I was always Billy Graham He was not yet known as Superstar, but even then I knew he would be a superstar in the wrestling business Billy Graham eventually moved on to the AWA promotion and became known as the Superstar, he then moved to the WWWF and became the world champion.  He was the role model for Hulk Hogan and was a better performer and interview than Hogan. If the timing would have been right Superstar Graham could have and maybe should have been a household name in every household in the country. Superstar Graham has had health problems over the years due to steroids and we all wish him nothing but the best as he has given me some of the great memories of my youth.

Peter Maivia was another one of the wrestlers in that match.  He is probably better known now as the grandfather of WWF performer The Rock.  Maivia was a sight to behold in his later years he had one huge tattoo from his chest to his knees. I asked him as a 12-year-old why he had that and he told me he was a chief in Samoa. And that was his way of proclaiming it. I used to love watching Maivia with his Samoan suplexes. He was a great interview as he was always calling everyone brother. Maivia soon enough moved on to other areas especially the WWWF and became a great draw in MSG.In his later years Maivia was a bad guy. I never got to see him in that role but the Maivia I remember just doesn't fit as a heel. He also had the promotion in Hawaii.  Peter passed away a few years ago and is missed.

Pat Patterson is known to wrestling fans now as a stooge in the wwf. Back in the days of my youth he was anything but.   Patterson was the ultimate heel. He was the wrestler I didn't like. He had done too many things to my favorite Ray Stevens. I didn't like that mask that the foreign object went into. When Patterson would pull that mask out of his trunks and put it on the crowd would just get as loud as can be in a sea of booing. Later after Stevens left the area, Paul De Marco and Lars Anderson jumped Patterson and Anderson put Patterson's head into the steel post and the Patterson face turn was complete. Pat Patterson became the most popular wrestler in San Francisco and his feud with DeMarco and Anderson was very successful. After a few years as the most popular man in San Francisco Paterson left the area and went to the AWA and reformed his tag team with Ray Stevens. They were successful enough that they won the AWA tag team championship. Patterson later went to the WWF where he became the first Intercontinental champion. In later years Patterson helped in the WWF expansion and brought a lot of the ideas he learned in the SF booking office and used them in the WWF. Patterson as a booker was very successful.

Ray Stevens was the man in San Francisco for numerous years, whether as hero or heel. No one touched the popularity of Stevens. He came in to SF in the early 60's saying how ugly both the city and the women in the city were. He went from the most hated man in SF to one of its most popular. Ray Stevens may he rest in peace quite simply in this mans opinion is the best ever.

NEXT MONTH:

A closer look at Roy Shires and some of his territory's biggest stars.