Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Harry Francis Smith, better known by his ring name Davey Boy Smith Jr., is a Canadian professional wrestler and catch wrestler. He currently performs for Major League Wrestling, where he is a two-time Opera Cup winner and a former two-time MLW World Tag Team Champion, and All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he was a former three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion as part of the Killer Elite Squad with Lance Archer, as well as being a two-time GHC Tag Team Champion in Pro Wrestling Noah due to NJPW's working relationship with Pro Wrestling Noah. Smith is also known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he was a three-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, and WWE from 2006 until 2011 under the ring name David Hart Smith, where he won the Unified Tag Team Championship along with Tyson Kidd as part of The Hart Dynasty. He also performed in WWE's then-developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name DH Smith. Smith has also appeared for World of Sport Wrestling under the ring name British Bulldog Jr.
A third generation professional wrestler, he is the son of "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, and Diana Hart, the youngest daughter of promoters Stu Hart and Helen Hart.
Early life
Harry Francis Smith was born on August 2, 1985, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is of predominantly British descent through his father, professional wrestler David Smith who was from Greater Manchester, England, and his mother Diana Hart who belongs to a large family of Ulster Scot heritage. Smith also has Greek ancestry through his maternal great-grandmother, Irish ancestry through his maternal great-grandfather, long-distance runner Harry James Smith, and Italian ancestry through his paternal grandmother.He has a younger sister named Georgia who is a voice over artist and wrestling personality.
Smith's mother Diana is a Hart family member, being the youngest daughter of wrestler Stu Hart and promoter Helen Hart, thus he is the nephew of her eleven siblings, all of whom have been involved in wrestling in one way or another. His maternal cousins Natalya Neidhart, Matthew, Teddy, Matt, Bruce Jr. and Torrin Hart, as well as step-cousin Mike also wrestle or used to wrestle, while Lindsay is an on-air personality. Smith is close with Natalya as the two lived together as children while their fathers were wrestling as a team. He is also very good friends with her husband T.J. Wilson whom he shared an apartment with at one point. His father's family also have a history in wrestling, his father and his cousin Thomas "The Dynamite Kid" Billington wrestled as a tag-team for many years and Billington's daughter Bronwyne is a wrestling valet. He is also second cousin to Dynamite's two nephews Thomas Billington II and Mark Billington II who are wrestlers as well.
Professional wrestling career
Early years (1994–2006)
Smith began wrestling at the age of eight, he was first trained by his father Davey Boy Smith and uncle Bruce Hart. Smith started training with Tokyo Joe during high school, crediting the training for preparing him to wrestle in Japan. He made an early appearance with the then World Wrestling Federation on October 5, 1996, at the age of 11 when he teamed with his cousin Ted Annis against TJ Wilson and Andrew Picarnia at a WWF house show in Calgary. He also appeared at the conclusion of In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede with the rest of the Hart family. He made his professional debut at the age of fifteen at the Rockyford Rodeo, and went on to become a mainstay of the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling promotion. In May 2002, Smith teamed with his father on two occasions, shortly before his father died. Smith was offered a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment in the summer of 2004, but opted to attend college and wrestle in Japan before signing.In 2004, Smith began teaming with TJ Wilson as "The Stampede Bulldogs", a reference to "The British Bulldogs", the tag team composed of his father and his father's first cousin the Dynamite Kid. In the same year, Smith formed a stable known as The Hart Foundation Version 2.0 with Wilson, Jack Evans, and Teddy Hart. The Hart Foundation Version 2.0 initially performed in Stampede Wrestling before expanding to the United States, where they competed in Major League Wrestling.
Smith traveled to England in January 2006, appearing with One Pro Wrestling at No Turning Back on January 6, 2006. Smith was billed as the mystery opponent of NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett, ostensibly hand-picked by his uncle, Bret Hart.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2005)
In January 2005, Smith went on a five-week tour of Japan, wrestling with New Japan Pro-Wrestling as "Black Assassin" and suffered a broken hand in the process. Later that year, Smith left Stampede Wrestling and wrestled several dark matches for World Wrestling Entertainment, before embarking upon a second tour of Japan. He returned to Stampede Wrestling in October 2005, and on November 25, 2005, was defeated by T.J. Wilson in the finals of a tournament for the vacant North American Heavyweight Championship.World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
Developmental territories (2006–2007)
On April 1, 2006, Smith and several of his relatives attended the induction of Bret Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame. While there, Smith met with WWE executives, John Laurinaitis and Carl De Marco, and signed a developmental contract with on April 4, 2006. He wrestled dark matches for the company before his debut, defeating wrestlers like Rob Conway and Mike Knox, and losing to Randy Orton.Harry debuted in Ohio Valley Wrestling, at the February 14, 2007 television tapings, in a tag team match with Kofi Nahaje Kingston, in which they defeated The Belgium Brawler and Nicholas Sinn. At the following taping, the duo of Harry and Kofi became collectively known as the Commonwealth Connection and faced La Résistance in a losing effort. Smith was then sent to Deep South Wrestling, where he reformed the "Stampede Bulldogs" with T.J. Wilson.
After WWE ended its relationship with DSW, Smith moved to Florida Championship Wrestling. On June 26, Smith won a 21-man battle royal to become the first ever FCW Southern Heavyweight Champion.
