Superstar Billy Graham PDF Download
Are you looking for read ebook online? Search for your book and save it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Download Superstar Billy Graham PDF full book. Access full book title Superstar Billy Graham by Billy Graham. Download full books in PDF and EPUB format.
Author: Billy Graham
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416507531
Category : Doping in sports
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Get Book Here
Book Description
'The man of the hour, the man with the power, too sweet to be sour!' That was how Superstar Billy Graham described himself, and who could argue? Graham was perhaps the single most influential performer of the past thirty years, and the mark of that influence can be found in Superstars ranging from Hulk Hogan to Scott Steiner. His outrageous ring attire and Muhammad Ali-style interviews were a breath of fresh air during an era when sports entertainment was much more bare-bones than it is today. Just as fans flocked to see the Superstar compete in the ring, so they loved to listen to him pontificate on the microphone, even if he was bad-mouthing the Superstars they held dear. With his equally colourful manager the Grand Wizard at his side, Graham toppled Bruno Sammartino from his WWE Championship perch for the last time on April 30, 1977. He went on to hold the prize for nearly ten months, the longest reign for any ring villain in WWE history to this day.Clad in tie-dye and feather boas, the Superstar was a sign of things to come, and boasted a chiselled, muscular physique that was very unique at the time. During the late 1980s, he made a brief return to WWE competition, and even enjoyed stints as a manager and broadcaster. Graham has experienced it all and he's going to be talking about it in this book, with stories about all the legendary wrestlers - including Sammartino, Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka and Sergeant Slaughter - that no true wrestling fan will want to miss.
Author: Billy Graham
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416507531
Category : Doping in sports
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Get Book Here
Book Description
'The man of the hour, the man with the power, too sweet to be sour!' That was how Superstar Billy Graham described himself, and who could argue? Graham was perhaps the single most influential performer of the past thirty years, and the mark of that influence can be found in Superstars ranging from Hulk Hogan to Scott Steiner. His outrageous ring attire and Muhammad Ali-style interviews were a breath of fresh air during an era when sports entertainment was much more bare-bones than it is today. Just as fans flocked to see the Superstar compete in the ring, so they loved to listen to him pontificate on the microphone, even if he was bad-mouthing the Superstars they held dear. With his equally colourful manager the Grand Wizard at his side, Graham toppled Bruno Sammartino from his WWE Championship perch for the last time on April 30, 1977. He went on to hold the prize for nearly ten months, the longest reign for any ring villain in WWE history to this day.Clad in tie-dye and feather boas, the Superstar was a sign of things to come, and boasted a chiselled, muscular physique that was very unique at the time. During the late 1980s, he made a brief return to WWE competition, and even enjoyed stints as a manager and broadcaster. Graham has experienced it all and he's going to be talking about it in this book, with stories about all the legendary wrestlers - including Sammartino, Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka and Sergeant Slaughter - that no true wrestling fan will want to miss.
