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Family of 79-Year-Old Wrestling Legend Who Influenced Hulk Hogan, Says He Lost 45 Pounds in Three Weeks After Health Emergency

Published 02/06/2023, 11:00 AM EST

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Professional wrestlers go through a lot of pain during their careers to entertain their fans. They may be larger-than-life characters, but behind the curtain, things are different. There are several things going on in the wrestling world right now. However, recently, a new concerning health update was shared about a 79-year-old WWE legend who influenced Hulk Hogan.

The hospital released WWE Hall of Famer Superstar Billy Graham a few days ago. He was in critical condition and was admitted to the Mayo Clinic

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His recovery was in progress while dealing with a serious heart disease as per his wife, Valarie, on the GoFundMe account recently launched to help him with medical bills.

She wrote, “He is dealing with a myriad of very serious health issues: a major infection in his ears and skull that may take six months of intravenous IVs, congestive heart failure, diabetes, hearing loss as a result of the infection, and the list goes on.” 

Valarie added, “He is facing a long period of rehab, and his insurance will only pay a portion of this. He is facing at least two months in a skilled nursing facility, once he is stabilized and released from the Mayo hospital. Wayne has lost 45 pounds in the last three weeks.”

As per Wrestling News reporting, Valarie is also doing full-time and taking care of her husband. However, they are facing huge medical bills for which she set up a GoFundMe account.

Moreover, Wrestling News also reported Graham had health issues for a long time because of steroid use during his wrestling days.

“Hang In Big Guy”: 14 Days After Suffering a Heart Attack, 79-Year-Old WWE Legend With Irregular Heartbeat Leaves Fans Smiling in Joy

WWE Legend Superstar Billy Graham’s wife thanked the fans for the support

A few days ago, Graham’s wife Valarie shared an update to a Facebook page admin about the WWE legend’s recovery time. As per the post, Graham will need “possibly 6 months” to recover. Also, she thanked the fans for their support.

The post said, “From Mrs. Coleman tonight: Wayne is on day 19 in the hospital but will soon be moved to a skilled nursing facility to continue rehab and physical therapy. He will continue his IV antibiotics for a long time…possibly 6 months….”

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She further said, “I will never be able to thank you enough for always being here.   Please continue to lift him up🙏🙏🙏 God bless each and everyone of you! I’m beyond blessed to have you in my life♥️”

Graham is an influential wrestler for many legends, like Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Ric Flair, etc. Furthermore, he was also a training partner and is a close friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Hulk Hogan shared Superstar Billy Graham was the reason he become a pro wrestler

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In 2017, The Hulkster shared a picture of him and Graham, followed by a heartful caption on Facebook. Hogan shared how his dad took him to watch the 79-year-old’s matches that influenced him.

Graham introduced the unique style of cutting promos pointing at the camera, which Hogan also started using in WWE. Indeed, Graham influenced Hogan.

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We hope Graham’s health improves soon and wish him the best in his recovery.

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Written by:

Tushar Deogharkar

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Tushar Deogharkar is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports. Tushar has done his Master's in Tourism Management and is an ardent fan of pro wrestling. He follows WWE and AEW very closely and wants to learn how the promotions are run.
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Edited by:

Debmallya Chakraborty