Billy Graham

"Superstar" Billy Graham is a former professional wrestler who was prominent for his work in WWF (now WWE), NWA, and AWA. His real name is Eldridge Wayne Coleman and is fondly remembered for his charismatic personality which helped revolutionize the wrestling industry and bring out the importance of promos in pro wrestling.

Career

Graham began his career in 1969 training under Stu Hart, the owner, and trainer at Stampede Wrestling. He performed under his real name for a while and changed it to Billy Graham upon debuting in National Wrestling Alliance. His stint with the promotion garnered him fame and Graham soon joined AWA in 1972 where he adopted the moniker 'Superstar', the name with which he is immortalized in history.

He joined World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) for the first time in 1975. Graham, however, didn't spend much time in the promotion and soon made his return to NWA the following year. He again switched promotions in 1977 when he returned to WWWF. Graham stunned the world by defeating Bruno Sammartino for the world championship, the title Sammartino had held for about four years. Graham's own reign lasted almost 10 months and he lost it to Bob Backlund.

Soon after losing the title, Graham left the promotion and made his way back to NWA. This stint lasted quite a considerable time and he spend time in Japan as well. He became the CWA World Champion during this tenure.

Billy Graham returned to WWWF, which was now renamed WWF, in 1982. He soon got himself a rematch against Bob Backlund, the man he lost his title to four years ago. Graham, however, failed to defeat Backlund. He also demanded to remove the moniker 'Superstar' because he was not allowed to become a babyface. Graham soon left the promotion after this defeat.

He spent the next three years performing at NWA and AWA and again made his return to WWF in 1986. He was finally allowed to act as a babyface. It was diagnosed that he required a hip replacement. After returning from the replacement, he worked on a heavy schedule but his injury strained over time and Graham had to eventually bid farewell to in-ring action on November 7, 1987, when he faced Butch Reed in his last match.

Graham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004 by Triple H. It was announced that he sold his Hall of Fame ring to purchase anti-rejection medications to help treat his liver transplant. He is currently signed to WWE under the Legend's Contract.