Eddie Graham

Infobox Wrestler
name=Eddie Graham
names=Eddie Gossettcite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/e/eddie-graham.html|title=Eddie Graham Profile|accessdate=2008-03-23|publisher=Online World Of Wrestling]
Roy Rogers


img_capt=
height=height|ft=5|in=11
weight=convert|215|lb|kg|lk=on|abbr=on
real_height=
real_weight=
birth_date=January 15, 1930
birth_place=Chattanooga, Tennessee
death_date=death date and age|1985|1|21|1930|1|15
trainer=Cowboy Luttrell
debut=1947
retired=
website=

Edward Gossett (better known as Eddie Graham) (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985) was a professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of the NWA in the 1970s. His son, Mike Graham, was also a professional wrestler.

Career

Edward F. Gossett started wrestling in 1947John Molinaro, "The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time", (Winding Stair Press: 2002), page 200.] in Texas at the age of 17 after being trained by Cowboy Luttrell. He was sometimes billed as the brother of "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers under the name of Rip Rogers. He lost a loser-leaves-town match to Pepper Gomez in May 1958.

In June 1958, he changed his ring name to Eddie Graham and was billed as the brother of Dr. Jerry Graham and "Crazy" Luke Graham. Jerry and Eddie were a very successful heel tag team on the east coast of the United States. They had popular feuds with teams such as the Fabulous Kangaroos, the Bastien Brothers, Mark Lewin and Don Curtis, and Antonino Rocca and Miguel Pérez. They held the NWA United States Tag Team Championship "(Northeast version) together in Capitol Wrestling (the forerunner of World Wrestling Entertainment) four times, winning the belts three times in victories over Miguel Perez and Don Curtis, and once against Red and Lou Bastien. [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwf/wwf-us-t.html NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Capitol version) at Wrestling-Titles.com] ]

In the spring of 1960, Eddie left the team and went to the National Wrestling Alliance's territory in Florida to wrestle. While there, in 1966, he had a famous feud with Professor Boris Malenko.Molinaro, page 200.]

In 1968, Eddie was lacing his boots in the locker room and a 75 pound steel window fell on his head, detaching both of his retinas and causing him an injury that required three hundred stitches. The Florida State Legislature awarded him $23,000 for the incident. According to Jim Wilson in his book "Chokehold", Graham's eyesight was poor because of blade jobs, and because he needed surgery to correct the problem and could not afford the money, he had some wrestlers tamper with the window in order to pass it off as though it was the responsibility of the building. This allegation is disputed by eyewitnesses. Due to the injury, Graham was unable to wrestle for fifteen months.

Eddie took over booking and promoting for Championship Wrestling from Florida in 1971. He wrestled with his son, Mike Graham, until 1977, when he retired from the ring due to health problems. He was the President of the NWA from 1976 to 1978, thanks in part to Gordon Solie and Dusty Rhodes. Graham was absent as NWA President in 1977 and 1978 due to serious health problems he suffered from, and was forced to step down as a result. [ [http://www.harleyrace.com/programs/kc81778.htm Kansas City Wrestling program, August 17, 1978] ] Eddie remained as the promoter in Florida until January 21, 1985, when he allegedly committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a lifelong battle with alcoholism.

He was inducted to WWE Hall of Fame on March 29 2008. He was inducted by Dusty Rhodes, while his son, Mike Graham, accepted the honor on behalf of his father.

Championships and accomplishments

*Championship Wrestling from Florida:*NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship (2 times) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/fl-bk.html NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Title history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/fl-h.html Florida Heavyweight Title history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship (3 times) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/nwa/fl-south-h.html NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Florida) history] At wrestling-titles.com] (First):*NWA Florida Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Don Curtis (1) and Lester Welch (1) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/nwa/fl-south-t.html NWA Southern Tag Team Title (Florida version) history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mike Graham [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/fl-t.html Florida Tag Team Title history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Dick Steinborn [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/nwa/fl-us-t.html NWA United States Tag Team Title (Florida version) history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*NWA World Tag Team Championship "(Florida version)" (7 times) - with Ike Eakins (1), Sam Steamboat (3), Bob Orton (2), and Jose Lothario (1) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/fl/nwa/fl-nwa-t.html NWA World Tag Team Title (Florida version) history] At wrestling-titles.com]

*Georgia Championship Wrestling:*NWA Georgia Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-south-h.html NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Georgia version) history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mike Graham [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/ga-t.html NWA Georgia Tag Team Title history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*World Heavyweight Championship "(Georgia version)" (1 time) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/ga-world-h.html World Heavyweight Title (Georgia) history] At wrestling-titles.com]

*Japan Wrestling Association:*JWA All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Killer Karl Kox [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/asia-t.html All Asia Tag Team Title history] At wrestling-titles.com]

*Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling | World Championship Wrestling:*NWA Mid-Atlantic Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sam Steamboat [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/midatlantic/nwa/ma-south-t.html NWA Southern Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic version) history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1993) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/hof.html WCW Hall of Fame Inductees] At wrestling-titles.com]

*Midwest Wrestling Association:*MWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/oh/mwa/oh-mwa-j.html MWA World Junior Heavyweight Title history] At wrestling-titles.com]

*National Wrestling Alliance:*NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2006) [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/nwa/hof.html NWA Hall of Fame Inductees] At wrestling-titles.com]

*NWA Capitol Wrestling:*NWA United States Tag Team Championship "(Northeast version)" (4 times) - with Jerry Graham [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-us-t.html United States Tag Team Title (Capitol/WWWF) At wrestling-titles.com]

*NWA Mid-America:*NWA Southern Tag Team Championship "(Mid-America version)" (2 times) - with Roy Welch [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tn/cwa/awa-s-t.html NWA Mid-America/AWA Southern Tag Team Title history] At wrestling-titles.com] :*NWA World Tag Team Championship "(Mid-America version)" (1 time) - with Sam Steamboat [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tn/nwa/tn-nwa-t.html NWA World Tag Team Title (Mid-America) history] At wrestling-titles.com]

*Southwest Sports, Inc.:*NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Johnny Valentine [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tx/tx-t.html Texas Tag Team Title history] At wrestling-titles.com]

*NWA Western States Sports:*NWA Southwest Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Art Nelson [ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tx/amarillo/sw-t.html NWA Southwest Tag Team Title history] At wrestling-titles.com]

*Wrestling Observer Newsletter:*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

*World Wrestling Entertainment:*Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/personalities/graham_eddie/death.html "Tampa Bay Tribune"]
* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/e/eddie-graham.html Online World of Wrestling Profile]