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1
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I see people who emulate him.
2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,560
But in my mind,
nobody did it better than Tommy.
3
00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:09,040
The Dynamite Kid, baby.
4
00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,280
The beginning of the modern wrestler.
5
00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,120
My mom told me,
"Your dad was the best."
6
00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,120
On the top! Oh, my!
7
00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,240
What I was most impressed with
was how explosive he was.
8
00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:25,240
With extraordinary agility
and technical mastery,
9
00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,640
Dynamite Kid
took the wrestling world by storm.
10
00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,680
His need to be the best was fueled
by an intense desire
11
00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,360
to overcome his stature by pushing
his body to dangerous extremes.
12
00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,000
When Tommy found himself
in the land of giants,
13
00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:43,640
the way to stand out was to make
his style more realistic,
14
00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,360
harder hitting, than anybody else's.
15
00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,520
You really got banged up, Dynamite.
16
00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,320
It's a dog-eat-dog world.
17
00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:54,520
There's things you can do
that will destroy your body.
18
00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:56,240
And he did. Young.
19
00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,120
That's the willingness
to sacrifice for your art,
20
00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:01,400
which Tommy took to an extreme.
21
00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:06,640
Debilitating injuries, steroids,
and a dependency on painkillers
22
00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,960
made Dynamite an increasing threat
to himself and those around him.
23
00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,600
I'm telling you, he did
a complete personality change.
24
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There was a lot of questions
about his character.
25
00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,920
He probably had the worst case
of little man syndrome in history.
26
00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,200
We all knew not to push his buttons
or we would feel his wrath.
27
00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,520
We'll wrestle you.
We'll embarrass you, humiliate you.
28
00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,720
He really punched me,
and kicked me in the face.
29
00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,640
-Like a monster.
-He did terrible things. To me.
30
00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:39,320
But that was, like,
a small chunk of it.
31
00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:44,760
I can't imagine what it was like
for her, having a gun at your head.
32
00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:50,800
Everybody else who did way worse,
they get accolades. Tom doesn't.
33
00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,720
I can still watch his matches
and enjoy them.
34
00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,960
But, people still praise him publicly
and it's like, I can't do it.
35
00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,720
He sacrificed his body, his family,
everything, for wrestling.
36
00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:14,440
The Dynamite Kid's impact? Gigantic.
37
00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,920
He left an unbelievable,
permanent mark on the business.
38
00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,880
And, for the most part,
a positive one.
39
00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,920
I'm Lance Storm,
a pro wrestler for 30 years.
40
00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,200
28-year-old Lance Storm!
41
00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:32,800
If you're a fan of wrestling today
with the faster pace, higher impact.
42
00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,840
that's attributed to Dynamite.
43
00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,080
The Dynamite Kid!
44
00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,160
And all those guys in Stampede,
you know, Bret Hart.
45
00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,120
Bret Hart, there's your opponent
for next week.
46
00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,920
Oh, he... They're both over the top!
47
00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:47,760
Wrestling and the Stampede,
48
00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:50,760
those are the two things
that Calgary's famous for.
49
00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:53,920
My name's Michelle Billington.
50
00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,160
I was married to the Dynamite Kid.
51
00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,960
One day, when my sister Julie
and I first came to Calgary,
52
00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,960
Julie saw Bret and she was like,
"Who's that guy? Oh, my god."
53
00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,080
And it was love at first sight,
for both of them.
54
00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,840
I'm Julie Hart, the former wife
of Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
55
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,920
And sister of Michelle Billington.
I kinda took Michelle under my wing.
56
00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,960
I've always been very protective
of her, her whole life.
57
00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,040
Julie was more like a mother
to me than my mother.
58
00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,200
She was my hero.
59
00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:28,040
I started living with them and,
60
00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,920
when I first saw Tom in the ring,
it was with Bret.
61
00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,280
They were incredible matches.
62
00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,120
Tom was like a ping pong ball,
flying around.
63
00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:37,840
Oh, survivor!
64
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,480
When Tom wasn't wrestling,
65
00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,280
he would talk to me,
and I would just, like,
66
00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,760
surreptitiously, like,
"Hey, how's it going? Good match."
67
00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,240
And he's like,
"Yeah, thank you."
68
00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,280
We went for a walk
and it was so romantic.
69
00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,720
Like, it was that big fluffy snow
that was coming down,
70
00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,760
and it was like a blanket of diamonds
71
00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,240
and I thought he was so exotic
'cause of his English accent.
72
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,120
So, I had this big
73
00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:08,800
romantic idea of that suave,
debonair Englishman.
74
00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,680
I was 18 when he married me.
75
00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:14,720
So, let's read this one.
76
00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,320
"Michelle, I can tell you a secret
now because we're married.
77
00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,720
I think that you will believe me.
78
00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:25,200
The next thing on my mind is that
we will have some babies."
79
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:26,760
Bronwyne!
80
00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,120
"But only when you are ready.
81
00:04:30,280 --> 00:04:33,280
I wish that is soon,
because when
82
00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,560
I'm on the road,
the babies can look after you.
83
00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:42,600
I love you more than ever.
Your ever-loving yard dog, Tom."
84
00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:47,440
And he didn't hold Bronwyne
until she could walk.
85
00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,120
Like, he didn't pick her up
86
00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:52,560
'cause he was so scared to drop her
or hurt her.
87
00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:55,720
I'm Bronwyne Billington.
88
00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,640
Eldest daughter of the Dynamite Kid.
