Superstar Billy Graham

At 80 years old, Superstar Billy Graham has this physical status:

Eldridge Coleman (born June 7, 1943), also known as "Megastar" Billy Graham, is an American retired professional wrestler.

He rose to fame in professional wrestling as the WWF Heavyweight Champion from 1977-1978.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's training partner and close friend, he was an award-winning bodybuilder.

He is best known for his charismatic performance style and for inventing the interview and physique aspects of professional wrestling.

Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, and Ric Flair are among his wrestling protégés.

Early life

Coleman was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 7, 1943. His father was from Mississippi, and his mother, who claimed Cherokee ancestry, was from Arkansas. Coleman was attracted to weight lifting in the fifth grade. As a youth, he was a regular reader of bodybuilding magazines, with his heroes being Steve Reeves and John Grimek. He became a devout Christian and went to religious revivals where he incorporated feats of courage into his sermons as a youth.

Coleman was the highest shooter in high school. He also dabbled in amateur and professional boxing, winning the 1959 Golden Gloves. He tried out for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, but was eventually traded to the Montreal Alouettes. He appeared in just a few games. He played in several nightclubs in Phoenix, New York, and Los Angeles between football matches. He wanted to pursue a career in professional wrestling after breaking his Achilles tendon.

Personal life

Tangled Ropes, Graham, and his partner Valerie, who married in 1978, were never able to have children, as Tangled Ropes, Graham's autobiography shows. Graham has two children from a previous marriage to Madelyn Miluso. Capella's daughter was born on June 8, 1972. In the Atlas of the Universe, a star was named after a cosmologist she read about. Joey's son was born on March 18, 1975. Joey was born with double pneumonia and an enlarged heart that was later surgically corrected. Dusty Rhodes, his godfather, was a wrestler.

Graham underwent a liver transplant in 2002 from a 26-year-old female donor who had died in a car crash. At the time of his transplant, Graham had cirrhosis. Graham was hospitalized again on May 24, 2006, as a result of bowel blockage from a previous operation.

Graham was hospitalized in July 2010 due to liver disease. He later revealed that he had only had one year to live without another liver transplant. Graham reserved a burial spot at the Green Acres cemetery in Scottsdale, Arizona, next to Eddie Guerrero. Hector Rodriguez-Luna, Graham's doctor, admitted that his advanced fibrosis could have arisen cirrhosis and that if he took Interferon — a drug that reduces his hepatitis C—and stayed in shape — on March 31, 2011. Graham was diagnosed with third-stage liver disease and cirrhosis by 2012; cirrhosis was a result.

Graham was hospitalized with double pneumonia and possible heart failure on January 17, 2013. In October 2014, he was re-hospitalized for a liver complication.

Graham was hospitalized following internal bleeding during a medical intervention on August 2, 2016; he underwent surgery on August 3 to determine the source of the disorder.

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Bodybuilding career

Coleman was the winner of the Mr. America bodybuilding competition in the West Coast division of Mr. Frank Zane, and his picture appeared in Bob Hoffman's Strength and Fitness magazine shortly after. Coleman began to train regularly in 1968 at Gold's Gym in Santa Monica, where he worked out with Dave Draper, Franco Columbu, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was able to bench press 605 pounds (the world record held by Pat Casey was 616 lbs). In Joe Weider's Muscle Fitness magazine, one of Coleman's photo shoots with Schwarzenegger was featured that year.

Coleman, who turned to bodybuilding two years ago, was inspired by wrestling's marriage to bodybuilding. He weight-trained consistently, and Prosecutors were set to compete in the World Bodybuilding Guild's Pro. Mr. America's event in New York City, where his 22-inch biceps first placed in the Best Developed Arms category took first place. Coleman weighed 275 pounds at the peak of his wrestling career in 1977. He gained more weight from 1978 to 1980, but he was 325 pounds lighter in 1980, when he competed in the World's Strongest Man tournament in Great Gorge, New Jersey. Despite injuring himself in one of the competition, he came in seventh place in this competition. Coleman hosted the U.S. Invitational Powerlifting Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 6 of the same year.

