The highly-acclaimed Vice Studios wrestling documentary Dark Side of the Ring is back again this week. For the fourth season’s third episode. the series tackled The Graham Dynasty and all the trials and tribulations that the family went through during their time in wrestling, as well behind the curtains. Here’s what we learned from the episode.
This episode of “Dark Side of the Ring” came with a content warning due to the discussion of suicide
Championship Wrestling from Florida was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and a very successful territory. The company held large shows and attracted many fans who came to see the organization’s top stars compete. Many of those top stars were members of the Graham family, who served as both promoters and performers for the company in various capacities over the years.
Eddie Graham Demanded Toughness from Everyone
Jim Cornette starts the show by putting over the influence and legacy of the Graham family, starting with Eddie Graham. Eddie was a leader, a charismatic wrestler, and a legend in Florida. He was a tough guy who respected kayfabe and wanted his wrestlers to protect the business and always prove how tough they are, including breaking people’s bones during matches when asked.
Eddie Graham took his name from Dr. Jerry Graham, as Eddie played his kayfabe brother in a successful tag team. They would go on to main event Madison Square Garden.
Dr. Jerry had Demons
According to Cornette, Dr. Jerry Graham “got in a lot of trouble and caused a lot of trouble.” He also struggled with alcohol and mental illness. When his mother died in the hospital, Jerry showed up at the hospital armed with guns and knives, fired at the doctor, and carried her dead body out of the building.
Eddie Graham Essentially Took Over the State of Florida
Eventually, Eddie Graham left the team with Dr. Jerry and moved on to Florida, eventually taking over the territory and making it a huge success. Not only was he successful as a promoter himself, but he was respected by other promoters as well. This resulted in him becoming the President of the NWA twice.
As Kevin Sullivan noted, “Eddie was involved in everything.” Some of these activities brought him trouble, including some potentially shady business activities.
He also developed a serious problem with alcohol. As his in-ring career ended and his star faded from the public, his personality changed, his alcoholism got worse, and he eventually ended his own life.
Mike Graham Followed in his Father’s Footsteps – In Several Ways
Eddie’s son Mike Graham idolized his father, and Eddie put high expectations on him. He demanded a lot from him in the ring and, while Mike was a great worker, he wasn’t the top guy in the promotion, though Cornette speculates that Mike didn’t want to be the top guy since he was the promoter’s son.
After Eddie’s death, Mike ran the Florida territory, but the job became more difficult when Dusty Rhodes left for Jim Crockett Promotions, Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation (the now WWE) started to expand, and the territories started to die. Soon the Florida territory would go under. Mike Graham would go on to wrestle for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), but he did not find much success there.
Not only did Mike Grahan follow his father into wrestling, but he also had many of his negative tendencies. For instance, both Grahams kept their feelings to themselves, with tragic consequences. Just like Eddie bottled up his feelings, Mike did the same. He also struggled with alcohol, much like his father.
Tragic Suicides Unfortunately Ran in the Family
Mike’s son, Steven unfortunately also had issues of his own and this resulted in him dying by suicide in 2010. No one in the episode quite knows or understands what happened, as is often the case with mental illness and suicide, but Steven’s sister Nicole speculated that when one family member makes suicide an option, it remains on the minds of other family members as well.
Naturally, Mike struggled with the death of his son, blaming himself and being very hard on himself for the deaths of both his father and his son. He would die the same way as his father and his son: suicide.
The family lived in a tragic cycle of pain that none of them could seem to break. In fact, Eddie’s father and his brother also died by suicide. Four generations and five men, all dead by suicide.
Header photo – Vice. Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. Catch Dark Side of the Ring on VICE, with new episodes airing each Thursday at 9 PM EST.