89
00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,360
We had a ring in our backyard,
so he'd be training his friends
90
00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,840
or wrestling with his buddies,
and we used to play in there.
91
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,520
I remember being backstage
at the shows.
92
00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:14,040
Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth.
They loved me for some reason.
93
00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,800
I just wanted to hang out
with them, really.
94
00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,640
My dad was a really funny, goofy guy.
95
00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,360
This woman is mean.
She's lean.
96
00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:27,160
She's 205 pounds of fighting fury.
17-inch biceps, 95-inch legs.
97
00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:29,240
She's muscle, steel and sex appeal.
98
00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,600
He had no teeth at one point.
99
00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:34,760
He had the retainer teeth,
and he'd pull them out
100
00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:36,720
and do magic tricks on me.
101
00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,960
If you look at the pictures
with Dad and I, growing up,
102
00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,760
he was always holding my hand
really tight.
103
00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,680
That's a sign of how much
he loved his daughter.
104
00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:48,200
When I was younger,
my mom would tell me,
105
00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,440
"Oh, you're so much like your dad,"
106
00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:52,520
because I learned how to do flips.
107
00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,120
I thought he could fly.
Like, I've never seen
108
00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:57,040
a wrestler that could do that.
109
00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:03,000
I'm Amaris Billington.
Dynamite Kid's youngest daughter.
110
00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:05,680
I'm so proud of who he was
in his career.
111
00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:08,520
He didn't care if someone said,
"You're too small."
112
00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,920
He's like, "Watch me."
113
00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:14,320
By the 1980s, The Dynamite Kid
114
00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:18,960
is not only one of Stampede
Wrestling's top performers,
115
00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:25,360
he's catapulted himself
to stardom around the globe.
116
00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:30,520
Some great matches took place
in front of small crowds in Japan.
117
00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:32,720
My name is Mick Foley.
118
00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,320
I wrestled from 1985 through 2000
and made several comebacks.
119
00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:39,640
There was a series of moves
that he did
120
00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,120
with Satoru Sayama,
the original Tiger Mask.
121
00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:45,000
And it looked like magic.
122
00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:51,040
It wasn't what they did, it was
the speed with which they did it.
123
00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,400
And the excellence of execution,
that was amazing.
124
00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,240
I perused that on VHS tape
the way that most young men
125
00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,360
of my generation perused
the Phoebe Cates topless scene
126
00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:03,960
in Ridgemont High.
127
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:09,720
I rewound it and slow-motioned it
so often that it just, it broke.
128
00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:11,280
Oh, wow!
129
00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:15,080
The in-ring product we see today
starts with him and Tiger Mask.
130
00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,680
Dave Meltzer, editor
of the Wrestling Observer.
131
00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,000
I do podcasts
at wrestlingobserver.com.
132
00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:24,320
There's no Jushin Liger without
Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid.
133
00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,760
That opens the door for Guerrero,
Benoit, and Hart,
134
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:31,040
and all of these different guys
who came after him.
135
00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:33,600
He had a chip
on his shoulder, size-wise.
136
00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,080
He wanted to be the best.
At his size, you had to over-perform
137
00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,240
because it was not what wrestling
became years later
138
00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:41,800
where size didn't matter.
139
00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,640
If you were looking for illusions,
Tommy was a bunch of things,
140
00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:49,680
but not a magician.
141
00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,640
If it looked like it hurt,
it's probably because it did.
142
00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:56,160
It was amazing to see.
But in hindsight,
143
00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,920
it's like, he just had no regard
for his body.
144
00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:08,360
In 1984, the Dynamite Kid's
fearlessness in the ring pays off
145
00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:12,920
as he signs with the WWF,
joining cousin Davey Boy Smith,
146
00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:16,320
brother-in-law Bret Hart,
and Jim "The Anvil" Niedhart.
147
00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:18,120
To compete at the top,
148
00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,800
Tom continues
to push the limits of his body.
149
00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:26,960
Tom's physical changes came
once he went to WWE.
150
00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:30,680
You know, he'd been doing
a lot of steroids at the time.
151
00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:33,960
The Dynamite Kid!
152
00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:36,960
Physically, describe Tommy
as one big muscle.
153
00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:41,520
He was like Mighty Mouse.
This guy had striations in his butt.
154
00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:44,240
Muscles just ripping out of his ass.
155
00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:46,720
The guy was nothing
but a pure muscle.
156
00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,120
The name is Dan Spivey.
I'm a friend of Dynamite Kid's.
157
00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:53,120
Danny Spivey, of course...
158
00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:57,160
People will pay to see a bunch
of muscular guys beat on each other.
159
00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,000
Oh, yeah, we talked about steroids
and did steroids, you know.
160
00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,040
Everybody was taking them.
161
00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:09,600
My name's Gary Portz. I came over to
America and started wrestling, 1978.
162
00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:12,040
And I met Dynamite Kid.
163
00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,520
Scott McGee! Here he comes.
164
00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:19,800
We got along, Danny, myself,
and Dynamite.
165
00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,360
Every day was Christmas.
Every day was like a party.
166
00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:27,520
People would come to one room
and give each other shots and stuff,
167
00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:31,680
and throw the needles into the wall,
like a dartboard. And leave 'em.
168
00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,640
Me and Danny, one time we woke up,
169
00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:41,760
I looked at a wall and there must
have been 10 needles stuck in it.
170
00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:46,560
I mean, who does that?
