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Superstar Billy Graham: Ring legend
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READER ALERT: For all the latest wrestling happenings, check out our News & Rumours section. Superstar Billy Graham: Ring legend UP, UP AND AWAY ... Stan 'The Man' Stasiak uses the flying leg spin on Superstar Billy Graham during a matchup at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens on November 20, 1977. -- Norm Betts, Toronto Sun filesBy CHRIS SCHRAMM -- For SLAM! Wrestling Superstar Billy Graham in 1977.He won the title, and he lost the title in the same manner: with his legon the ropes. Billy Graham's WWF (then the WWWF) World title reign mighthave started and ended in controversial manner, but his reign and effectin wrestling is still relevant today.Scott Steiner, Hulk Hogan and even Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura havementioned Billy Graham, nicknamed Superstar, as a major influence intheir wrestling persona.He is not an evangelist, but he chose his name based on the famedreligious television evangelist, Billy Graham.He recently has spoken out against steroid use in sports based on hisown experiences. Numerous surgeries, two artificial hips, a fused ankleand living his life in constant pain has brought him into a newknowledge of the drug he used to use to get ahead, to a drug thatultimately led him to money, fame and the world title.BEGINNINGBilly Graham, who grew up Wayne Coleman in Arizona, was not an amateurwrestler. He was a track and field star in high school, and he wastraining for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. He threw shot-put,discus and developed his awesome physique early in his life.He had no real goals out of high school. He moved to Los Angeles, but hecould never find a steady job."I worked as a bouncer and other odd jobs," Graham recalled for SLAM! Wrestling.He was never a real fan of wrestling. He watched it back in the 1950s,but he never thought of getting involved in the sport.He remembered Sky High Lee when he was growing up. Lee used to takedarts to his back on television. "Long before Mick Foley," Billy Grahamsaid.He found out after he met his wife, Valerie, in 1976 that Lee wasValerie's second cousin.His first connection to wrestling came, though, while he was working inCalifornia during late 1969. Bob Lueck who played for the CalgaryStampeders asked Graham to come with him back to Calgary and givewrestling a try.Graham had no idea who he was getting involved with when Stu Hartinvited him to train in the infamous Dungeon."He had no fat and looked like he was holding regulation footballs in his arms," Stu Hart recalled to SLAM! Wrestling. "He was the most impressive specimen I've seen in my life.""I felt this was for me," Graham recalled about his first days there.His first gimmick was more of a toughman. Coming from a weightliftingbackground, Graham was thrown into challenge fans in an arm-wrestlingmatch. Anyone who could beat the Superstar would win $1,000.Graham was honoured to have started with Stu Hart, whom Graham stillstays in contact with."I saw the bloodstains on the walls and the mats when I walked in,"Graham said about his first look at the Dungeon.Hart knew Graham had a future. "I've wrestled with a lot of strong fellows and never seen a fellow that muscular and that strong. I was impressed with his strength," Hart recalled of his brush with the Superstar. "He was officially the strongest man in the world at the time. He could benchpress 650 pounds and could lie on a bench and (lift) 350 pounds over his head. That was almost unheard of, no question about it."When it was time from Graham to head into the ring for action, hestarted under his real name Wayne Coleman.It was the summer of 1970 that he met a wrestler named Dr. Jerry Graham.Graham, who was an established wrestler across the world, asked Colemanto become "a brother." Wayne Coleman then took the name Billy Grahambased off Jerry Graham's last name and the famous evangelist BillyGraham.The nickname Superstar came in 1972 based from the rock opera that wasreally huge at the time, Jesus Christ Superstar.Fans watch Pat Patterson every week on WWF RAW, but too few know Patterson'srich wrestling history that dates back to the 1960s. Graham andPatterson teamed to defeat Ray Stevens and Peter Maivia (The Rock's grandfather) for the NWA TagTeam titles in July of 1971 in San Francisco. Superstar Billy Graham uses some tape from his wrist to choke Bob Backlund at Maple Leaf Gardens