Pro wrestling legend ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham on life support, wife says

“Superstar” Billy Graham, a WWE Hall of Famer and the wrestling promotion’s world heavyweight champion during the late 1970s, is on life support, his wife said.

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Graham, 79, a former bodybuilder and heavily muscled wrestler whose real name is Eldridge Wayne Coleman, is suffering from a major infection in his ears and skull, his wife, Valerie, wrote on Twitter, comments that were also reported on TMZ Sports.

“Please urgent prayers (are) needed for my husband. The doctors wanted to remove him from life support tonight. I refused,” Valerie said. “He’s a fighter and his will is strong even if his body isn’t. God is our hope.”

Graham is also suffering from congestive heart failure, diabetes and hearing loss, his wife said.

The latest update to A GoFundMe page set up for Graham said the former wrestler “coded.” According to SBNation, the term is used in hospitals when a patient goes into cardiopulmonary arrest and requires immediate resuscitation efforts.

The page noted that Graham had also lost 45 pounds over the past month. Previously, Graham had hip replacement surgery and a liver transplant in 2002, according to the WWE Encyclopedia.

Known for his flamboyant boas, tie-dye shirts and bombastic interviewing style that was inspired by Muhammad Ali, Graham was a significant “heel” in the WWWF (later called WWF and now known as WWE) when Vince McMahon Sr. ran the wrestling promotion.

He was the promotion’s heavyweight champion from April 30, 1977, to Feb. 20, 1978, according to the WWE Encyclopedia. Managed by the Grand Wizard (Ernie Roth), Graham defeated the legendary Bruno Sammartino for the title in Baltimore and held the belt for 296 days before dropping it to Bob Backlund at Madison Square Garden in New York.

According to WWE, Graham’s reign was the longest for any ring villain in WWE history.

Graham also had significant runs in the NWA and AWA wrestling promotions.

Graham got his start in bodybuilding, training with Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to the WWE Encyclopedia.

His interviews were legendary, as he bragged that “I am the reflection of perfection.”

“I am the sensation of the nation. The No. 1 creation,” Graham would tell jeering audiences.

Graham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. His autobiography, “Tangled Ropes,” was released in 2006.

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