Dumbass wrestlers, you know.
171
00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:48,560
With his new muscular physique,
172
00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:53,320
Dynamite's explosiveness in the ring
makes him a breakout star at WWF.
173
00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:57,480
By 1985, he and his tag partner
Davey Boy Smith
174
00:09:57,640 --> 00:09:59,640
are packing arenas nationwide.
175
00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,160
Here are the British Bulldogs!
176
00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:04,920
Davey was his cousin,
177
00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,680
who, in many ways, emulated him.
Same look.
178
00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,760
People went crazy because...
because they were great.
179
00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:13,760
Davey Boy and Dynamite!
180
00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:18,280
A much harder, faster style
than almost everybody else there.
181
00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:23,040
We all wanted to be the Bulldogs.
They were gods of wrestling.
182
00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:25,640
I remember Dynamite doing
that fast suplex.
183
00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:27,480
Snap suplex!
184
00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,840
Like, boom, you were gone.
Boy, before you knew it.
185
00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:32,520
My name is Jacques Rougeau.
186
00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:35,160
For 41 years,
I was a professional wrestler.
187
00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:37,880
I was the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers
with my bro.
188
00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:40,040
Fabulous Rougeau Brothers.
189
00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:42,160
The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers.
190
00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,400
I remember Dynamite Kid
walking in the dressing room
191
00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:47,840
with a needle in his butt.
192
00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,480
Needle's going like this,
and he'd go,
193
00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:52,880
"I'm gonna have
a good fucking match!"
194
00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:58,600
And you know, he was like a beast.
And so, I was afraid of him.
195
00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:00,880
I was afraid of those kind of guys.
196
00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:02,360
Look out!
197
00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:06,080
After years of self-sacrifice
and physical strain,
198
00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:10,720
Tom earns a championship victory
with Davey Boy at WrestleMania II.
199
00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,960
Tag team champions!
The British Bulldogs!
200
00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:16,880
At the top of the pecking order,
201
00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,040
Tom is hell-bent on putting
up and coming wrestlers
202
00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,840
through the same hard knocks
he was once forced to endure.
203
00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,320
He was a product
of Wigan's Snake Pit.
204
00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,400
Guys who knew how to hurt you.
205
00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:32,720
And, I don't know but I'm assuming,
206
00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:34,440
Tommy took a beating.
207
00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:39,240
And I think it created in him
a resiliency, and also, maybe,
208
00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,760
a bit of bitterness to people
who hadn't endured what he had
209
00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,680
to make it through.
And I found that out firsthand.
210
00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:48,760
From Bloomington, Indiana...
211
00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:53,520
I showed up in Providence
with all of one match to my credit.
212
00:11:53,680 --> 00:11:55,120
Jack Foley!
213
00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,240
Me and Les
against The British Bulldogs.
214
00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:04,880
I was excited. I'm in the ring with,
you know, one of my heroes, Tommy.
215
00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:06,640
Tremendous affection!
216
00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,840
I came in and I got
a very, very quick education.
217
00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,560
Dynamite shook the ropes like
he couldn't wait to get in.
218
00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,800
And when he was tagged in,
he sent me into the ropes,
219
00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:23,520
and he didn't so much clothesline me
as club me with his bicep.
220
00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:25,440
Oh, wow!
221
00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:30,360
And that was the last time
I ate solid food for three weeks.
222
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,480
I didn't know it,
but he had dislocated my jaw.
223
00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,760
Almost lost my career
because of that.
224
00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:39,560
No hard feelings.
225
00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,040
I said, "It was such an honor."
226
00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,040
Shook their hands,
227
00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,800
went back to my hotel room
and threw up.
228
00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:52,000
Tom's appetite for violence
soon spreads into the locker room,
229
00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,840
and eventually, into his home life,
230
00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,760
setting off events
that shatter his career,
231
00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,400
his marriage,
and ultimately, his legacy.
232
00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:06,600
So, this is the matching cape
and vest
233
00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:11,800
my dad wore in WWF
in the British Bulldogs tag team.
234
00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,360
It has his name on the inside.
Well, it says, "Kid".
235
00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,960
These were the original Bulldogs
from when I was little.
236
00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,240
-I played Barbies with those.
-These were our Ken dolls.
237
00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:26,520
From England, The British Bulldogs!
238
00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:31,760
I really loved the Bulldogs.
But I saw a few things happen that...
239
00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:35,520
Changed my opinion.
240
00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:41,720
He was a ribber. He gave people
a hard time, you know, jokingly.
241
00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,200
Some people wouldn't think
it was jokingly.
242
00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:46,440
Some of the stuff was pretty stiff.
243
00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,360
He used to love to Halcion people.
244
00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:53,160
One time, he Halcion'd on my mother.
245
00:13:55,120 --> 00:14:00,560
Put a sleeping drug in their drinks.
There was a guy called Mitch.
246
00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:02,200
Snow.
247
00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:04,120
Our first look at Mitch Snow.
248
00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,080
And the kid had a big mouth.
He'd just talk shit.
249
00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,880
So, Tommy gave him
the Halcion gimmick.
250
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,600
Dynamite and Davey Boy
went on the balcony...
251
00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:21,000
to get into his room.
252
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,080
And they crapped in his bag.
253
00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:30,080
Shaved his eyebrows.
They shaved his head.
254
00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:33,360
The kid went back to his home
in South Carolina somewhere,
255
00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,160
in fear of his life.