Author: Billy Graham
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439121796
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 616
Get Book Here
Book Description
"I'm the man of the hour," Superstar Billy Graham told his audiences, "the man with the power. Too sweet to be sour!" Despite years of devastating health issues (a long history of drug abuse led to a liver transplant in 2002), the man regarded as one of the most influential professional wrestlers of the past thirty years still flaunts the same optimism that made his interviews as compelling as his matches. In Tangled Ropes, his autobiography, Graham remembers his victories -- and his setbacks -- on both the wrestling and the evangelism circuits in vibrant detail. At his core, Graham is still Wayne Coleman, the artistic, curious boy who escaped the wrath of his disabled father in post-war Phoenix through painting, sports, and bodybuilding. When his photo appeared in a bodybuilding magazine, the young man caught the attention of a family in Texas who began praying for his soul. Soon, Wayne found religion at a revival meeting, then mortified his parents as he left home to bend steel, rip phone books in half, and preach the Gospel on the back roads of America. Because of his natural athleticism, Wayne held a series of jobs -- from bouncer to boxer, from repo man to football player. However, it was under the training of the "Mentor of Mayhem," Stu Hart, that the wrestler was revealed. Then the fading headliner Dr. Jerry Graham bleached Wayne's hair blond and transformed him into an in-ring "brother." Still reverent of men of faith, Coleman became "Billy Graham," after the preacher. Graham completed the package with his golden tan and enormous "pythons," a succession of color-coordinated outfits and jive-talking -- a persona imitated by countless wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan and Jesse "The Body" Ventura. The Superstar's greatest wrestling achievement came in 1977, when he took the World Wide Wrestling Federation Championship from Bruno Sammartino. He held the prize for nearly a year -- the first wrestling villain to do so. But after he lost the title to wholesome Bob Backlund, Graham fell into a deep depression. He disappeared from the business, squandering his money and losing himself in a haze of drugs. In Tangled Ropes -- co-written with Keith Elliot Greenberg -- Superstar Billy Graham tells a story that transcends his life in the wrestling profession, offering candor, nostalgia, inspiration, and humor. Graham's narrative is supplemented by anecdotes from personalities like Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura, Ivan Koloff, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451604505
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 276
Get Book Here
Book Description
WWE Legends gives fans an inside look at more than fifty of the greatest wrestlers ever to slip between the ropes and enter the “squared circle.” They were World Heavyweight Champions: Bob Backlund, Superstar Billy Graham, and Bruno Sammartino. They were fan favorites: “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, Chief Jay Strongbow, and Andre the Giant. They were the villains everyone loved to hate: Killer Kowalski, Ernie Ladd, and the Fabulous Moolah. They were ethnic heroes, someone just like you that you could cheer for: Ivan Putski, Pedro Morales, Peter Maivia. They were the stars that shined the brightest, and left an indelible mark on the memories of countless fans. In a time when professional wrestling was divided into territories, no place created bigger Superstars than World Wrestling Entertainment. From the company's centerpiece in Madison Square Garden, legends were born. WWE Legends is the every fan's guide to the legends of the ring. They are all in here, from Andre the Giant to George “the Animal” Steele, with quick stats and descriptions of their most famous matches. No true wrestling fan should be without this book.
Author: Hulk Hogan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743475569
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Get Book Here
Book Description
You think you know Hollywood Hulk Hogan™? Brother, you don't know squat about me. Yeah, I'm the towering red-and-yellow warrior who revolutionized the wrestling business, the larger-than-life superhero who transformed an entire country into a horde of Hulkamaniacs. I'm the guy who spit blood and breathed fire to help create an empire called World Wrestling Entertainment™. But it wasn't always like that. Once I was a fat kid named Terry Bollea watching legends like Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham, never dreaming I'd be a professional wrestler myself one day. Run with me on the streets of Tampa, where a bass guitar became my salvation. Fight alongside me in the wrestling arenas of Japan, where opponents try to bite your fingers off to make a name for themselves. Slide into the ring with me against 700-pound Andre the Giant, who only became my best friend after he found out he couldn't beat me down. Then cruise L.A. with me and Sylvester Stallone on the heels of Rocky III. Learn why Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura hates my guts. Go head-to-head with Dennis Rodman in a hard-liquor drinking contest, and share a dressing room with Liberace. Find out what makes me cry like a baby, what makes my blood boil, what I think of Jesus Christ, and what scares the living hell out of me. Then tell me you know the man called Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Join the Babe Ruth of wrestling on a gritty, no-holds-barred odyssey from his start in the barbaric wrestling arenas of the seventies through the heartbreak of potentially career-ending surgery to the achievement of his greatest triumph yet. Along the way, lock up with the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Andy Kaufman, Dolly Parton, Mr. T, Ted Turner, George Foreman, Jay Leno, Undertaker, Triple H, The Rock...and of course, Vince McMahon, head of World Wrestling Entertainment™. They're all in here, waiting to show you what they've got. Hollywood Hulk Hogan™. It's the real deal, brother.
