AEW's Tommy Billington On The Tough Decision To Use His Uncle's Ring Name

"AEW Collision" talent "Dynamite Kid" Tommy Billington almost didn't adopt the moniker of his late uncle, the original Dynamite Kid, until a WWE Hall of Famer convinced him. 

On an episode of "AEW Unrestricted," Billington explained it was Bret Hart who convinced him to use the name. He said he had been struggling with the decision before taking Hart's advice, as he didn't want to be perceived as "leeching" off the name. He explained he didn't adopt the "Dynamite Kid" moniker until about two weeks before his AEW debut.

"I always thought, 'I want to make a name for myself,' so for the longest time, I just went by Tom Billington," he explained. "Two weeks before my AEW debut, I was in Bret's house, he told me, 'I really think you should use that 'Dynamite Kid' name as your name, too, because you look so much like him. You talk like him. You even walk like him.' I remind him so much of him. He said it scares him a little bit. At first, I was like, 'I get where you're coming from, Bret, but I really don't want to.'"

Billington said that after two shows when he agreed with Hart to give the name a shot, it went over with the fans. He said he had people telling him how much he looks like his late uncle, which he gets every day.

"'You look so much like him it freaks me out, it takes me to like the 1980s and Stampede Wrestling and things like that,'" Billington said. "So when AEW was like, no doubt, 'We have 'AEW Dynamite,' 'Collision,' it's like, of course, I'll use it. Ever since it's been the best decision I've ever made, to be honest with you."

Please credit "AEW Unrestricted" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.