256
00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,000
I think he almost had
a nervous breakdown.
257
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:42,040
It's supposed to be a joke and it's
supposed to make people laugh.
258
00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,840
It's funny now, but not
when you're 23 days on the road.
259
00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,160
When you lost your bags
that week.
260
00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,480
When you haven't seen
your kid in weeks.
261
00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:52,160
It's not funny, or easy.
262
00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,640
He wasn't like that when I
started going out with him.
263
00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,120
Or in our first five years
in our marriage.
264
00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:01,560
There was none of that
sadistic behavior.
265
00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,720
It started happening
after his back operation.
266
00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:08,400
During a non-televised match
in 1986,
267
00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,240
Dynamite does a seemingly
harmless drop down.
268
00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,880
After years of being pushed
past its limits,
269
00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:17,320
Dynamite's body
finally breaks down.
270
00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:22,320
Tom is rushed to the hospital
with a severe back injury
271
00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,360
requiring
immediate emergency surgery.
272
00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:29,600
When they opened him, his fourth
and fifth lumbar was shredded.
273
00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:34,200
And his discs were all tangled
in his spinal cord.
274
00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,120
-So they removed the discs, right?
-Two discs.
275
00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:41,040
He wasn't supposed to work anymore,
you know, after the surgery.
276
00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,680
And he was back in the ring
two weeks later.
277
00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,640
Vince needed to take the titles
off of him. He could not wrestle.
278
00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,040
Davey carried him to the ring,
off-camera.
279
00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,240
The television audience
never saw this.
280
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,600
I think he gets hit by the megaphone,
taken out right away.
281
00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:00,560
Jimmy Hart on the other side,
282
00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:02,840
just striking Dynamite Kid
from behind!
283
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,000
Davey worked the belts off of 'em.
284
00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,000
-No, no, no!
-One, two, three!
285
00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:11,600
New tag team champions!
286
00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:13,840
He got carried back to my car.
287
00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,200
At my house,
he went in the wheelchair
288
00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:21,000
and stayed with me
for a couple of days.
289
00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:23,920
He'd sleep on the floor,
not because I had no bed,
290
00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,800
but because that was the most
comfortable place for him.
291
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:33,880
My wife used to hear him crying,
crying, in the middle of the night.
292
00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,720
It was like a, a whimper.
293
00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,480
I can't imagine
how much pain he was in.
294
00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:44,200
Contrary to doctor's orders,
295
00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:48,440
Dynamite rushes a return to the ring
just months after the surgery.
296
00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:53,520
Wrestling in agony, his temper
begins to spiral out of control,
297
00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:55,480
creating chaos at home.
298
00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,120
When times were good with
Michelle and Tom, that was good.
299
00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,560
But did you ever see times when
they were bad between them?
300
00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:12,440
Yeah. I seen it.
301
00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:17,280
One night, he took me out
to show me a nice time.
302
00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:21,360
I didn't want to drink, so instead
of saying, "I'm not drinking,"
303
00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:23,880
because that would have been
like a diss,
304
00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:28,560
I ordered a tonic water and put lemon
in it like it was a vodka tonic.
305
00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:30,320
He grabbed it, drank it,
306
00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,120
and he just spit it out,
as if it was poison.
307
00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,280
"What the fuck is this?"
I was like, "Tonic water."
308
00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:39,920
And he was like, "Tonic water!
You're drinking tonic water?"
309
00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:43,560
He just wouldn't let it go.
Like, he was so mad.
310
00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:47,040
And all the way home,
he was playing chicken on the road.
311
00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:50,680
A car would be coming and he'd act
like he's gonna hit the car.
312
00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:53,200
"How could you lie to me?"
And I was like,
313
00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,280
"I just didn't want to drink?
What's the big deal?"
314
00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:00,240
When we got home, I'm about
to go to sleep and he's like,
315
00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,000
"Fucking get up!"
And I was like, "What, what?"
316
00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:05,840
He's like, "Get up, get up!"
317
00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:09,560
Then he shoved me in a closet.
318
00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,600
"You fucking stay in there,
you little yard dog."
319
00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:18,080
I just, I slept on the floor
in there.
320
00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:22,600
And I was glad he wasn't bugging me.
Like, "I'll sleep in the closet."
321
00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:28,040
Anyway, I find out I'm pregnant
with our son.
322
00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:33,120
So, after Marek was born, he was,
you know, going to great lengths
323
00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:35,880
for what he did
in the closet incident.
324
00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:41,680
And Marek was such a difficult child.
Like, he was really high maintenance.
325
00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:43,560
But Tom was so patient.
326
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:48,280
I think he really wanted
to make up for that with Marek.
327
00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:50,120
But that didn't last.
328
00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:54,960
Dynamite Kid's home and work life
have become increasingly volatile.
329
00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:57,720
After being forced to surrender
the championship,
330
00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:02,440
Tom vents his rage on another
rising tag team in the WWF.
331
00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,680
Vince called the Bulldogs
and Rougeaus.
332
00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,800
"Guys, I'd like to go ahead
and have a great match with you
333
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:11,280
and I'd like to have
a 20-minute Broadway."
334
00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:16,840
The time event has expired.
This contest is ruled a draw.
335
00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,120
It was a draw.
So, for me, that was a victory.
336
00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:22,960
As if we were in their league,
which we were not.
337
00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:28,400
After that match, I was so happy
and everything was good,
338
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:32,640
and I never thought I'd encounter
problems with the Bulldogs.
