A SUPERSTAR wrestler died of natural causes, a Bolton inquest heard.

David Smith, better known to wrestling fans across the world as the British Bulldog, died suddenly in bed on May 18 last year.

The 39-year-old father of two, who lived in Calgary, Canada, was on holiday in British Columbia with his girlfriend, Andrea Hart, at the time.

An inquest was held after his father, Sid, raised concerns about suspicious circumstances surrounding his son's death.

At yesterday's hearing Mr Smith said: "I think someone was responsible for his death, I felt that from the beginning and still do."

The hour-long inquest heard that Ms Hart woke up to find her boyfriend "not breathing and kind of blue". She said an ambulance was called and Mr Smith, who was originally from Golborne, was taken to hospital. Forensic scientist Julie Evans carried out toxicological tests on samples of hair and thigh muscle tissue after Mr Smith's body had been flown home.

She concluded that traces of codeine, morphine, testosterone and steroids were not high enough to suggest drug abuse and were in accordance with medication he was taking for a back injury.

Pathologist Dr John Rutherford carried out a post mortem examination on Mr Smith. He found the only defect to be that Mr Smith had an enlarged heart.

He said: "People with enlarged hearts are known to sometimes die suddenly and unexpectedly.

"What happens in these cases is there is a disturbance in the electrical activity of the heart. I have to surmise that was what happened to David."

Dr Rutherford said there was nothing suspicious about the wrestler's death, describing it as "unfortunate, tragic and a little unusual".

Coroner Jennifer Leeming concluded that David Smith died of natural causes. She said: "The only thing that has been found is that David had a very large heart. It seems to me that the cause of David's death did arise from his enlarged heart."

She added that she was aware of rumours circulating about athletes and drug abuse, and she was glad that there was no evidence in this case.

Outside court, Mr Smith's father Sid said there were still questions to be answered.

He paid tribute to his son, adding: "He was a dedicated professional wrestler who loved the sport and the fans, and they loved him.

"He will never be forgotten."