Mike Graham Shoot Interview

Mike Graham, son of the legendary hall of famer Eddie Graham, sat down for an intense three hour shoot interview that answers all the questions wrestling fans have been asking. Covering his entire career, this comprehensive interview tells the tale of how little Mikey Graham was brought to the wrestling shows by his father, eventually making his own way in the business, all the way to his current role as an elder statesman who has witnessed more tragedy than any soul should have to bear. For the first time ever, Mike goes on the record concerning his father’s suicide. Having worked closely with Kevin and Nancy Sullivan in Florida, Mike shared his insight on the side of Nancy many never saw and gives his thoughts on the Chris Benoit situation. We’ve all heard countless talking heads covering this subject, but Graham has a take on that terrible events which has never been heard before. Although he is most known for his work in Florida, Mike has been all over the wrestling circuit and we got stories concerning a wide variety of territories and superstars. NWA. Mid South. AWA. WCW. XWF. Dick Slater. Gary Hart. Ray Stevens. Bill Watts. Dusty Rhodes. JJ Dillon. Billy Jack Haynes. Hulk Hogan. Lex Luger. Barry Windham. Eric Bischoff. Scott Hall. Kevin Nash. You won’t believe the list of people that Graham has worked with over the years. Being named PWI’s rookie of the year for 1972. Kevin Sullivan’s devil gimmick. Working inside WCW’s Power Plant. The infamous match at WCW Uncensored between Dustin Rhodes and Barry Darsow that Mike was an agent for. The Orndorff/Vader fight. His father’s induction into WCW and WWE’s hall of fame. Mike hits every significant moment of his career and is unabashedly honest throughout. Mike has seen the worst wrestling has to offer and has come out the other side with his head on straight, his priorities in order, and a whole bunch of entertaining stories for wrestling fans! What was it like growing up as the son of Eddie Graham How soon did he bring you to shows, etc Do you have any fun stories about wrestlers staying over or coming over for dinner How soon did you know that you wanted to get into the business When did your dad expose kayfabe to you Howd the other wrestlers treat you as a kid How hard did your dad take it when the steel window fell on him and he had to sit out a year Do you remember ever sitting in with your dad on booking meetings Do you have any early memories of the NWA conventions When did you start to train Did you feel immediate pressures as his son What made your dad such a great booker Memories of training with Boris Malenko and Hiro Did Hiro stretch you Was your dad harder or easier on you in training Did you ever have any thoughts of breaking in and hiding your name Did you ever have any instances early in your career when a veteran would take his anger against your dad on you Memories of your first match Memories teaming with your dad Memories of Vince McMahon SR< /div> Early memories of Dusty Rhodes Memories of Dusty’s turn Memories of Gary Hart Memories of Sputnick Monroe Memories of teaming with Kevin Sullivan early in your career Memories wrestling Dusty and Dick Slater Memories of Jos LeDuc Did your dad ever want to send you out of Florida to get experience elsewhere Memories of wrestling the Ortons Why do you think some second generation wrestlers like yourself an d Randy Orton succeed where others like David Sammartino and David Flair fail Memories of Bob Backlund How important to your career was it to be named PWI Rookie of the Year in 72 Memories of matches with the Hollywood Blondes Memories teaming with Ken Lucas Memories of the Briscos Memories of Superstar Graham Memories teaming with Steve Keirn Any good road stories from this period Memories teaming with Ray Stevens When did you begin to feel confident as a worker Memories wrestling Tatusmi Fujinami Early impressions of Barry Windham Memories wrestling Ric Flair Memories of your draw with Harley Race How important was that to your career Memories meeting Hulk Hogan Memories of his training Memories of Kevin Sullivan and his big angle How out of control did that angle get Memories of JJ Dillon How much of a part of the booking committee were you Memories of wh en Bill Watts came to study under your father Did Dusty get drunk with power Early memories of Billy Jack Haynes Memories of Magnum TA Memories of Abdullah the Butcher Memories of Terry Funk Memories of Gordon Solie Paul Jones said in an interview he left because your dad was putting you in matches above him. Did you find other vets jealous of your push Memories working for the AWA How did Verne compare to your dad as a booker Memories of matches with Buck Zumhofe Was the weather hard to get used to Early memories of Lex Luger Why do you think the territory was so successful How did you find out about your father Billy Jack said in his shoot he thinks your father killed himself because Dusty took all of the talent and left for Crockett. What do you think How hard was it on you and your dad when Dusty jumped Did you take it personally Did you think the territory could continue Did you see territories start to change when Vince expanded When did you realize the territory was in trouble Memories of running the territory with Steve Keirn What were the pitfalls of running a territory at that time Was it a losing situation in a sense that your dad had built up such a legacy that it was hard to match it Memories of working for Dusty’s PWF Why do you think it failed Initial impressions of Dustin Memories of the Nasty Boys How did it end in Florida Do you think a territory could be successful today in Florida Why do you think that the legacy still lives on today Has Vince been fair with the legacy and the tapes How did you wind up in WCW as a road agent Memories working for Eric Bischoff Memories of the Sid Vicious squeegee incident Does Sid get a bad rap Was WCW as chaotic as people say it was How did things change when Hogan came over Did you think it was a good or bad move Why do you think Barry Windham never got a big run in the WWE or an NWA title run How did you get involved with the Power Plant Some wrestlers like Batista and others have had bad things to say about the Power Plant. A lot of guys say that the Plant had no interest in training anyone and just breaking down guys. How do you respond What do you think of Jody Hamilton as a trainer Memories of the Orndorff-Vader fight Who came out of the Plant that surprised you as a success and a failure What was the story with the Uncensored match between Barry Darsow and Dustin Rhodes How soon did you get your job back Who was your favorite booker to work with in WCW How difficult were the politics in WCW Memories of Hall and Nash Were you surprised it closed Did you ever talk to Vince about working there as a road agent There is a story told many times that you threatened to slash Chris Benoit’s throat and he used that as an excuse to get out of his contract. Thoughts? What are your thoughts on the Benoit tragedy Is it hard sometimes to separate Mike Graham the wrestler from Mike Graham the road agent/Turner Employee Why do you think the XWF didn’t work Could another company work today in addition to TNA and WWE How come you haven’t worked with TNA Thoughts on Vince Russo booking TNA How important was it for your father to be recognized by Vince Is it true that you got $1 million for the library Thoughts on Vince What is the problem with the business today What is lacking in independent wrestlers and indy wrestling Can TNA compete with the WWE In your career who did you find was overrated and underrated Favorite matches overall Fav guys to work with Do you enjoy doing the nostalgia shows Least fav guys to work with Who do you enjoy watching Good ribs and road stories What do you do today Do you ever want to write a book