Professional wrestling career

Coleman was encouraged by professional wrestler Bob Lueck to train with Stu Hart for the latter's Stampede Wrestling promotion in 1969. He trained under Hart in Calgary before debuting with Dan Kroffat on January 16, 1970. Coleman returned to the United States in May, wrestling with Dr. Jerry Graham, Brick Darrow, Rick Cahill, and Ron Pritchard in Arizona before joining the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles promotion in August (run by Mike LeBell) as a tag team. Billy Graham, the renowned evangelist of the same name, was given the ring name. The name would later be used as both his ring name and as the youngest brother of Jerry and the other Graham Brothers (Eddie and Luke).

Graham joined Roy Shire's NWA San Francisco promotion in late December 1970, where he worked with Pat Patterson, his tag-team member, Ray Stevens, Cyclone Negro, and Peter Maivia. Graham's nearly two-year tenure in central California included a stint in Hawaii in February and March 1972. Graham created a new facet of his character during his Californian days, encouraging public challenges to his rank as the World's best wrestler of the World.

Graham debuted in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in Verne Gagne's Minneapolis, where he adopted the moniker "superstar" for his moniker. Graham, The Crusher, Wahoo McDaniel, Wahoo McDaniel, Billy Robinson, Ken Patera, and Ivan Koloff, his tag-team partner, as he traveled through North-central Canada, feuded with Gagne, The Bruiser, The Bruiser, Wahoo McDaniel, Billy Robinson, Ken Patera, and Ivan Koloff. By this time, Graham was integrating into his performances not only arm wrestling matches but also weightlifting challenges (mainly involving ex-Olympian Ken Patera) and posing routines. McDaniel, with whom he participated in numerous bouts from 1973 to 1974, was one of his most memorable feuds. Indian Strap matches were one of the tournaments they attended. Superstar Jimmy Carter joined McDaniel and The Crusher in tag team matches during the feud with McDaniel. He began wrestling Ivan Putski while in the AWA.

Graham departed from the AWA to join the International Wrestling Alliance's "Super Wide Series" tour of Japan in September and October 1974, where he battled such local celebrities as Mighty Inoue, Animal Hamapanchi, and Rusher Kimura. Following his return from Japan, Graham formed a tag team with Dusty Rhodes. In May 1975, he left the AWA and returned to the NWA, joining Red Bastien's Dallas-based promotion for five months and winning Mad Dog Vain's local "Brass Knucks" title on August 8. Graham was a pilot with the Mid Atlantic promotion in North Carolina for the majority of October, replacing Ric Flair, who had just been wounded in a plane crash.

Graham made his in-ring debut in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWF) on October 25, 1975, when he and Spiros Arion defeated WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino and Dominic De Nucci in a tag-team match at the Boston Garden in which he and Spiros Arion defeated WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino and Dominic De Nucci. At this point, the Grand Wizard was Graham's boss. Ivan Putski, a Polish muscleman, was another big feud at this moment.

Graham spent a short time in Houston, Texas, before going on his second tour of Japan with Ivan Koloff. During this Japanese era, he rivaled Antonio Inoki with Antonio Inoki. Graham and Koloff's attempt to begin their own wrestling promotion in Southern California fell short after returning to America. Graham signed the NWA Florida heavyweight title in November 1976, defeating Rhodes at the West Palm Beach Auditorium on November 22, 1976. During his time in this period, he made occasional trips to St Louis, Missouri, where he competed with the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race.

After an agreement with promoter Vincent J. McMahon "Senior," Graham returned to the WWWF in April 1977. In Baltimore, Maryland, Graham defeated Bruno Sammartino in the WWF Heavyweight Championship on April 30, 1977. Graham dominated for nine and a half months.

During his reign, he wrestled in America and Japan (1978), fighting opponents such as former champion Bruno Sammartino, Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, Pedro Morales, Don Muraco, Mil Mascaras, Strong Kobayashi, Carlos Rocha, and Riki Choshu. He'll also retaliate with Ivan Putski. Graham took on then-NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race in Miami, Florida, on January 25, 1978, a one-hour time limit match that culminated in a one-hour time limit draw. Although Graham's previous match, Bob Backlund, who was to portray the virtuous "all-American" wrestler, was not written into Graham's new WF deal, Graham suggested another outcome to McMahon: that Ivan Koloff turn against him, sparking a feud that would make Graham a fan favorite. McMahon refused because of a handshake contract to make Backlund the new fan favorite champion, and he didn't want to go back on his word. Since McMahon and several old promoters saw Graham as a proven heel and therefore a negative role model, it was also unheard for a counter-cultural figure like Graham to be a fan favorite. Graham eventually lost the title to Backlund on February 20, 1978.

