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WWE Hall of Famer Billy Graham passed away at the age of 79 after battling health issues for several weeks. WWE Legends such as Ric Flair and The Iron Sheikh took to social media to pay their respects to him while remembering the influence he had on each of their careers.
Billy Graham was one of a kind. His charm, personality, and overall in-ring persona acted like gravity and pulled pro wrestling fans into the arena. He was one of the individuals who added continuous value to the term “sports entertainment” with his flamboyant style of wrestling.
Since making his WWE debut (which was WWWF then) in 1975, Graham jumped ships multiple times where he moved back and forth between WWE, NWA, and AWA. During his legendary wrestling career, he worked in several note-worthy matches and bouts.
Here are the best five matches from his WWE career:
#5. Rivalry against Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes and Billy Graham were the top pro wrestlers during their era. Both of them knew how to keep the fans engaged with their unmatched story-telling skills, which made their rivalry even more entertaining.
During 1977 to 1978, The American Dream challenged Graham for the then-WWWF Championship multiple times. One of the most famous among those was when they collided at Madison Square Garden in a Texas Death match.
In that match, there were no disqualifications, and both of them found ways to keep the other dominated. One such was Graham going underneath the ring to find a rope and using that to choke Dusty Rhodes. By the time it ended, both of them were covered in blood and wounds.
Billy Graham himself believes two of his best matches were against Dusty Rhodes.
“My feet were off the floor, with that rope around my neck, and he’s pulling me leaning over the top rope. I almost passed out, I had to grab the rope and pull myself up to the apron. But those two matches, the Texas Deathmatch, and the bullrope match…the pandemonium could not be matched.”
Graham won the match after a mid-ring collision, and Dusty was knocked out for three seconds, which helped Graham pin him. Dusty Rhodes was unaware of the victory since he was knocked out and continued the fight after regaining his senses.
The match ended when Rhodes pushed Graham ringside between the ropes, and the victor walked away.
#4. Ending Bruno Sammartino’s reign for the WWE Championship
Overpowering Bruno Sammartino in the 1970s was a big deal among pro wrestlers and WWE fans. Whoever defeated Sammartino would become an enemy to his fans, and usually, it had to be well-planned.
In 1976, Bruno Sammartino informed Vince McMahon Sr. that it was time to pass the title to someone else.
At this point, McMahon Sr. planned to have a heel hold the title rather than a babyface. This is a good place to note that during the 1970s, usually, babyfaces would hold the titles.
Since Graham was a heel, it wasn’t the usual approach, but it worked in the company’s favor. Billy Graham defeated Bruno Sammartino at Baltimore, ending his almost four-year reign. The victory was dangerous for Graham, and he grabbed the title while making a run for the locker room before the announcement of the official decision.
Furthermore, he held the title for 10 months, which is much more than what a heel usually would hold. As a result, Graham’s title reign became much more significant.
#3. Challenging Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship
Prior to Graham securing the title from Bruno Sammartino, Vince McMahon Sr. had informed Graham about when and to who he’d be dropping the title to.
On February 20, 1978, Bob Backlund defeated Billy Graham for the WWE Championship. It was a sold-out event at Madison Square Garden and a much-awaited moment for the fans.
Graham’s WWE title run was the longest by a heel during that time, and that allowed a babyface to ensure a massive pop by securing the victory.
Following the title loss, Graham left for NWA but returned in 1982 to challenge Backlund. They had three matches for the title, with the first two resulting in controversial endings. Their final match at Madison Square Garden was a lumberjack match.
The lumberjacks did their job and kept Bob Backlund in the ring while Graham did his best to dominate and pin the champion, even trying to choke the champion with a bearhug.
However, Backlund managed to break out of it and choked Graham. The referee called for the match to come to an end when Graham complained about his throat. Bob Backlund continued to be champion.
#2. Attempt to unify WWE and NWA titles
Even though Billy Graham was WWE Champion only once, during that run itself, he attempted to become the title holder of two championships.
On January 25, 1978, Billy Graham went up against then-NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race. It was a 2/3 Falls Title Unification match.
Both Graham and Race secured one piece each, but after a 60-minute match, it was called to a draw for beaching time limits. The titles were never unified.
#1. Billy Graham’s final WWE match against Butch Reed
The Late WWE Hall of Famer returned to the promotion for the third time in mid-1987 after a hip-replacement surgery. Following that, he feuded with Harley Race and Butch Reed, but the condition of his hip and ankles were deteriorating.
Toward the end of October, One Man Gang took him down with a running splash which retired him from active competition. Finally, on November 7, 1987, Billy Graham had his last match against Butch Reed before retiring completely.
He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Triple H in 2004.