339
00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:34,840
Can you just tell us
340
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,680
what your understanding
of the incident was?
341
00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:42,120
The Rougeau thing? I'm tired of it.
I don't want to hear about it.
342
00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,920
Like, is that the only thing
that ever happened to him?
343
00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,320
When the Rougeaus came to WWF,
344
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:53,560
they had this prestige right away.
Tom had the old school way.
345
00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,600
You earn your right
to have privilege.
346
00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:01,480
I've always had an arrogance in me
that made me succeed.
347
00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:05,320
Never was a mean person,
but I talked and joked a lot,
348
00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,120
and not everybody
liked to hear jokes, you know?
349
00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:10,440
And that may not have helped
my cause.
350
00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,440
I walked in the dressing room.
351
00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,400
Perfect was sitting
at the other end of the room,
352
00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:20,880
against the wall.
353
00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:23,720
As soon as I walked in,
"Hey, let's play cards!"
354
00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,400
And he knew he got me
because I'm a card player.
355
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,320
Next thing you know, it's like, pow!
356
00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:34,480
And I fell down.
357
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:39,600
I got back up and then he really
punched me in the face.
358
00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,000
Then he kicked me in the face.
359
00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:46,760
I looked like the Elephant Man.
360
00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,800
Made him look bad in front of
the guys. He told Mr. McMahon
361
00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:58,560
after the fact.
Like, he could no longer shave
362
00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:00,960
because he couldn't look at himself.
363
00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:04,000
I was in bad shape,
mentally more than physically.
364
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,160
I didn't want to do what was coming.
I knew I had to.
365
00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,960
-What do you mean?
-Get revenge.
366
00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:14,120
In the days following
Tom's brutal locker room assault,
367
00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,520
Jacques Rougeau anxiously plans
his retaliation.
368
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:19,640
I lost 10 pounds during that week,
369
00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,080
Wednesday to Sunday.
I couldn't eat.
370
00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:24,680
I was throwing up every time
I had to fight.
371
00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:28,840
I wasn't sleeping well.
I was afraid of what was coming.
372
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,360
Jacques was not
a tough street fighter or anything.
373
00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,680
He just felt that he needed
to get his respect back.
374
00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:37,400
Know what my father said?
375
00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:41,520
"Before going to the building
tomorrow, go to the bank.
376
00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:44,400
And get yourself a roll of quarters."
377
00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,400
Just hours before
a television taping,
378
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,480
Jacques lies in wait
for Dynamite's arrival at the arena.
379
00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:54,480
I saw that curtain open.
380
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:57,240
I know Dynamite's coming.
381
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:01,320
For the first time in a week,
I looked at him.
382
00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:05,480
And I said, "Hey, how ya doing?"
383
00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:07,920
He had a coffee in his hand
and he went...
384
00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:11,600
And I went.
385
00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:17,760
When you're young
and you see monster movies,
386
00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:23,080
where the blood is throwing out,
like a river? It's true.
387
00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,240
Four teeth came out.
388
00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:32,520
And then I remember Dynamite Kid,
389
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:36,280
"I'm gonna fuck you!
I'm gonna fuck you up!"
390
00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:41,800
Then I said, "The next time I'm gonna
put you in a fucking wheelchair!"
391
00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,200
Was it a roll of quarters?
Don't think so.
392
00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:50,520
I think it was
a pair of brass knuckles.
393
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,960
I just didn't think what Tom had done
394
00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:56,960
deserved
getting his teeth knocked out.
395
00:22:57,120 --> 00:23:00,120
Tommy couldn't handle it.
It bothered Tommy.
396
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:01,880
His reputation was damaged.
397
00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:04,480
I mean,
the guy that's tougher than nails
398
00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,120
get physically abused like that.
399
00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:12,480
He wanted to beat the shit out
of him, and then some, probably.
400
00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,640
Tom's plan for revenge
comes to a halt.
401
00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:17,520
Well, there's Dino!
402
00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:21,240
As Dino Bravo, a wrestler with
alleged ties to organized crime
403
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:23,200
gives him a cautionary warning.
404
00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:28,840
Tom bought a 9mm handgun
with a clip for me.
405
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,520
I was like, "I don't want that gun."
Like, I was so scared of it.
406
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:34,880
He goes,
"I don't want to scare you.
407
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:40,360
I talked to Dino Bravo." He said he
saw an envelope with Tom's name,
408
00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:44,640
our address, and inside of it
had a picture of our house,
409
00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,880
me and the kids, like,
"If there's any retaliation,
410
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,880
like, anything,
your family's gonna be dead."
411
00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:58,880
We sold our house 'cause
we were worried that the mafia,
412
00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,520
they knew where we lived
and everything.
413
00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:03,440
Jacques got his respect back.
414
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:07,360
Dynamite never was allowed
to get his respect back, I suppose.
415
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:12,120
His life was never the same.
He was never the same guy.
416
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:14,440
Dynamite's ex-wife says
417
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,000
Dynamite didn't get revenge
because they feared the mob.
418
00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:22,280
Is this... have you heard this
before? Is that true?
419
00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:26,640
That is funny. But there's something
I gotta tell you guys.
420
00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,720
I forgot about that.
Now you're bringing it back.
421
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,480
I didn't like Dino Bravo,
but I knew he was a stooge.
422
00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:37,360
A stooge for the Bulldogs.
423
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,680
That whatever I said to him,
he'd bring to them.
