The Brilliance of Eddie Graham and His Influence on The American Dream

It suffices to say that without the influence of Eddie Graham, there would be no American Dream.

During the late 1950s, Eddie was billed as the brother of Dr. Jerry Graham and "Crazy" Luke Graham. As a tag-team, Eddie and Jerry quickly established themselves as one of the top acts in Capitol Wrestling, owned and promoted by Vince McMahon Sr. Vincent Kennedy McMahon has stated publicly that the Graham Brothers were his all-time favourite tag-team.

By the 1960s, Graham would join Championship Wrestling From Florida while completely taking over the promotion from "Cowboy" Clarence Preston Luttrall in 1971.

While acting as the promoter and booker of Championship Wrestling From Florida, Eddie maintained a close relationship with Vince McMahon Sr, which saw the two frequently exchange talent between CWF and the WWWF.

Despite Eddie’s undeniable in-ring skills and accomplishments, his success as a promoter was arguably more well-known, with his peers frequently citing his exceptional mind for professional wrestling.

Dusty Rhodes would summarize the brilliance of Eddie Graham during an episode of the Steve Austin Show using one word, timing.

“Timing might not mean a lot to a lot of people, but timing, knowing when, how, what to do at what moment. His timing was immaculate.

His thought on timing as far as the fans, you could say, timing, timing, timing. He would say, they’re not ready yet.

I would say, man, I want to go in there and kick this guy’s ass that beat me up the last week. Eddie would say, no. There’s a formal thing going on here. They’re going to introduce you, then you get in, they’re going to ring a bell, you’re going to start a match. None of that going over to jump him because he beat you up. No this thing until the TIME is right.”

Dusty would note that beyond his impeccable timing, his attention to detail during every minute of a match was second to none:

“It got to the point where if it was an hour, at the 55-minute mark, this is what you did. This is what went down at 55 minutes and if I did not do it at 55 minutes, he would ream my ass when I go back. He would sit me down and say you will never be successful if you do not follow these rules.

I would sit down there with Eddie and tell him that sometimes the rules will change because the people will change. He would say, but they didn’t change tonight and I knew they wouldn’t. Your timing was bad.”

Eddie was also known as one of the greatest finish men in the business to the point where promoters from other territories would reach out to him for assistance. This long list included Vince McMahon Sr., Don Owen, Bob Geigel and Sam Muchnick

According to Dusty, you could name two wrestlers and tell Eddie they are squaring off in a specific city on a specific city with details such as “a one-hour time limit match for the heavyweight championship. “ By asking for his thoughts, Graham would lay out a match that incorporates crucial aspects of timing for nearly minute.

Dusty Rhodes Becomes The American Dream

While Rhodes was already an established tag-team wrestler as part of the Texas Outlaws alongside Dick Murdoch, it wasn’t until he broke away as a singles competitor in 1974 that Dusty would truly find himself. By breaking away from Dick, Dusty ultimately bet on himself, but so did someone else, Eddie Graham.

After his tag-team partner, Pak Song, managed by the highly underrated Gary Hart turned on Dusty, Rhodes would ultimately become a babyface by aligning with Eddie Graham and his son Mike.

During an interview with Gordon Solie, Dusty Rhodes knew he instantly struck gold.

“All of us have the American Dream. We just have to reach out there and have to find it.”

Dusty would further state:

“The American Dream is in part, man. Sometimes, I feel like an American Dream and I’m carrying it for all of you.”

As the American Dream character caught on, it was Eddie who understood it and helped guide the next steps.

Dusty looked up to Eddie as a mentor and father figure along with someone who brought out the best in him. He gave Dusty his wings to fly and without the belief of Eddie Graham, there is no American Dream.

Eddie and Dusty would obsessively discuss professional wrestling along with one very important lesson bestowed upon Rhodes from Graham, “never short change the fans.”

So, why did Eddie Graham take Dusty Rhodes under his wing and closely mentor him during the early stages of his singles career? According to The American Dream, it was all about money and the fact Eddie was reminded of his old tag-team partner, Jerry.

“He mentored a lot of guys. As you know with Vince Jr, people love money. People in power who are your bosses love money. He loved making money and knew I was the money maker.”

But here’s the story that they don’t know.

Dr. Jerry Graham and Eddie Graham were the big things in New York City as a tag-team way back in the 60s. It was phenomenal how over they were. Dr. Jerry Graham was a big, blonde heavy set guy, like me, who shook his ass. I watched him on tape, I got a lot of stuff from him as far as movements and everything. If you go back and think, where did this come from? It’s a cross between him and Thunderbolt Patterson. Everything came from there. Jerry and Eddie were very close and they became alcoholics together. I mean true alcoholics, God rest his soul. The bottom line was that he saw when he got me, he saw this guy who didn’t look like a bodybuilder, that had the beer gut, that had this blonde hair in an afro type wig in the 70s almost. Not a wig, but real hair and could talk like a black guy and talk like an evangelist and talk them in the building like Dr. Jerry Graham did. He related to me through that. And of course, God rest his soul, Mike Graham, his son, was a smaller guy. A tremendous guy in the ring, a great worker and a very dear friend, but the bottom line was, I was Eddie’s wrestling son. The unspoken word was I became Eddie’s wrestling son. I was his Dr. Jerry Graham in a new era, in a younger form.”

On January 21, 1985, Eddie Graham made the tragic decision to end his own life by putting a blue-steel Smith & Wesson revolver to his right temple and pulling the trigger. An ambulance rushed him to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later. Depression is closely linked with his demise, but there are still many questions as to why.

Despite the devastating conclusion of Eddie Graham’s life, his remarkable legacy can still be felt to this very day.

Without Eddie Graham, there is no American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

Without the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, there is no Paul Heyman, Diamond Dallas Page, Tommy Dreamer, along with countless NXT Superstars, who he referred to as his kids.

Just as Eddie Graham believed in The American Dream, Dusty would unselfishly extend that knowledge to hundreds of others in an effort to extract their potential just as his mentor did for him.

All knowledge is connected to all other knowledge.