Dusty Rhodes was the champion of another feud, which culminated in a Texas Bullrope match. After Graham was coerced to remove the belt to Backlund, his rivalries with Rhodes raged. Rhodes himself, a long-time Graham's friend, recalled these matches with Graham in 1978 as some of the most exciting and memorable of his career.

Graham left the WWF in December 1978 and accepted an invitation to assist Paul Boesch's promotion in Houston, Texas, lending himself out for other NWA events in California and Florida as well. He began his third IWA tour of Japan in April 1979, where he met the same people he had worked with in 1974. Graham was the Continental Wrestling Association's (CWA) World Champion on October 8, 1979. Graham lost the belt to Jerry Lawler in Lexington, Kentucky, on November 8, 1979. He began wrestling in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas in 1981, becoming less popular and rarer. In 1981, Graham had only two matches (one in Canada and one in Los Angeles). In 1982, he spent some time in Japan, where he added some martial arts techniques to his repertoire.

In September 1982, Graham returned to the newly named World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He debuted in the competition with a bald head and mustache, as well as black karate pants. Graham later confessed that he wanted to ban the "Superstar" character out of disgust with Vince McMahon Sr. for not allowing him to become a fan favorite. He assaulted Backlund on his return to form, destroying his championship belt. He fought Backlund for the WWF Championship but was unable to win the title. He left the service in April 1983.

Graham signed up with the AWA again in October 1983, mainly in the Mid West. He had regained his body weight by the following year, and in April 1984, he began his NWA battle with Championship Wrestling from Florida, first as a member of Kevin Sullivan's Army of Darkness and later as the group's enemy after he became tired of Sullivan's vil treatment of his valet, The Lock, which prevented Sullivan from defeating her at ringside and barred him from beating her. Graham started working for Jim Crockett Promotions (Mid-Atlantic Wrestling) in North Carolina, where he fought for Paul Jones in his feud with Jimmy Valiant from November 1984 to 1985. Graham grew stronger during this time, returning to his tie-dyed appearance in the summer of 1985, growing a complete goatee and dyeing the mustache blond.

In June 1986, Graham returned to the WWF for the first time, now as a fan favorite. It was diagnosed in August that he needed a hip replacement after a few appearances. Graham's hip replacement surgery was shown on WWF TV on September 27 as a way to advertise his return to form. He returned in mid-1987 and worked a demanding schedule from mid-July to late October, rivalring with Harley Race and Butch Reed. However, the strain on his hips as well as his ankles were all deteriorating was too much. After Graham's victory over Reed, the One Man Gang in Syracuse reportedly suspended him from active competition permanently with a running splash on the concrete floor. Don Muraco came to Graham's assistance on the November 14, 1987 episode of Superstars, and Graham later became Muraco's boss. Graham's last wrestling match, also against Butch Reed, was held in St Louis, Missouri, on September 7, 1987. Graham spent time as a commentator on WWF in the midst of several bouts of surgery.

Graham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 on March 14, 2004, the night before WrestleMania XX, by then-World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, who Graham had inspired to become a professional wrestler. Graham then sold his WWE Hall of Fame ring to purchase anti-rejection drugs to help with his liver transplant.

Several months later, Graham appeared on a series of nine televised events where he was interviewed by Jonathan Coachman (on December 28) before performing a skit that culminated in Coachman being knocked out. Graham appeared at another live event on February 25, 2005, and Coachman was briefly interviewed before knocking him out. Graham appeared on Raw, three days later, where he begged Randy Orton to do something to make him famous. Graham appeared in a Legends Ceremony at WWE Homecoming on October 3, alongside 24 other WWE stars. On the January 23, 2006 episode of Raw, he promoted his book and DVD. In 2009, Graham left WWE for a while.

Graham revealed in a Facebook post in November 2015 that he had signed a legends contract (a long-term commitment to make infrequent, non-wrestling appearances).

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