Jerry Martin Graham (born Jerry Martin Matthews, December 16, 1921 – January 24, 1997) better known as "Dr. Jerry Graham" was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

. He is best known for his time spent in the

World Wide Wrestling Federation Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was an American sports promotion company. Run by Vincent J. McMahon from the 1950s until the 1980s, the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing promotion and later became the holding company ...

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. In June 1947, he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, serving with the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

as a

paratrooper A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...

and as a driver for General James M. Gavin. He became a private first class. After leaving the Army in 1948, he returned to Phoenix, where he attended

Phoenix College Phoenix College (PC) is a Public university, public community college in Encanto, Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country. History The college was originally a part of the Phoenix Union Hi ...

and

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

Professional wrestling career

Graham began wrestling at the age of 14 in his hometown of

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, and won his first major title, the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship, in December 1956. 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. (Donald J. Jolly), Mad Dog Steele Graham (Tom Hankins) and Gerry Chubby Graham (M. Gerald Sadler). Along with Eddie, Jerry sold out

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

many times in the 1950s and late 1960s, when they were known as The Golden Grahams. After his

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

success, Dr. Graham brought "Crazy" Luke Graham and "Superstar" Billy Graham into the Graham family. He engaged in a

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

with Buddy Rogers in 1956, predominantly in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. On November 19, 1957, Graham and

Dick the Bruiser William Fritz Afflis Jr. (June 27, 1929 – November 10, 1991) was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and National Football League player, better known by his ring name, Dick the Bruiser. During his NFL days he played four seasons with ...

wrestled Antonio Rocca and Edouard Carpentier at

. 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

. He was a top contender for

Bruno Sammartino Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with the WWE, World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Sammartin ...

(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 The WWWF United States Tag Team Championship was the first version of the main tag team title in the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1963 until 1967. Originally, the WWWF was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance operating out of the N ...

six times; his first reign with Eddie Graham began in September 1958, when they defeated

Mark Lewin Mark Lewin (born March 16, 1937) is an American retired professional wrestler. He worked for various promotions throughout his 35-year career, including Big Time Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, and the World Wide Wrestling Fede ...

and

Don Curtis Donald B. Curtis (born Donald Beitelman) (May 22, 1927 – March 6, 2008) was an American professional wrestler, best known for being a member of a tag team with Mark Lewin in the 1950s and 1960s. During his partnership with Lewin, they won the ...

. They won the titles again in May 1959 until it was vacated due to Jerry suffering an injury. He also held it in November with

Johnny Valentine John Theodore Wisniski (September 22, 1928 – April 24, 2001), better known by his ring name Johnny Valentine, was an American professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame ...

until Eddie took his place the following year. This also included a reign with "brother" Crazy Luke Graham in March 1964. Graham also won the

NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship The NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship previously based in NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling, although the title has been contested for in the Canadian Wrestling Federation, NWA Green ...

with

Abdullah the Butcher Lawrence Robert Shreve (born January 11, 1941), better known by the ring name Abdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloody hardcore wrestling mat ...

in October 1967. 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 In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

. Throughout his career, he suffered from injuries which included a

broken nose A nasal fracture, commonly referred to as a broken nose, is a fracture of one of the bones of the nose. Symptoms may include bleeding, swelling, bruising, and an inability to breathe through the nose. They may be complicated by other facial fra ...

dislocated hip A hip dislocation is when the thighbone (femur) separates from the hip bone (pelvis). Specifically it is when the ball–shaped head of the femur (femoral head) separates from its cup–shaped socket in the hip bone, known as the acetabulum. Th ...

back pain Back pain (Latin: ''dorsalgia'') is pain felt in the back. It may be classified as neck pain (cervical), middle back pain (thoracic), lower back pain (lumbar) or coccydynia (tailbone or sacral pain) based on the segment affected. The lumbar area ...

, and at least 300 stitches to his back.