424
00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:44,120
I took a piece of paper
and I wrote a name down.
425
00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,760
I wrote a fictive name,
an invented name.
426
00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,080
And I told Dino, I said,
427
00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,400
"You see this name here?
I gotta call him every night.
428
00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:58,680
If I don't call him one night,
things will be taken care of."
429
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:02,400
And I'm glad to hear that it worked.
430
00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:11,320
Finding out about the mafia
possibly coming to kill his wife,
431
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,800
that really made him not want to be
a part of that company anymore.
432
00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,840
At the 1988 Survivor Series
Pay Per View event,
433
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,960
Tom decides to end his career
in the WWF.
434
00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:26,600
Don't think Dynamite
was ever happy in WWF.
435
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,240
He liked the respect in Japan,
so it was like,
436
00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:31,880
we can cut a deal there,
get away from this.
437
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,160
Tommy was really hurting
on that tour in Japan.
438
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:39,680
But you'd never have known,
439
00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,640
because he was still giving
100 percent.
440
00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:49,280
Yeah, he started to say his,
his arm was "bothering him".
441
00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:54,520
But later I found out his ligaments
weren't even on the bone.
442
00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,920
He got his shoulder operated on.
It was terrible.
443
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:01,760
About a week later,
444
00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:05,680
he was upset with me 'cause my
girlfriend came over and he was like,
445
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:08,920
"You're just talking to Sandra.
You don't care about me."
446
00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:10,880
And I was like, "Yes, I do, Tom."
447
00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:14,560
He starts going...
448
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:18,400
He takes his supporting
arm band thing off.
449
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:22,800
I was like, "Stop it!" He's like...
I was like, "Stop it!
450
00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,160
All the shit we've been through
and you're like
451
00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:30,600
trying to set us back
and wreck your arm?"
452
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:36,320
I didn't understand, like,
what the hell?
453
00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:43,200
With countless injuries from years
of self-inflicted abuse in the ring,
454
00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:45,800
Tom's best days
are now behind him.
455
00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:51,560
Tom was slipping deeper and deeper,
I'd say, into pills and drinking.
456
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:56,040
This one night, he invited me to come
and watch wrestling.
457
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:03,000
It was hours watching him
and Tiger Mask.
458
00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,600
He said, "Watch this.
Took a 'F' of a bump."
459
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,360
Just him and Tiger Mask,
all night long.
460
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:16,480
That's my last memory of Tom,
being with him and watching...
461
00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:20,680
the end of greatness.
462
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:28,680
Do you think, after the incident,
463
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,800
something changed emotionally
for Tom?
464
00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:35,400
Well, after that,
he hit quite a few other people.
465
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:39,080
He... They broke a few jaws.
466
00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:42,920
It was New Year's Eve.
467
00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:46,120
It was about 10 o'clock,
and Tom came in with his brother
468
00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:50,080
and a couple of friends
that he went out with.
469
00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:55,160
And he had this white sweatshirt on,
and it was just full of blood.
470
00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:59,120
And his cheek is cut,
and it's just the flap, it's open.
471
00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:00,760
You see his cheekbone.
472
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:03,720
And he's got his sunglasses on.
473
00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,720
Like, Bronwyne's crying,
"Daddy, what happened?"
474
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,480
I was scared.
"What happened to Daddy?"
475
00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:14,960
He's like, "I fucking fell down,
little girl. Daddy's gonna be okay."
476
00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:18,680
Bronwyne never saw this stuff,
but she was seeing it.
477
00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:20,360
And I was like, oh, my God.
478
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:22,920
I felt like such a failure,
as a mother.
479
00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,920
Now I'm pregnant, bringing another
child into this horrible life.
480
00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:28,800
I couldn't take it anymore.
481
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:32,160
And that's when I got,
like, suicidal,
482
00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:35,720
and I'm walking around going like,
I just can't live another
483
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,160
fricking minute like this.
484
00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,360
And I finally decided that was it.
485
00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:48,240
And I gave Tom a one-way ticket
to England.
486
00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,400
And I said, "Tom, I would like you
to leave now.
487
00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:53,600
Take whatever you need
and just go."
488
00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:58,840
And that's when the shit went down.
489
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:04,120
And my dad dragged my mom
by the hair across the floor.
490
00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,400
He lost his mind.
491
00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:15,440
He had me in some kind of hold
on my jaw, my mouth.
492
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:19,720
He let me go and I was like...
I put my jaw back.
493
00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:23,360
The kids had never seen
anything like this.
494
00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:26,800
And they were crying.
I go, "Daddy's having a moment.
495
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:28,520
It'll be fine. He'll leave."
496
00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:32,480
He goes, "No, I think you should
fucking go." And I was like,
497
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:37,880
"I'm the one pregnant. The one with a
toddler." Marek was still in diapers.
498
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,680
"You know, all my stuff is here,
all their clothes are here."
499
00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:46,720
And he went downstairs
and he got a gun.
500
00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:55,400
And he said, "If you're not out
in 15 fucking minutes,
501
00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:57,480
I'll blow your fuckin' head off."
502
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,880
And I was like, "No, you won't."
503
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:08,960
He was like, "I fucking will."
504
00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:13,520
And my dad then put a shotgun
up to my mom's head.
505
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:17,760
And I was holding my little brother,
screaming, "Daddy, no! Daddy, no!"
506
00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:22,960
They're hysterical. I'm not,
'cause I'm calling his bluff.
