WWE News: Former World Champion Hospitalized After Suspected Heart Attack
WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham was reportedly hospitalized on Saturday night after complaining of shortness of breath.
Citing a YouTube update from wrestler Devon Nicholson, WrestlingNews.co wrote that Graham is being treated for congestive heart failure, marking the latest in a string of health issues that dates back to his last few years as an active competitor in the 1980s. While doctors reportedly did not find any evidence of blood clots in his lungs, it is suspected that the iconic former world champion might have suffered a heart attack. This, however, had yet to be confirmed at the time of writing.
After a successful stint with WWE’s predecessor, the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), where he enjoyed a lengthy reign as World Heavyweight Champion, the 76-year-old Graham first experienced the side effects of “heavy” steroid use and years of painful in-ring bumps in the 1980s, WrestlingNews.co noted. He underwent a successful liver transplant in 2002 but dealt with numerous other medical concerns in the years that followed, most of which were related to his transplanted liver.
Graham’s most recent health scare of note took place in August 2016, when he was hospitalized due to internal bleeding, per Bleacher Report. This came a few months after he revealed on his Facebook page that his diabetic status would require him to undergo “life or death” hip surgery.
As further reported by WrestlingNews.co, Nicholson also recalled that during the last time he saw the WWE Hall of Famer, he appeared to run out of breath very easily despite only walking short distances.
The news of Graham’s hospitalization comes mere days after it was reported that another WWE Hall of Famer, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, was hospitalized due to an undisclosed condition. While Duggan’s family has yet to comment on the medical issues that led to his hospitalization, the former WWE and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) mid-card mainstay reportedly had to miss a number of scheduled appearances at wrestling conventions.
Despite his frequent health struggles, Graham has remained as outspoken as ever about his thoughts on the modern wrestling industry. As reported earlier this year by The Inquisitr, Graham blasted WWE Champion Kofi Kingston in a series of Facebook posts, where he seemed to advise the younger wrestler to use certain types of steroids in order to bulk up. He also suggested that Kingston’s New Day stablemate Big E – a former college football player and powerlifter – is more deserving of WWE’s top title due to his far more impressive physique.
