I remember the Christmas holidays back in either 1970 or 1971. I was watching Big Time wrestling at my neighbors home because our old black and white didn't have the hook up for UHF channel 40. Channel 40 was where they had the studio matches that aired every Saturday night.

In the main event that evening on TV, they actually were going to have a match that wasn't a squash match. The main event was Ray Stevens and Peter Maivia defending the World tag team championship vs. Pat Patterson and Billy Graham. 

Well I was confused, as I had never even heard of Billy Graham before. And even though I was 10 years old, if I had never heard of him, chances are he wasn't really a big name in wrestling, as I was the expert on pro wrestling. I read all the magazines, searched used bookstores for older wrestling magazines. I knew what wrestling was all about. I knew the matches were pre-determined, I knew those wrestlers were blading, I also knew that somehow as a 10 year old it was my duty to also buy into kayfabe and not to divulge it to any of my friends that wrestling was in reality anything but brutally real. 

Getting back to Billy Graham he entered the ring in a suede vest with tassels hanging down, a red, white and blue headband and he called himself the true spirit of America. I was awestruck. He was muscular the way no wrestlers were back then.  He was cocky, and he was good. Patterson and Graham won that match and the title that evening when Graham went behind the ref's back and dropped Stevens over the top rope, letting Patterson get the pin over the legendary Ray Stevens. Ray Stevens was and is my favorite wrestler of all time. Billy Graham intrigued me that night and he became my second favorite wrestler then and now. I had the privilege of seeing a young Billy Graham wrestle in some of his formative matches. He was fantastic on the microphone, almost a Muhammad Ali. I used to practice my interviewing skills with my best friend Danny. 

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.  More...