507
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:24,880
"You're not blowing my head off.
508
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:28,000
Leave or I'll call the police."
So, I called them.
509
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:31,120
"My husband's threatening
to blow my head off
510
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,880
and I'm pregnant
and I have children."
511
00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:38,680
She goes, "Well, honey, if he said
you could leave, just leave!"
512
00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,360
Oh, God. I was like, "not again."
513
00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:44,680
I didn't want
to go to Bret and Julie's.
514
00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:49,320
I didn't want to bring our bullshit
over there, again.
515
00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:53,440
But I did. I packed up my little bags
and I left.
516
00:30:54,640 --> 00:31:00,040
She was terrified
that he was gonna come
517
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:05,240
and, who knows, do what,
to her or any of us, you know.
518
00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:10,800
His headspace was not good.
Not good at that time.
519
00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:15,440
Michelle's harrowing experiences
would stay a secret for years,
520
00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,200
until they were eventually exposed
to the world,
521
00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:21,400
forever altering
the legacy of the Dynamite Kid.
522
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:26,080
In a final act of violence after
holding his wife at gunpoint,
523
00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,880
Tom leaves his family behind in
Calgary and returns to England.
524
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:32,640
He moved back to England in 1991.
525
00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:37,080
My mom was about eight months,
seven months pregnant with me.
526
00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:40,720
I wanted a girl because I had
the perfect name.
527
00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:45,240
I had the name Amaris.
And it means, "Gift from God,"
528
00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:49,040
and I believe Amaris saved my life.
529
00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,880
I believe she saved all our lives.
530
00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:57,400
That kid has been a blessing
since the day she was born.
531
00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:05,680
He just had his retirement match
in Japan.
532
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:09,000
Now he'd wrote a letter to Michelle
533
00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:13,560
saying that he was gonna come
to Calgary.
534
00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,440
I really believed that Tom would come
and see his baby.
535
00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:21,560
And thank god he didn't, because
in the end, I think he did the,
536
00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:25,080
like, he manned up and let us be.
537
00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:29,040
I think he knew there was something
wrong with him, like,
538
00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,480
he wasn't the same person.
This violence was out of control.
539
00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:35,720
I don't think he had control of it
anymore.
540
00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,720
After he finished wrestling,
he was fighting in garages.
541
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,960
You know, he was like a, like a dog.
Like a pit bull.
542
00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:48,080
There was cars parked in a circle
with lights on.
543
00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:49,960
And it was bare knuck fights.
544
00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,440
And he was doing those to survive.
545
00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:55,280
Did he talk about his family?
546
00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:56,880
I knew you'd ask that.
547
00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:00,800
He didn't, because that was Tommy,
you know?
548
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,400
He wouldn't let people in.
549
00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:08,000
He didn't let me in. He didn't want
to show me any sign of weakness.
550
00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:11,800
It's a macho thing, I know,
but, you know,
551
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:15,600
you had to keep that reputation,
you know, not being a wimp.
552
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:25,480
Years after retirement, Tom returns
to Japan for a comeback match.
553
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:28,760
The comeback match was real sad.
554
00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:37,280
I think all of us willingly
suspend that state of belief
555
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:39,840
to believe in a different reality,
556
00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:43,080
that we are
who we're portrayed as being.
557
00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:47,680
And that we are that tough,
and we are immortal in some way.
558
00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:54,240
One time, he went to ambulate
and he just hit the deck.
559
00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:58,680
Went to hospital and he said,
"What about my fucking legs?"
560
00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:04,120
And they told him
he had too much scar tissue.
561
00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,960
Too much scar tissue to operate.
So...
562
00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:16,480
You know, guys came to see him
and he didn't want them to.
563
00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:20,160
The greatest wrestler,
who changed the business,
564
00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:23,320
and this guy who could be
an absolute monster,
565
00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,640
and then, the absolute tragic ending.
566
00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,680
Way too young, you know,
in your 40s in a wheelchair.
567
00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:35,520
It's just a sad thing from being
this incredible athlete.
568
00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:40,520
I just, I felt so sad for him.
Of course, I still loved him.
569
00:34:40,680 --> 00:34:45,800
I mean, God, you don't get married
and have kids and not still love him.
570
00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:50,800
Just didn't love what was going on.
571
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,800
She always talked about him like
he was like a prince charming.
572
00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:56,960
She never said anything negative.
573
00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:59,480
It was always positive.
574
00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:03,400
And then, the Chris Benoit
documentary came out.
575
00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:05,320
I was about 16 years old.
576
00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:09,280
And, that was the first time
my mom talked about
577
00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,240
any kind of abuse
in the relationship.
578
00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:17,480
As part of a media frenzy sparked
by the 2007 Chris Benoit tragedies,
579
00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:22,640
a CNN exposé airs on domestic
violence perpetrated by wrestlers.
580
00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:26,280
Michelle is interviewed,
and for the first time ever,
581
00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:29,840
details her stories of abuse
at the hands of Tom Billington.
582
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,000
Michelle says at home,
the Kid was out of control.
583
00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:38,680
At one time, dragging her by
the hair, holding a gun to her face.
584
00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:42,160
-He wasn't the guy you loved.
-No.
585
00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:44,320
The night before her interview,
586
00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:49,280
Michelle tells her children the
complex truth about their father.
587
00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:52,280
I was just so mad.
588
00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:56,560
I was, I was mad at my dad
589
00:35:56,720 --> 00:36:03,440
for hurting my mom, because
she is... the best woman ever.
