Mike Graham (wrestler)
| Mike Graham | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Michael Gossett |
| Born |
September 22, 1951 Tampa, Florida |
| Died | October 19, 2012 (aged 61) Daytona, Florida |
| Cause of death | Multiple gunshot suicide |
| Family | Eddie Graham (father) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Mike Graham |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Billed weight | 230 lb (100 kg) |
| Trained by |
Eddie Graham Yasuhiro Kojima Boris Malenko |
| Debut | 1972 |
Michael Gossett (September 22, 1951 – c. October 19, 2012), better known as Mike Graham, was an American professional wrestler. The son of wrestler and promoter Eddie Graham, Gossett was born in Tampa, Florida.
Mike Graham was a Florida high school state champion his senior year in 1969 for Robinson High School (In Tampa, Florida). In the District finals, to qualify for state, he faced Richard Blood and beat him by one point. Blood, who was a sophomore at the time, would win the state title himself two years later. Blood went on to gain success and fame in professional wrestling as Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
Michael Gossett started wrestling in 1972 in his father's Championship Wrestling from Florida, which was a National Wrestling Alliance territory. He was trained by his father,Boris Malenko and Hiro Matsuda.
He teamed with his father upon his arrival but also formed a successful team with Kevin Sullivan. Sullivan eventually turned on him to form his "Satanic cult", The Army of Darkness. Graham then teamed with Steve Keirn and Barry Windham to feud with them and to capture several tag team titles over the years.
In 1981, Graham wrestled in the American Wrestling Association and feuded with Buck Zumhofe over the AWA Light Heavyweight Championship over the next two years.
Graham headed back to Florida in 1983 primarily as a singles wrestlers. He started teaming with Keirn again in the late 1980s and wrestled in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions with Keirn briefly around this time.
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