Author: Keith Elliot Greenberg
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451604262
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Get Book Here
Book Description
"Classy" Freddie Blassie is universally acknowledged as one of the most hated heels in wrestling history. Freddie really knew how to antagonize the fans -- how to "get heat." Death threats were frequent, enraged fans stabbed him twenty-one times, and he was even doused with acid. Undeterred, Blassie just took the action up a level. He reveled in being the heel. It was almost commonplace to see him biting his opponents and then spitting out their blood. Blassie would routinely "file" his teeth during interviews. His matches in Los Angeles' Olympic Auditorium brought him to the attention of Hollywood. Freddie's style and unpredictability made him a natural for the medium and he became one of the biggest draws in the wrestling business. In the early '60s, this notorious heel was invited to wrestle in Japan. Blassie both horrified and mesmerized sedate Japanese society. It was reported that a number of Japanese television viewers suffered fatal heart attacks after seeing Blassie bloody an opponent in the ring. A child of immigrants, Freddie grew up in a working-class neighborhood in south St. Louis. At seventeen, Freddie made his wrestling debut in a carnival. Unhappy with his choice of occupation, his family persuaded him to keep his "real" job, and for a while he worked as a meatcutter. But after serving in the Navy in World War II, Freddie returned to the world of wrestling, which was at the time still something of a carnival sideshow. Here he picked up his catch phrase: "pencil neck geek." Early in his career, Blassie wrestled on cards promoted by Jess McMahon, and would later work for both his son, Vincent James McMahon, and his grandson, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the current owner of World Wrestling EntertainmentTM. Even after his active days in the ring came to an end, he showed that he still had the power to generate heat: "Classy" Freddie Blassie became the manager of heels, transferring to a whole new generation of wrestlers the style and knowledge that had made him a legend of wrestling. Blassie is still provoking the public, with his autobiography -- Legends of Wrestling: "Classy" Freddie Blassie -- Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks -- written with Keith Elliot Greenberg. Freddie weaves vibrant tales of his days in wrestling with the likes of Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Rock, George "The Animal" Steele, Capt. Lou Albano, John Tolos, The Destroyer, Killer Kowalski, Nikolai Volkoff, and the Iron Sheik. He frankly chronicles his dealings with colorful members of the wrestling fraternity and the promoters, even recounting the controversies -- like the infamous "boxer vs. wrestler" match with Muhammad Ali, who was managed by Blassie. His out-of-the-ring stories are equally compelling. Freddie details his countless sexual exploits and his three marriages. He reflects on the cult status that he gained after his song "Pencil Neck Geek" rocketed to the top of the Dr. Demento Show playlist. He recounts his touching relationship with comedian Andy Kaufman, who cast him in Breakfast with Blassie -- an underground classic in which Blassie uttered: "What the hell ever happened to the human race?"
Author: Ric Flair
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439121745
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 527
Get Book Here
Book Description
Throughout the years, there may have been equally charismatic performers, comparable athletes, and even better interviews, but none were blessed with the same combination of talents to manage to stay on top for over three decades. To wrestling fans, the Nature Boy is a platinum-blond deity, a sixteen-time world champion who accurately boasted that he could have a five-star match with a broom. No matter how limited the opponent, Flair had the skill and determination to bounce all over the mat, transforming his rival into a star. When the camera light went on, "Slick Ric" could convince viewers that, if they missed an upcoming match, a momentous life experience would pass them by. Flair's opponents were challenged with this simple taunt: "To be the man, you have to beat the man." Away from the arena, Richard Morgan Fliehr spent years struggling with his own concept of what it meant to be a man. He suffered periods of crushing self-doubt, marital strife and—in a profession where there was room for only one Ric Flair—broken friendships. Ric Flair: To Be the Man, cowritten with Keith Elliot Greenberg, chronicles the anguish and exhilaration of Flair's life and career—in painfully honest detail. In addition to his own words, Flair's story is enriched by anecdotes from ring greats like Superstar Billy Graham, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Harley Race, Sgt. Slaughter, David Crockett, Arn Anderson, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Undertaker and Brock Lesnar. To Be the Man traces the rise of one of wrestling's most enduring superstars to the pinnacle of the sports entertainment universe, and is a must-read for every wrestling fan.
