6. Billy Graham - WWWF Champion (30/04/77 20/02/78)
I know what youre thinking; cant this guy write an article about wrestling that DOESNT go on and on about the genius of The Superstar? Well, no. Apparently I cant. 1977 was a year of great change all around the world. Star Wars: A New Hope was a hit at the cinema, punk rock was smashing down musical barriers all over the Western world and The Cold War was heating up and scaring the crap out of anyone lucid enough to be paying attention. According to Scottish author Iain Spences Sekhmet Hypothesis, every 11 years, solar cycles effectively re-wire young minds, sending them into a frenzy, typified either by long hair, baggy clothing and trippy music (1966, 1988) or short hair, tight clothing and brief, aggressive music (1955, 1977). Well, 1977 was a year of change, as the zeitgeist shifted around to a tougher, harder scene. It was time, then, for the WWWF to crown its first true rebel champion. Imagine the attitude of 98-era Steve Austin, with the look of Hulk Hogan circa 84, or Triple H in 02. Now imagine seeing all those guys for the first ever time. The Superstar (as he called himself) was the ruthless narcissism of the male ego given flawless physical form. Before Randy Orton was even born, The Superstar made it cool to be a douchebag. He was also the first, long-term WWWF heel Champion. Beforehand, heel champs had always been used as transitional title holders (i.e. a safe way of moving the Big Belt away from an older star without embarrassing the incumbent babyface hero). However, when Graham unseated the legendary Bruno Sammartino for the Big Belt and then kept it for almost a year, it was as if the entire world had turned upside down. There had been long-term heel champions before, of course, but it was a new concept to the WWWF at the time. Grahams title reign became the prototype for all heel runs a blueprint that is still being used today. Apparently, Superstar wanted eventually to be turned into a rebellious, edgy fan-favourite, but Vinny Mac Sr insisted that he drop his belt to clean cut nice guy Bob Backlund instead. He obviously didnt think that a rule breaking, ill-mannered anti-hero would be a draw as a champion. Ah, hindsight.
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