Personal life

Graham suffered from alcoholism and depression. In August 1969, when his mother died, he grabbed a shotgun from the back of his car and took his mother's corpse out of the Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix. After the incident, he spent time in the Arizona State Mental Hospital. In

"Superstar" Billy Graham Eldridge Wayne Coleman Jr. (June 7, 1943 – May 17, 2023), better known by his ring name "Superstar" Billy Graham, was an American professional wrestler. He gained recognition for his tenure as the WWWF Heavyweight Champion from 1977 to 1978. ...

's book ''Tangled Ropes'', he speaks about the real life hatred that Graham had for

Freddie Blassie Frederick Kenneth Blassie (February 8, 1918 – June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate","Classy" Freddie Blassie with Keith Ellio ...

Death and legacy

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 75, due to complications from a stroke six weeks earlier. He was posthumously inducted into the

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...

as a part of the Legacy wing on March 31, 2017. In the 2024 documentary miniseries '' Mr. McMahon'',

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...

named Graham as his favorite professional wrestler.

Championships and accomplishments

Capitol Wrestling Corporation Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was an American sports promotion company. Run by Vincent J. McMahon from the 1950s until the 1980s, the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing promotion and later became the holding company ...

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

** NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Northeast version) ( 5 times) – with

Eddie Graham Edward F. Gossett (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985), professionally known as Eddie Graham, and Rip Rogers was an American professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of ...

(4),

(1) **

( 1 time) – with Luke Graham **

(Class of 2017) *

Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama, from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship W ...

NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship The NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Southern Division) was originally the primary singles championship for '' Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling'' and was originally named the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship. As the name indicate ...

( 1 time) *

Maple Leaf Wrestling Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name of a Canadian professional wrestling promotion owned by Frank Tunney and based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 1970s and 1980s. Founded in 1930, Maple Leaf was a territory of the National Wrestli ...

NWA International Tag Team Championship (Toronto version) The Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling championship in the Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1961 through 1977. The title replaced the original top tag championshi ...

( 1 time) – with

Bulldog Brower Richard T. Gland (September 17, 1933 – September 15, 1997), better known by his ring name Dick "Bulldog" Brower, was an American professional wrestler. Early life Gland served in the U.S. Marines and frequently visited his local YMCA. He go ...

Mid-South Sports Georgia Championship Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades before, the National W ...

NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Georgia version) The Georgia version of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Southern Heavyweight Championship was a secondary singles championship used in Georgia Championship Wrestling off-and-on from 1948 to 1972. The title is one of many versions of the NWA ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) **

NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) Between May 1955 and 1969 the professional wrestling promotion ABC Booking (later known as Georgia Championship Wrestling; GCW) promoted their own regional version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, a professional wrestling championship for ...

( 1 time) – with Don McIntyre *

NWA All-Star Wrestling NWA All Star Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Vancouver) is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. All-Star Wrestling folded in 1989. History Early history Although other wrestling promotions e ...

NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) The Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship was established in 1962 as the top tag team title in NWA All-Star Wrestling. The title held that status until late summer 1985, when the title was renamed the UWA Tag Team Champion ...

( 1 time) – with

NWA World Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) The Vancouver version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship for tag teams that was used by NWA All-Star Wrestling from 1966 to 1968. When the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was created in 1948, the bo ...

( 1 time) – with Abdullah the Butcher *

Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the prom ...

** NWA International Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) ( 1 time) – with

Jim Wright James Claude Wright Jr. (December 22, 1922 – May 6, 2015) was an American politician who served as the 48th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989. He represented Texas' 12th congressional district as a ...

World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish language, Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ...

WWA World Tag Team Championship The WWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title in the Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish language, Spanish) is a lucha libre ...

(

) – with Don Kent

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Jerry 1931 births 1997 deaths 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers Arizona State University alumni Burials at Riverside National Cemetery Graham family (professional wrestling) Professional wrestlers from Oklahoma American professional wrestling trainers Paratroopers Phoenix College alumni Stampede Wrestling alumni NWA International Tag Team Champions (Toronto version) Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions United States Army soldiers WWWF United States Tag Team Champions