Author: James "Kamala" Harris
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781941356005
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Get Book Here
Book Description
"The Ugandan Giant" Kamala is a former WWE superstar wrestler who never spoke once during his 30 year wrestling career. Kamala wrestled in every major promotion in the world. Having wrestled the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, The Undertaker, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and The Ultimate Warrior, readers from around the world will finally hear what he has to say. This book is a tell-all story of life, bouts with blatant racism, the gritty underbelly of professional wrestling and overcoming obstacles in and out of the ring.Despite diabetes claiming first his toes, his feet, and then both legs above the knees, this book is inspirational. It is not an angry/bitter tale told from someone harping on missed opportunity. Kamala's story includes a great balance of behind-the-scenes stories including plenty of humor, while illustrating the tough and interesting man that James "Kamala" Harris actually is.
Author: Bob Backlund
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1613216963
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 589
Get Book Here
Book Description
Bob Backlund began life as a poor farm boy in the little village of Princeton, Minnesota, with a population of just over 2,000 people. He was a below-average student with a lackluster work ethic and a bad attitude, who hung with the wrong crowd and made a lot of bad choices. He was a kid whose life was headed for disaster—until a local coach took interest in him, suggested that he take up amateur wrestling, and offered to work with him if he promised to stay out of trouble. It was in North Dakota that Bob Backlund had the first of several chance encounters that would shape his destiny. While working out at the YMCA gymnasium in Fargo, North Dakota, where he wrestled for North Dakota State, Backlund met a well-known professional wrestler, “Superstar” Billy Graham. The men talked, and at Graham’s suggestion, Backlund was inspired to pursue a career in professional wrestling. Less than five years from that day, on February 20, 1978, Backlund would find himself halfway across the country, standing in the middle of the ring at Madison Square Garden with his hand raised in victory as the newly crowned World Wide Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion. The man Backlund pinned for the championship that night was none other than "Superstar" Billy Graham. Featuring contributions from Bruno Sammartino, Harley Race, Terry Funk, Pat Patterson, Ken Patera, Sergeant Slaughter, The Magnificent Muraco, George “The Animal” Steele, “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas, The Iron Sheik, and many others, this book tells the incredible story of the life and nearly forty-year career of one of the most famous men to ever grace the squared circle. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Author: Kevin Sullivan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439193215
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Get Book Here
Book Description
Presents a history of the championship matches hosted by World Wrestling Entertainment, tracing their expansion and popularity throughout the world, and citing the contributions of such performers as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and the Iron Sheik.
Author: Jeremy Brown
Publisher: Eaglemoss
ISBN: 1858759919
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Get Book Here
Book Description
A deluxe oversized hardback book packed with photos, telling the story of the WWE Championship from Buddy Rogers in 1963 to current champ Bobby Lashley! Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Rick Flair, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley are just a few of the 50-plus Superstars who've body slammed their opponents, thrilled countless millions of wresting fans, and lofted the WWE Championship belt in triumph over the WWE's legendary 60-year history. And now, mixing everything from the Spinebuster and Lionsault to the Stomach Claw and Rock Bottom, WWE Championship: The Greatest Title in Sports Entertainment goes to the mat for WWE fans, exploring the changing face of the WWE Championship through its beloved wrestlers and their epic battles in the ring. Hundreds of action photos and posed portraits capture the most memorable moments and personalities in WWE history. Among the greatest matches revisited are: - WrestleMania VI's Ultimate Challenge between Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior - Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart's Iron Man Match at WrestleMania XII - Hulk Hogan’s famous Slam Heard ‘round the World against André the Giant at WrestleMania 3. - Triple H and Cactus Jack's Street Fight at Royal Rumble 2000. Author Jeremy Brown takes a "raw" look at the WWE Championship by breaking down each WWE era in chronological order: - Early Years - 1967-1980s - The Golden Era - 1980s to early 1990s - New Generation -- Early 1980s to mid-1990s - Attitude Era - Mid-1990s to early 2000s - Reality Era - 2014 to 2016 - The New Era - 2016 to the present WWE Championship: The Greatest Title in Sports Entertainment is the perfect gift for WWE uber-fans and wrestling newcomers alike.