on May 15, 1978. -- Jonathon Gross, Toronto Sun filesThat match was the first turning point in Graham's career and itreally changed Graham's career."Patterson was my mentor," Graham said about his tag team partner.Graham learned a lot during his early days from the in-ring knowledge ofstars such as Patterson, Stevens and eventually The Rock's father, RockyJohnson.Verne Gagne saw the power and ability of Graham and decided to getGraham to work for the AWA out of Minneapolis."I hated working against Verne Gagne because of his old school style ofwrestling, and I was not a wrestler," Graham said about his stay withthe AWA. "I was more methodical. It was physically difficult."Graham did not complain about the crowds and money that came with hisstay, but the coldness of the north really got to the Arizona native. Heleft the AWA for one reason -- the cold.Verne Gagne expressed his displeasure and amazement in Graham's decisionto leave. The choice was a wise one because an even bigger call came.THE WWWFVince McMahon Sr. called Graham up in 1975, and Graham was anxious towork for the WWWF. He was quickly accepted by the fans and by thewrestlers.Bruno Sammartino had ruled the WWWF for fifteen years, and McMahon Sr.was looking for a man to give him a run for his money. Graham was hischoice."It was the easiest match I could have," Graham said about his legendarybouts with Sammartino. Sammartino's strength and similar style reallyhelped Graham-Sammartino matches go very smoothly.March 30, 1977, McMahon Sr. has made the decision to give Graham theWorld title from Sammartino. The Baltimore crowd was split on who theirfavourite was, and a lot of confusion came when Graham used the ropes topin Sammartino.It was over. Billy Graham had become the WWWF World champion. But it wasthe interesting way in which the crowd reacted that made Graham aninnovator. Graham become the first major "tweener" for the WWWF, and hismodel was the same way in which stars like Steve Austin and DegenerationX were split. No matter how evil, how much of a rulebreaker he was, thecrowds were booing and cheering him at the same time.Graham remembered getting motivation to carry this split fan reaction toa new gimmick. He wanted to have a feud with Ivan Koloff, the WWWF'sbiggest heel wrestler, and Graham believed that would get him overgreatly with the fans. He was hoping for a long run as champion.McMahon Sr. had a different idea. At the same time a young amateurwrestler was being pushed by the name of Bob Backlund. McMahon Sr.planned two years ahead to eventually give the title to Backlund.Graham knew the day would come 10 months later to lose the title, butGraham had a very successful run. He sold out 19 of 20 New York City'sMadison Square Garden main events he headlined, a percentage not met byany other wrestler in WWWF or WWF history.Graham, along with many other wrestlers, was not sure if giving thetitle to Backlund so soon was the right decision. McMahon Sr. made whatsome say was a mistake. He had told Backlund and others of the decisionto give Backlund the title. He could not back out.When Graham did lose the title to Backlund eventually in early 1978,Graham was very discouraged with the sport. He had a bloody feud withDusty Rhodes, but then Graham was gone."I got burnt out. I went back to Phoenix and I became a recluse."His absence started rumours in the Philadelphia Enquirer that he hadpassed away. Graham admitted that Dusty Rhodes started that rumour as a joke.Graham rejoined the renamed WWF in 1982 with a new look. He had a shavedhead and martial arts pants. He immediately was thrown into a feud withBacklund, but the World title that Backlund held was never to come backto him."I shouldn't have used that (martial arts) gimmick," Graham said.The Graham name helped sell out arenas still, but Graham was sitting on agimmick that was not working for him.His own personal problems with his life and steroids were the mainreason for the absence of another World title reign.Graham moved to Florida to work for Kevin Sullivan, and then moved ontowork for the NWA and the Crocketts.Dusty Rhodes was the booker for the NWA at the time, and he invitedGraham to work for them for a while. Graham worked huge stadium showswith the group, but he never got the push he felt he deserved.It was when he was with the NWA that he dumped the martial artsgimmicks, bleached his beard, put on the tie-dye and felt pain.THE END OF A CAREER"I was starting to have trouble with my hip in 1985," Graham said.He called Vince McMahon