Nattie interviews one of Dynamite Kid's daughters.
The wrestling world was hit was a great deal of saddening news last week and a part of that unfortunate news was the passing of former WWF Tag Team Champion and Stampede Wrestling Hall Of Famer Dynamite Kid. Thomas "Dynamite Kid" Billington passed away on his 60th birthday which was December 5th in his home-country of England. The likes of Mick Foley, Sean "X Pac Waltman", Will Ospreay, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and many others reflected on the passing of Dynamite Kid and recently, former SmackDown Live Women's Champion Natalya interviewed one of Dynamite Kid's daughters Bronwyne Billington for her latest column in the Calgary Sun.
(Here's a few excerpts from the interview):
I had a chance to talk to one of Dynamite Kid’s daughters, Bronwyne, about her dad’s legacy. I asked her what some of her fondest memories of her dad were. “Growing up, my Dad was always on the road. I remember he’d be gone weeks at a time in Japan. He’d never come home empty-handed, different coloured Kimonos for my Mom, all kinds of Hello Kitty stuff for me. I was probably the first five-year-old in Canada with the latest Hello Kitty gear. When I turned five, I asked for a pony for my birthday. We lived on an acreage, and my Dad delivered! Problem was, none of us knew how to take care of a pony! It wasn’t that my Dad was making “big money” and I got whatever I wanted, it’s that he truly wanted to give me the world. We didn’t end up keeping the pony, but the lengths my dad went to make me happy are never forgotten.”
Many years passed during which Bronwyne didn’t see her dad. She described those years as being difficult.
“It had been 15 years in between our last visit,” Bronwyne said. “I had a daughter of my own and that made me question how I’d feel if anything were to happen to my Dad. Would I regret not trying to reach out to him, seeing if we could mend our relationship? With the help of Facebook, I found my cousins, aunt and uncle in England and planned a trip out to see them. While I was there, I planned on just showing up at my Dad’s door unannounced. And that’s exactly what I did. He was so excited to see me that I started to cry. He said, ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘I missed you!’ I said.”
Bronwyne said her Dad acted like it hadn’t been 15 years between visits. “One afternoon, I just sat with him and we watched an interview on his old buddy Bad News Brown. I was on the couch and my Dad sat in his wheelchair. I kept looking at him like I missed him. I got up, moved a chair from the dining room and sat right next to him. I just couldn’t be close enough! We wrapped our arms around each other and just cried. It was like an unspoken moment of knowing he was sorry for all he had missed. That might be my most cherished moment with my Dad.”
Bronwyne’s love for her father was strong, but she also acknowledged that her dad was human and not perfect.
To read Natalya's full interview with Bronwyne Billington, click here.
