"Superstar" Billy Graham was before our time for a lot of us that grew up on WWE in the 1980s and 1990s, but his place in history is important. He was the WWE Champion in 1977 that ended Bruno Sammartino's 1,237 day title reign and became known as a bodybuilder that also happened to wrestler. He inspired a lot of big name wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura. He also formed a close friendship with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Graham is also a devout born again Christian. He wasn't like some of the others that turned to alcohol and were forced to quit when they became born again. "The drinking ban imposed on a lot of born-again Christians didn't affect me because - thanks to the example my father set at home - I already abhorred alcohol." In 2011, he dealt with some health issues and talked about how much faith helped him in his life: "There's no question that faith beyond this life has kept my spirits up, there's no question about it. Faith is essential, and I know that Eddie Guerrero's faith was enormous. I had the honor of having private conversations with Eddie about God, the hereafter, and our faith. He was so genuine, and it was just remarkable (his spiritual belief), even though we fall so short as human beings." Graham is 71 years old, is no longer in the spotlight and when he does speak he sometimes comes across like a bitter former wrestler. When he talks about his faith, though, you can see how much he cares about people and how it has helped him in his life.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
