WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham has died at the age of 79.
Earlier this week, it came to light that Graham — real name Eldridge Wayne Coleman — had been placed on life support after having been hospitalized for several months due to severe health issues. His passing has now been confirmed by fellow wrestling legend Ric Flair. “The Superstar Billy Graham Just Left Us,” Flair wrote on Twitter. “THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR INFLUENCE On My Career!”
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Graham was attracted to bodybuilding at a young age, idolizing the likes of film stars Steve Reeves and John Grimek. Entering the competitive world of bodybuilding in the 1960s, Graham won his first contest in the West Coast division of Mr. Teenage America. Soon, he began intensive training at the Santa Monica Gold’s Gym, where he worked out with future action star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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Graham’s rise in bodybuilding attracted the attention of wrestler Bob Lueck, who convinced him to take up pro wrestling under the tutelage of the legendary Stu Hart, owner of Canda’s Stampede Wrestling. Making his wrestling debut in 1970, Graham bounced around different territories before landing in the Los Angeles territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Teamed with wrestler Dr. Jerry Graham, Coleman adopted the Billy Graham ring in tribute to the famous televangelist of the same name.
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From 1972 to 1975, Graham worked for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), where he adopted the “Superstar” moniker. He feuded with legends such as Ivan Putski, The Crusher, Wahoo McDaniel and Ric Flair, among others. He made the jump to the WWWF in 1975 and left shortly after in 1976 to work with Dusty Rhodes in the Florida territory of the NWA.
When Graham returned to the WWWF in 1977, he did the unthinkable and defeated world champion Bruno Sammartino, ending his 1,237-day reign with the belt. Graham himself went on to hold the title for 9 and a half months, emerging as the promotion’s top star in the process. He eventually dropped the strap to Bob Backlund in 1978.
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In his remaining wrestling years, Graham bounced around different promotions before retiring to the commentator’s booth in WWF in the late 1980s. In 2004, Graham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Triple H. A number of wrestlers have cited Graham as inspirations, including the aforementioned Triple H, as well as the likes of Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura.
Graham is survived by his wife Valerie, daughter Capella and son Joey.
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