are all-natural wrestlers. What else can I say? They’re great. Myself and the Billington Bulldogs coming into MLW as well. Court’s given us a really great foundation and great platform to showcase our skills. So it’s been great," Smith said.
Speaking about his relationship with Tom and Mark Billington, Davey Boy Smith Jr. admitted that he didn't have a very close relationship with them at first. Smith was keeping track of their progress through social media until one day he saw their growth. Davey Boy says they need more experience but are coming along well.
"I hadn’t seen them since 2014. So they were young kids and I was keeping in touch with them on social media and through their Instagram and Facebook pages with their father Mark," said Davey Boy. "I’d seen their progress and I thought, ‘Wow. They went and took a quantum leap with their skills.’ It started to get them really good experience. They had a great coach with Marty Jones, as well. So I didn’t necessarily have a super close relationship, would have just been when I would visit, they’d pop in and say hi. Then the next thing I know I see them on Instagram, coming off the ropes with dropkicks and headbutts and stuff. They came to Calgary, they decided to stay for a while and work with some of the local circuits here. Which is good, it gets them experience. I trained with them a couple of times and their basics are all pretty good. They just need experience. They’re still young so they haven’t filled out. So just keep training, they’ll keep doing better and also staying safe."
Fans can follow the progress of Davey Boy Smith, The Billington Bulldogs, the Von Erichs, and all of the great second-generation talent in MLW as MLW Underground airs every Tuesday on REELZ at 10 PM ET.
Fightful has coverage of all MLW events in our results section.