590
00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,640
And I was mad at Mom
because I felt like she lied to me
591
00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:08,600
about who my dad was.
592
00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:14,960
So, when I found that there was
actually abuse and a gun,
593
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,280
she was pregnant with me
at that time.
594
00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:25,160
That was the beginning
of a very dark time in my life.
595
00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:32,520
Despite promising Michelle
he would visit his family,
596
00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:35,800
Tom would never return to Canada.
597
00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:39,440
When I had my first child,
I finally felt whole.
598
00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,480
I thought she was everything
that I was looking for.
599
00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:47,240
Eventually, that started to change
again and I didn't feel whole again.
600
00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,640
And I knew that it was my dad
that I was missing.
601
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:55,120
She went, "Flight's booked. I'm off.
Are you coming with me?"
602
00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:57,000
And I said, "No."
603
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:02,360
I decided I was gonna go see my dad,
without him knowing.
604
00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:06,480
Fifteen years after Tom last saw
his eldest daughter,
605
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:10,520
Bronwyne travels to England
to pay him a surprise visit.
606
00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,720
Entered the living room,
my dad was in his wheelchair.
607
00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:16,240
The first time
I'd ever seen him in it.
608
00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:19,320
And I immediately broke down crying.
609
00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,240
He was like no time had passed.
"Why are you crying?"
610
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:27,000
I said, "'Cause I haven't seen you
in 15 years."
611
00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,280
By the third day,
it was just my dad and I.
612
00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:32,760
I'm on the couch,
he's in his wheelchair.
613
00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:35,680
And I wanted to be close to him.
614
00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:39,840
So, I took a chair and moved it
and just sat right next to him.
615
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:43,080
We held hands and we cried,
and he said, "I'm sorry."
616
00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:51,280
And that was the only time
he'd ever apologized for anything.
617
00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:54,720
I knew in that moment what it meant.
618
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:58,080
He didn't have to say anything else
and I just felt it.
619
00:37:58,240 --> 00:38:04,080
We shared a beautiful moment,
and I'm so happy that I went.
620
00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:10,120
At the end, I understand that,
you know, he was very sick.
621
00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:15,440
-He had a stroke too, right?
-Yeah, I just know it was bad.
622
00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,840
Do you remember when you heard
the news that he had passed?
623
00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,280
-Yeah.
-Tell me that story.
624
00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:35,160
I can't. What do you want me...
Sit here and cry?
625
00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,640
You know,
he was a great friend, and...
626
00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:46,640
Somebody I cared about a lot.
And I miss him.
627
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:52,320
He loved his friends
and he loved his kids.
628
00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:56,320
And I love the Dynamite Kid.
629
00:38:58,720 --> 00:39:02,240
I knew it was coming,
but I didn't cry for like a week.
630
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,680
I was in shock.
I got a call from my mom.
631
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,920
I think I was consoling her more.
632
00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:12,240
And then, right before we hung up,
she said to me,
633
00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:15,840
"Well, now you know
that he's right beside you."
634
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,480
And I hung up the phone
and I just started...
635
00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:29,360
'Cause that's all I ever wanted,
was for him to be beside me.
636
00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:35,040
The week before,
Danny had tried to talk with him.
637
00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:38,840
And, Danny said, "I love ya."
638
00:39:41,240 --> 00:39:45,120
And Dynamite said, "Why?"
639
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:50,280
It brought home a lot of memories,
when he died,
640
00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:53,920
of what an integral figure he was
in wrestling, that probably
641
00:39:54,080 --> 00:40:00,600
he'll never get the full credit for,
because telling that story is a,
642
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,400
is a sad story, not a happy story.
643
00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:09,000
You don't have
that happy ending story.
644
00:40:10,720 --> 00:40:15,800
Let it go. Let my kids heal.
They can't heal with this stuff.
645
00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:19,040
And if you talk about the violence,
talk about the CTE,
646
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:23,520
talk about the signs of depression.
Don't knock him.
647
00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:26,000
Like, he coulda' came back.
648
00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:30,120
We could have perpetuated it.
But we ended it, did the right thing.
649
00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:34,800
And my kids did better without,
you know, him around.
650
00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:37,560
Even though it pissed me off
that he said,
651
00:40:37,720 --> 00:40:40,400
"I hope my children
are so proud of my work,"
652
00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:43,880
and I said, in my head,
"Why don't you be a father?
653
00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:45,640
They don't need a wrestler."
654
00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:53,480
But now I'm older, I understand
that's what he wanted to give them.
655
00:40:57,040 --> 00:40:59,600
He's largely been forgotten
by time,
656
00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:04,400
but those who saw him in his prime,
they'll never forget it.
657
00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:08,120
Never seen this,
both men on the top!
658
00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,880
Bruce Springsteen said,
"Trust the art, not the artist."
659
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:15,960
Tommy had a canvas,
and he was brilliant.
660
00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:20,040
They love it! The Dynamite Kid!
661
00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,640
He's not the first or the last
to suffer for his art.
662
00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:27,680
There's a sense that a lot of people
who are great at something
663
00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:30,480
are not great
at all aspects of their life
664
00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:33,920
and they find solace in doing
what they do.
665
00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:37,040
But they pay for that brief time.
666
00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:39,640
You become a bigger star
than you imagined,
667
00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:43,480
and then you pay for it every day
for the rest of your life.
668
00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:47,640
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