411’s Dark Side of The Ring Report: ‘The Original Superstar, Billy Graham’

-Real quick, I want to offer congrats to my teammates on our Church Dartball Team. Our team was in their first year of existence and won The League Championship tonight with a 4 game sweep. Great job all around.

-Now, a quick plug for my WrestleMania column where I looked at what the Main Events would be if every WrestleMania was two nights. Thank you to everyone for the feedback.

-Finally, we get to this week’s episode of Dark Side and Billy Graham. We know plenty of people copy/stole his style. I assume Scott Steiner and Hulk Hogan will be mentioned. Let’s get to it.

-As a reminder, Chris Jericho is our narrator.

-Teaser show Dave Meltzer and Jim Cornette as two of the talking heads and they are always good on this show when talking wrestling history.

-We first meet Capella Flaherty, and she is the daughter of Billy Graham. She says when the light shone on her dad there was on getting away from it. He was more Superstar than he was Wayne Coleman. “He loved us, but I think he loved being Superstar even more.”

-Joseph Miluso, Billy’s son, is next and says his dad was always on even when the camera wasn’t. John Arezzi, historian, mention Graham was the World Champion of the biggest company. Dave Meltzer, wearing Bruiser Brody shirt, says nobody looked like Graham in that era. Ken Patera says “whatever it, is, Graham had it.” Bill Anderson, wrestler, says most guys had a pot belly, and nobody looked like Graham.

-Jim Cornette says Billy was polished in the ring, but he had a great look and could talk. Dave mentions Graham was a competitive bodybuilder and in 1961 won Teenage Mr. America. His son talks about Graham pouring concrete into coffee cans and that is how he lifted weights. He came from an abusive father and stood up to him one time and that was it.

-Graham goes to play football in Canada and that leads him to Stu Hart. Steve Strong, wrestler and best friend of Graham, talks about The Dungeon and how having Stu’s stamp would mean you could wrestler anywhere.

-Jim Cornette talks about The Graham Family Legacy and we had a Dark Side episode of them, which can be found here. Cornette says Jerry Graham was broke and needed another brother, so he pitched the idea to Billy. In an old interview Billy admits he took the first name as he liked The Reverend Billy Graham. They went to LA together and Dave says Jerry was a hopeless drunk and was fired, but Billy had enough charisma stay. He became a training partner with ARNOLD!

-The kids share photos of being held as a babies by ARNOLD. Cool! They show the Telegram that was sent to announce Billy and his wife got married. Her daughter notes her mom thought Billy was the most handsome man in the world. She didn’t care about the wrestling and just loved her dad. She would help with the colors and design of his gear.

-They discuss the promos and Cornette notes he was an Evangelist and would speak to churches while showing off feats of strength. He was one of the first to use catchphrases and it was revolutionary at the time.

-1975 Billy gets the call from Vince McMahon Sr. Billy was excited about working in MSG and Vince had plans for the World Title. Bruno Sammartino was Champion forever and they knew a passing of the guard was needed. Dave says Vince’s guy was Bob Backlund as he wanted someone squeaky clean. Steve Keirn says Bob was his partner and a great athlete, but his promos were the drizzling shits. Bruno wanted to lose the title to someone huge, so Billy became the transitional Champion. He held the title from nearly year and was told the day he would win it and the day he would lose it. Something happened as Graham became the hottest attraction in the business and was cheered even though he was a heel. Vince Sr. always followed his plan and he wanted a babyface as champion. Cornette: “This is what led to Billy Graham’s downfall.”

-Commercials!

-To the family who talk about all the money the family had when Billy was Champion. His daughter talks about playing with the belt and putting it away before getting in trouble. She knows her dad loved her mom, but knew something was happening. She remembers hiding behind the couch as her dad told her mom he wanted a divorce. He was in love with a woman named Valerie.

-She was 18 years old and met Billy an an IHOP. Valerie Coleman is here and says they were married for just under 45 years. His daughter says it sucked and it was really sad watching her parents break up in front of her. Valerie says it was a year before Billy told her he had a family. She was conflicted, but stayed and they were married a few months later.

-The demands of being Champion started to take it’s toll and Billy started taking pain pills. Bill Anderson says Graham overdosed in his hotel room several times when he was champion. One time he stopped breathing and Valerie had to call for help. Paramedics were doing everything to bring him back as he heart had stopped. “It was a pretty intense time.”

-It was time to lose the Title to Bob Backlund and Graham brought up how they had been selling out every arena and it wasn’t time. Cornette mentions the New York promoter always had their belt on a Hero. Nothing was going to change Vince’s mind and on Feb 20, 1979, Bob Backlund beats Graham for the WWWF Championship. Graham’s son: “Bob Backlund, I hate that fucking guy.” The title change does get a pretty big pop. Graham questioned if he did something wrong and his son notes he did not take it well.

-Valerie says Wayne was insecure and never believed he was worth anything. He was always told he was worthless as a kid and believed it. Carrying the Championship meant a lot to him and losing it destroyed his ego. He burned all his wrestling gear in a bonfire.

-Commercials!

-Keirn says Billy could not mentally take losing the World Title. “He didn’t win that belt. Someone gave it to him.” He notes that part is not real. A year later Billy was running a lawn care business and only wrestled on Fridays. Dave brings up how Gorilla Monsoon wrote that Billy had died and for years, “Superstar” was dead. Wayne went back to Phoenix and stopped taking pills cold turkey. That caused a withdrawal and he had a seizure. He was sent to rehab and it didn’t last.

