"He never wanted to be the main event guy" - An emotional WWE legend Brian Blair opens up about late star (Exclusive)
WWE legend Brian Blair recently opened up about his late friend Mike Graham and how he never desired to become a main event-level performer.
Mike was the son of Eddie Graham, one of the most respected names in the wrestling business. Besides his in-ring exploits, Eddie was President of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1976-1978. While Mike Graham didn't achieve the same success as his father, he built a respectable career for himself.
Both Eddie and Mike tragically died of suicide in 1985 and 2012, respectively. Their lives were the subject of a recent Dark Side of the Ring episode on Vice Network.
Appearing on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted, Brian Blair shared his memories of Mike Graham, whom he was close friends with. The former WWE star revealed that though Mike was never as talented as his father, he did love the wrestling business. Blair also mentioned that Mike Graham never desired to become a main event star and was content with having a "good time."
"Mike liked to do his own thing. He never wanted to be the main event guy. He wanted to make money and have a good time. That was Mike. He loved wrestling don't get me wrong, and he had a bright mind, a very bright mind in the business. He got a lot from his dad [Eddie Graham]. Did he have the mind of his father? No. Did he have the connections of his father? No. Very few siblings or sons, children, do," said Brian Blair.
Brian Blair added that Mike Graham worked hard throughout his wrestling career and always gave his best, irrespective of the circumstances.
"Mike did a great job knowing that it got thrown on his lap, knowing the territory was down at the time. He worked hard, and he scrapped hard. He did the very best he could," said Brian Blair. [19:00 - 19:57]
Check out the full video below:
Brian Blair is a big fan of WWE legend Mick Foley
In his previous appearance on UnSKripted, Brian Blair spoke highly of Mick Foley and his contribution to making "high-risk moves" a norm in WWE. He also credited the now-defunct promotion ECW for raising the bar with its edgy in-ring output.
"Mick Foley was the one that started raising the bar as far as high-risk moves. Then ECW came. Those guys were doing some off-the-wall crazy stuff. A lot of that is still blended in the business," said Brian Blair.
Tag Team Tuesday: B. Brian Blair & "Jumpin" Jim Brunzell - The Killer Bees! 🐝🐝 @Killerbee1B @jumpinjbrunzell #WWF #WWE #Wrestling https://t.co/51HbTEwuJw
Blair was part of The Killer Bees tag team in WWE from 1985-1988, where he was aligned with Jim Brunzell.
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