Show: Wrestling Epicenter at www.WrestlingEpicenter.com
Guest: Superstar Billy Graham
Date: 3/12/06
Your Hosts: James Walsh, Brendon Brooks, Ben Benya, & Francine

He's a true legend in professional wrestling and it was a true honor to interview him... He's Superstar Billy Graham and if you didn't catch this live interview last Wednesday night, you are in for a treat as you can download it now in glorious streaming audio at http://www.WrestlingEpicenter.com.

Be sure not to miss this one!

"SUPERSTAR" BILLY GRAHAM INTERVIEW
Interview conducted by Ben Benya, Brendon Brooks and James Walsh

Transcript by Chris Furguson and a pack of caniballistic gorillas

Bringing up Billy's book and DVD, which are released through WWE, the first question relates to Billy's relationship with the WWE. "I've
got a great relationship with Vince and Stephanie." Mr. Graham later
says "It's nice to have that again, especially at this point in my
life, to have everything back in place is really a good thing."

After accidently calling the guest "Bruno [Sammartino]," Brendon gets
out a question about what's missing in today's wrestling. Billy
mentions being in at a book signing in Philadelphia, Bruno's home
town. "We had 200-250 fans come out to the signing and I would say
that 99.9% of the fans had never heard of Bruno Sammartino. They were
all young fans and they were just non-responsive to his name." He
later says that 5% of the fans actually knew who Bruno was!

After a bit about how well-received Billy was in Philly, James asks
the next question. "Why do you think Bruno won't the accept
nomination into the Hall of Fame?" Billy's response is "Well, Bruno's
very bitter. I'll tell you how bitter he is." Billy brings up
Bruno's Italian heritage ("The word 'vendetta' comes to mind"), as
well as David Sammartino's use of steroids, which is why Bruno
disowned him. "This has been going on. what, 17 years already and
he's never spoken a word to his son in 17 years. Completely disowned
him for him doing steroids." Billy later explains that Bruno has
absolutely no interest in the Hall of Fame.

Benya brings up Billy's 10 month WWWF title reign, as well as the fact
that Billy was the first "charismatic superstar" and had his reign
lasted a little longer, Billy would have been the "Icon" of
professional wrestling. Billy mentions Vince quoting something like
that for his book, "Tangled Ropes: 20 Years Too Soon." According to
Billy, Vince Sr. was strictly traditional and thought Billy was too
big to be an actual babyface and thought Backlund would be a more
sympathetic figure. Billy then says "it was a disasterous change at
that time" and how Backlund would "go down in history as the most
unpopular champ, even though he had a 5-year reign, of all time."
They then go into how Backlund had no charisma.

James brings up the Steroids question, specifically if Billy had any
idea how much damage they'd do to his body. He didn't. "In the late
60's and the early 70's, we were very much in denial that things were
going to happen to us." He goes on to say that the brochures that
came with the drugs only warned about potential liver problems, which
the wrestlers themselves dismissed as a "non-issue."

Brendon, after messing up Billy's name again, mentions a story that
Billy had contracted Hepatitis C from being in the ring. Billy says
that he got the disease from a co-mingling of blood (the only way you
can get it), and how matches in the 70s were bloodbaths. Billy also
says that Road Warrior Hawk had Hepatitis C.

Benya brings up a name from Billy's past: Abdullah the Butcher. Is
Billy still friends with him? "Yes, of course. I haven't seen him in
years, but he was my mentor in the business and took me under his
wing."

Billy's Hall of Fame speech, where he strongly brings up donor cards
and how people should carry them, is the next topic. Billy brings up
Katie Gilroy, a 15-year old girl who had signed her donor card and was
sadly killed in a car crash three years earlier. Since Billy had the
"worst liver in the state" and was #1 on the transplant list, he got
Katie's liver. Katie's heart went to another woman and the kidneys
were sent to two najavo girls as well. Katie saved many lives by
signing her donor card and Billy felt he had to mention that in his
acceptance speech, since he would not be around without her.

Brendon brings up Billy's book, mentioning other biographies as well.
What makes Billy's book stand out from the rest? "I think the honesty
of divulging into my steroid abuse and the drugs and the true mental
state and the true events that I have gone through. I think there's a
lot of the books, they didn't want to [go into detail], especially the
Hulk's book, which was like a puff piece. And a lot of they really
don't want to get into the legitimate hardships of their life."

Billy's book, according to James, is honest "while not exactly
diminishing to other people." Billy responds with "Oh, right! I
didn't take this opportunity to put anybody down or tear anybody up.
I wanted to be fair to everyone."

James then brings up the dreaded question about how, when Vince
McMahon was on trial for steroid distribution in the mid 90's, Billy
was instrumental in bringing up the lawsuit. "I don't know... I know
the criminal charge against Zahorrian, which I was involved in,
carried a lot of weight. I think that the federal government, at that
time, was after Vince because they believed, and the story was pretty
legitimate, that he was involved in the mafia distributing steroids
and things like that." Billy later says that the Feds really believed
the story.

Was there any resentment from Vince for being part of the Zahorrian
trial? "Oh, no no no. He would have rathered I wouldn't have been
involved, but, of course, at that time I was still very bitter with
them and then, shortly after that trial, I filed a lawsuit against
Vince, which was a fictictious lawsuit. And he knew that, so ever
since then, the hatchet's been buried and all's well."

Does Billy think the WWE will enforce their new drug policy? "I have
personal knowledge. I've spoken to the attorney. He's the
intermediary to the person who will be doing the drug testing." This
was before going to do some talk shows about his book, so he'd have
some heads up knowledge when asked about it. The policy, according to
Billy's information, would be enforced around the time after
Wrestlemania.

Are there any stars who are might have a sense of security about the
testing? Billy doesn't think so, as he was at a RAW show and a
Smackdown PPV, and the boys believe it's coming. Billy mentions that
some of the physiques are starting to deflate.

Benya mentions that Billy is "born again." Does Billy keep up with
his ministries? "Not right now, I'm not doing anything actively at
this time." Billy mentions that it's diffcult for him to continue
with it because of the traveling.

Billy Graham did some color commentary in the 80's. Would he like to
do some more? Billy would, but he believes that Vince is looking for
a younger look. He mentions JR's "release" as one example of the
company looking for new faces.

If Billy had been the WWE, right now, just getting his start, where
does he think he'd be presented? "I would still have a great
character, assuming however, the limitations on originallity as far as
scripts and things like that and how they, literally, stifle a
person's character. Because there are written scripts that they have
to follow, there's little room to be original." He then brings up a
story about Mark Henry, doing an interview with Daivari that took 90
mintutes to film because the director was very particular about what
he wanted.

James mentions Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura borrowing Billy Graham's
gimmick, as well as Scott Steiner. How does Billy feel about people
about people borrowing his gimmick so much? "Oh well, actually, if
you think about it, it's a great compliment because it's a great
legacy to have..." Billy later affirms that he's never been angry at
people borrowing from him.

Will Billy ever run for public office? "I would love, but I have too
many skeletions." Billy then brings up Jesse Ventura, who told him
"don't ever think about it!"

The interview concludes with a potential book signing that was "up in
the air" at the time of the interview and Billy's final plug for his
book, "Tangled Ropes" and his DVD, "20 Years Too Soon."