-Graham wants to reinvent himself and wants to be totally different from The Superstar. He had a bald head and was much smaller and told everyone he was a master of martial arts. Patera: “What the fuck is he doing?” Dave says it was lame and he could barely do anything other than throw chops. His son says it was so bad and his dad was not the same person. His body started giving out and he started getting hip injuries. His daughter says she doesn’t like looking at him during that time. Valerie says it was a dark period.

-Less than a year into his return he leaves the WWF and shortly after, Hulk Hogan takes the territory by storm. We see the win over The Iron Sheik and Hulk-a-mania is born in the WWF. Vince Jr. made Hogan into his idea version of Billy Graham. They show the similarities between Hogan and Graham. They bring up Hogan wearing boas like Graham (to be fair that was decade later when Hogan turned heel and yeah, he ripped off a lot of Graham with Hollywood Hogan). Valerie says Hogan took the ear cup from Graham as well. His daughter admits Billy was probably jealous of Hogan. Dave says that Vince has said if the peak Billy Graham had been around in 1984, he could have been Hulk Hogan.

-Graham gets another run with the WWF in 1987 and looks more like “Superstar.” His body was gone though as he had a steel rod in his ankle. His spine was collapsing and it was all due to the steroids eating his body. He was one the original steroid users in wrestling. He knew he still had to do the work as anyone can do roids, but you still have to work out. He was introduced to them as a bodybuilder from someone at Arizona State. They throw ARNOLD under the bus and note he took them as did most of the guys in the 70s and 80s.

-Valerie says Billy was never abusive but would destroy things in the house until she would give him a shot. Her revenge was stabbing with it as she injected the roids. His daughter notes he still complained about losing the WWWF Title and how it was too soon. She told him it was the way it was supposed to happen. He never forgave Vince Sr. for having him lose that title and he threw Vince Jr under the bus during the steroid scandal of the early 90s.

-Graham tells TV about his steroid use and how Vince used Dr. Zahorian to filter steroids to the boys. Graham testified for the prosecution but Dave says he didn’t go after Vince or Hogan. Then Arsenio happened and Hogan was asked about Graham. Hogan noted he was a nobody that was a steroid user in the 70s. That changed Graham’s tune and he told everyone Hogan did steroids.

-That leads to the infamous Phil Donahue episode with Bruno, Graham, Vince, Meltzer and others sitting on stage together. Wild that Vince would put himself in that position. Big Dave sitting right next to Vince. Billy unloaded and said he injected Hogan himself and Vince told him he knew that was a lie. Valerie says she started crying in the audience because he could tell when Wayne was lying. So it seems that he was lying about injecting Hogan. She says he was very bitter at the time and Vince was of the people he was bitter towards.

-Commercials!

-Capella says there is a difference between a dad and a father. His dad was a dad because he got her mom pregnant and that was about it. He never paid child support, so his ex-wife had to get a job working at a bank. She had to work 2-3 jobs but made sure her kids ate. She always loved Billy until she died and never remarried. His son says there was never a father figure in his life and he was very angry with how he treated his mom, and sister. They wanted to be with him and he just didn’t want it.

-Joey was born with a hole in his heart and Graham pushed him aside. He loved the daughter more and Joey knew that. When Joe turned 18 he legally changed his last name from Coleman to his mother’s maiden name. “I was hoping it hurt him when I did it.” Valerie says it broke Billy’s heart and he loved both the kids so much, but didn’t know how to be that dad to them. Joe says he was happy Billy found Valerie as they loved each other, but didn’t like how he cut them out. Capella says she did not invite her dad to her wedding and had her brother walk her down the aisle.

-Billy went back to being a minister and that was his true calling. He developed a play called “The Empty Ring,” and it was his life story with Jake Roberts playing Wayne. We see some video from the play and it’s looks kind of wild.

-He had found peace, but his medical issues were only getting worse. He had contracted Hepatitis C at some point during a bloody match in the 70s. That trashed his liver and he had a night where he was bleeding out. He had stage IV liver disease and needed a transplant as he had six weeks max.

-Commercials!

-Next week it’s Eddie Gilbert!

-Graham calls Vince to ask for forgiveness. Valerie says Vince was gracious and kind when he didn’t have to be. He receives his miracle and gets his liver transplant. Her daughter tells him he will be a grandfather and she can forgive. Valerie notes she got 21 more years with him and calls him a walking miracle.

-2023 he gets hospitalized again and Joe says he was used to his dad getting sick and getting better. The kids debated if they should go see him and Joe saw pictures from Valerie and realized it was bad. He was now seeing his dad and not Superstar. He was telling the kids stories about their mom and they realized he didn’t have much time left. Capella got their second and played her dad Bob Dillon. The next day Valerie made the decision, Capella and Valerie where there and Joe got to talk to him on the phone and told him he loved him. The last words Graham told him, “I love you.” That was tough to hear him get through telling that story. Valerie says he has been gone 17 months and there is no relief.

-We see footage of Graham being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Capella is happy her dad had God in his life. Joe understands where he was coming from and the job he had and life he wanted as Superstar Billy Graham.

-Another one with a tough ending and I feel for his children, and widow. The kids are right to point out their issue wasn’t with Valerie as you can’t help who you love, but just leaving them behind is rough. I knew of the liver disease and transplant and the steroid use that destroyed his body. I can see Graham’s point about drawing so much money, but in the end it was Vince Sr’s company and he did what he felt was best. Some guys realize it is a work and do as their told and others do have egos where they take it personally. I can see how all the power and glory can go to someone’s head. The talking heads were all great as the historians gave us enough background, but it always the family and friends that carry these episodes. Graham was obviously years ahead of his time and personally, I only knew him as the guy managing Don Muraco as a kid. I learned many years later how influential he was. This was another solid entry in this series. Thanks for reading!