Smith then joined up with his cousins Teddy Hart and Nattie Neidhart to form the Next Generation Hart Foundation. They debuted in a six-person mixed tag team match, losing to Mike Kruel, Vladimir Kozlov and Milena Roucka. They were later victorious in a non-title match against the OVW Southern Tag Team Champions, the James Boys. Smith then returned to FCW to form another version of the New Hart Foundation, along with Hart, Wilson and Ted DiBiase Jr. He appeared in a winning effort against Carlito in a dark match during a taping of Raw in the United Kingdom.
On October 16, Smith lost the FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship to Afa Jr. He was unable to make the referee's ten count and was counted out, due to being in the United Kingdom with WWE.
Early appearances (2006–2008)
In mid-2006, Smith appeared on Raw, despite not being part of the main roster, in a segment where he and others in the locker room chased away ECW invaders. He then was not seen again on the main roster in over a year.He made his television debut as "DH Smith" on the October 22, 2007 episode of Raw, defeating Carlito using his father's trademark running powerslam. He dedicated the match to his father. On October 29, Smith and Jeff Hardy defeated Carlito and Mr. Kennedy.
On November 2, 2007, it was reported that Smith had been suspended for 30 days due to violations of "WWE's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy". Smith returned to the active roster on December 17 by defeating Charlie Haas on Heat. After his return, Smith would wrestle primarily on Heat.
As part of the WWE Supplemental Draft on June 25, 2008, Smith was drafted to the SmackDown brand. Smith, however, returned to Florida Championship Wrestling on August 26, without making his SmackDown debut. He made the decision to return to FCW on a full-time basis so he could mature, and put more effort into developing his in-ring work and his personality. On October 30, Smith won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with TJ Wilson, defeating Joe Hennig and Sebastian Slater, but they lost it to Tyler Reks and Johnny Curtis on December 11, 2008, at the FCW television taping.
The Hart Dynasty (2009–2011)
On April 15, 2009, Smith was drafted to the ECW brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, without making any appearances on SmackDown. Smith made his ECW debut on May 12, as a villain, attacking Finlay during Finlay's match with Tyson Kidd, using the name David Hart Smith. Smith, Kidd and Natalya formed a new version of The Hart Foundation, named The Hart Trilogy at first, although on the May 27 episode of ECW, the name was tweaked to The Hart Dynasty. Smith was victorious in his first match for ECW, defeating Finlay on the May 19 episode, with help from Kidd and Natalya.File:The Hart Dynasty tag champions.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The Hart Dynasty Tyson Kidd, Natalya, and Smith as the WWE Tag Team Champions in August 2010
On June 29, The Hart Dynasty were traded to the SmackDown brand, and entered a feud with Cryme Tyme. At the WWE Bragging Rights pay-per-view in October, Smith and Kidd competed in a seven-on-seven tag match with Chris Jericho, Kane, Finlay, Matt Hardy and R-Truth as Team SmackDown to defeat Team Raw. In December 2009, they challenged D-Generation X for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful.
The Hart Dynasty appeared at WrestleMania XXVI, first competing in a battle royal which was won by Yoshi Tatsu then helping Bret Hart during his match against Vince McMahon, and the following night on Raw they defeated the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions ShoMiz in a non-title match at Hart's behest, effectively turning face in the process. At the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, Smith and Kidd earned a Unified Tag Team Championship match by defeating ShoMiz in a tag team gauntlet match. During the 2010 WWE Draft on the April 26 episode of Raw, The Hart Dynasty, accompanied by Natalya and Hart, defeated ShoMiz to win the Unified Tag Team Championship, when Kidd made The Miz submit to the Sharpshooter.
The following day, all three members of The Hart Dynasty were moved to the Raw brand as part of the Supplemental Draft. On the May 10 episode of Raw, he was defeated by Chris Jericho, granting Jericho and The Miz a shot for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at Over the Limit, but The Hart Dynasty were able to retain. The following night, on May 24, they were attacked by The Usos and Tamina, provoking a feud. At Fatal 4-Way, The Hart Dynasty defeated The Usos and Tamina in a six-person mixed tag team match when Natalya pinned Tamina, and Smith and Kidd defeated The Usos at Money in the Bank to retain the championships when Smith made Jimmy Uso submit to the Sharpshooter. At Night of Champions, The Hart Dynasty lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre in a Tag Team Turmoil match which also involved The Usos, Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella, and the team of Evan Bourne and Mark Henry.
After a failed attempt to regain the championship, in which Kidd was pushed off balance during their double-team Hart Attack move, Kidd and Smith began to have a falling out with one another. This culminated on the November 15 episode of Raw, when Kidd refused to tag in and attacked Smith during a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Nexus. ending their partnership. On the December 2 episode of WWE Superstars, Smith beat Kidd in a singles match. Afterward, Smith offered to shake Kidd's hand, but Kidd slapped him across the face. On the next episode of Raw, Kidd defeated Smith in a rematch.
After losing to Kidd, Smith would be restricted to appearing on Superstars, mostly participating in tag team matches with Yoshi Tatsu or Darren Young. Smith's last match was on the April 28 edition of Superstars, where he lost to Zack Ryder. After months of inactivity, Smith was released from his contract with WWE on August 5, 2011. His release was referenced in a worked shoot moment on the August 8 episode of Raw by WWE Champion CM Punk.