Jr., who had taken over as the head of the WWFduring Graham's absence with the WWF, and offered his abilities for theWWF once again. McMahon liked the idea, and Graham was scheduled for hisfirst match back with the WWF in Baltimore."I walked into the building limping," Graham said about his match back.McMahon Jr. saw this, and questioned if Graham was even in shape towrestle. Graham said he was fine, and took some cortisone shots to getthrough the match.The medicine wore off, and Graham knew it was not just a pulled musclethat was giving him pain. His hip socket was in amazing pain forcingGraham to undergo a $30,000 operation for the hip injury.The WWF used the real surgery and recovery in an angle. The surgery wasreal. Graham had a titanium hip placed on his right hip.Graham wanted back in the ring, mainly for the money."It was a big mistake."He blames steroids. "Steroids made you both psychologically andemotionally intense. They make you feel you can never be hurt."Managing Don Muraco, commentating and wrestling a few matches was allthat was left in wrestling for Graham.The last match was with Butch Reed in Madison Square Garden. Thesell-out crowd saw a legend wrestle a bloody cage match.STEROIDSVince McMahon Jr. promised Billy Graham that there was always a job forhim with the WWF. Graham's hip surgery and 1990 ankle fusing injuryforced Graham off the road, and it also forced Graham out of his jobwith the WWF."I became bitter at that point, and after the ankle surgery," Grahamsaid. "I began to tell the world about the dangers of steroids, the pain, suffering I was having because of use and talking about the people whouse it."Graham started a smear campaign against the WWF. He ridiculed VinceMcMahon for allowing Dr. George T. Zahorian to sell steroids towrestlers. He ridiculed Hulk Hogan following Hogan's infamous ArsenioHall Show appearance where Hogan dismissed allegations he took steroids(something Hogan would contradict that statement in a 1984 trial)."I was such in a state of rage," Graham said after watching Hogan'sappearance. "I said, 'He is lying.'"Steroids were part of Graham's life for over two decades. It was around1965 that Graham was first introduced to steroids. The drugs were legal at the time.The dangers were not very well known at the time. Graham knew of somedangers, but not all of the future complications were portrayed to him.He followed with some unsuccessful lawsuits with steroids distributorsand the WWF that he later called mistakes.He has not talked to Vince McMahon or Hulk Hogan since his campaignagainst them almost 10 years ago. He wrote them both letters, and hehopes his upcoming autobiography will help. Chief Jay Strongbow has an abdominal stretch on WWWF champion Superstar Billy Graham at a match in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens on Decenber 11, 1977. -- Ron Pozzer, Toronto Sun filesFUTURESuperstar Billy Graham made an incredible impression on the wrestling world."I was a prototype for Hulk and Jesse Ventura and even today ScottSteiner."His autobiography is set to be released in November or December of thisyear. He is currently working on his beginnings with Pat Patterson andthe NWA during 1971.He hopes to tell it like it is. A pen and paper is all he needs.Valerie, his wife, types up the wording for the editors at thepublishing company. He really enjoyed Mick Foley and Dynamite Kid'sautobiographies and hopes to be as full and thorough with his book.The Internet is a great source for publicity, especially with a persontrying to sell his new book. Billy Graham was interested in creating aweb page to help with the promotion of his book when he discovered a fanpage. Steve Slagle's fan page is now the official page because he was so amazed by the thoroughness and look of the page.The Official Superstar Billy Graham Home Page(www.SuperstarBillyGraham.com) has everything you can possibly knowabout the legendary wrestler. Graham even puts his own pictures, notes,interviews (including an upcoming Terry Funk interview) and commentating(his take on Scott Steiner was recently uploaded).Graham has had numerous surgeries in the last few years to the pointwhere there seems no end. Two artificial hips and a fused ankle might beall Graham will take. He recently passed on the recommendation to havehis other ankle fused.Steroids may have killed his health, but his memory in wrestling will beimmortal.-- with files from Nadia Moharib, Calgary Sun  Visit the SLAM! Wrestling store
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