Dr. Jerry Graham

**Jerry Martin Graham** (born **Jerry Martin Matthews**, December 16, 1928 – January 24, 1997) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time spent in the World Wide Wrestling Federation and as the founder of the Graham wrestling family.

## Early life

Graham was adopted by his stepfather Harold Graham and his name was legally changed. He was raised in Arizona and falsified his age to enlist in World War II, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers. After the war, he attended Phoenix College and Arizona State University.

## Professional wrestling career

Graham began wrestling at the age of 14 in his hometown of Phoenix, and won his first major title, the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship, in December 1956. On July 19, 1961, he defeated Chief Little Eagle for the Gulf Coast title in Mobile, Alabama.

He was the founder of the storyline Graham wrestling family, which included Eddie Graham (Edward Gossett), "Crazy" Luke Graham (James Grady Johnson), "Superstar" Billy Graham (Wayne Coleman), Mike Graham (Mike Gossett), Jerry Graham Jr., Crazy Luke Graham Jr. and Mad Dog Steele Graham (Tom Hankins).

Along with Eddie, Jerry sold out Madison Square Garden many times in the 1950s and late 1960s, when they were known as The Golden Grahams. After his tag team success, Dr. Graham brought "Crazy" Luke Graham and "Superstar" Billy Graham into the Graham family. He engaged in a feud with Buddy Rogers in 1956, predominantly in New York. Graham was also Vince McMahon Jr.'s favorite wrestler as a teen.

On November 19, 1957, Graham and Dick the Bruiser wrestled Antonio Rocca and Edouard Carpentier at Madison Square Garden. During the match, a major riot exploded and many fans were arrested, with eight police officers being injured from chairs that were thrown by fans. All of the wrestlers during the match were fined, and Dick the Bruiser was banned for life from wrestling in New York.

He was a top contender for Bruno Sammartino's World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Heavyweight Championship, wrestling him in three bouts at Madison Square Garden. The arena was so packed that more than 10,000 fans were turned away.

Despite coming up short in winning the world title, Graham held the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship six times; his first reign with Eddie Graham began on September 4, 1958, when they defeated Mark Lewin and Don Curtis. They regained the titles from them on May 27, 1959 until it was vacated due to Eddie leaving the promotion; other sources state that Jerry suffered an injury.

On November 14, 1959, Graham won the titles for a third time with Johnny Valentine until Eddie took his place in March 1960. On April 2, they lost the championships to The Bastiens Brothers (Lou Bastien and Red Bastien) but regained it from them two weeks later.

Losing the titles to them seven days later, Graham last held the championship with "Crazy" Luke Graham on March 20, 1964, until they lost them on February 4, 1965 to Gene Kiniski and Waldo von Erich. He also won the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship with Abdullah the Butcher on October 23, 1967, holding it until December 4.

In August 1969, when his mother died following treatment for a heart attack, he grabbed a shotgun from the back of his car and took his mother's corpse out of the Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix. Graham beat up two attendants and of the morgue workers said Graham threw him across the room like he was a potato chip. There was even a newspaper article with a photo of Graham in cuffs with guards around him. After the incident, he spent time in the Arizona State Mental Hospital.

He spent the 1970s training other wrestlers and occasionally wrestling himself. Graham unsuccessfully attempted a comeback to the now WWF in 1984, and spent the rest of his career as a manager on the independent circuit. Throughout his career, he suffered from injuries which included a broken nose, dislocated hip, back pain, and at least 300 stitches to his back. Graham was also a licensed hypnotist. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the Legacy wing on March 31, 2017.

## Death

Graham suffered from failing health in the mid-90s, causing him to enter a nursing home. On January 24, 1997, Graham died in Glendale at the age of 68, due to complications from a stroke six weeks earlier.