Edward Michael Gossett
(September 22, 1951 – October 19, 2012), better known as Mike Graham, was an American professional wrestler who was the son of Eddie Graham. Michael Gossett started wrestling in 1972 in his father's Championship Wrestling from Florida, which was a National Wrestling Alliance territory. He was trained by his father, Boris Malenko and Hiro Matsuda. He would often tag team with his father upon his arrival, but also formed a successful tag team with Kevin Sullivan. Sullivan eventually turned on him to form his "Satanic cult", The Army of Darkness. After getting turned on, Graham teamed with the likes of Steve Keirn and Barry Windham to feud with Sullivan's team and to capture several tag team titles over the years. Goes into his friendship with Kevin Sullivan and how they grew up together and how the Army of Darkness started with King Curtis, (Purple Haze) Mark Lewin, Bob Roop, Nancy Sullivan and Luna Vachon. He goes in depth on the genius and the brain child of Kevin Sullivan. Also talks about going to school with Dick Slater and then wrestling with him. Dick Slater was one tough S.O.B. ( Listen to the Dick Slater shoot we uploaded monthes ago if you want hear about when Slater flushed Stings head in the toliet for hooking up with his girl Dark Journey while working for Bill Watts in Midsouth Wrestling UWF) and how he knocked out Cowboyboy Bob Orton. Bill watts learned under the tree of Michaels father in father and his shoot interview is also uploaded as much. Remember the past teaches you alot and the stories are much better. He explains the story how his father and him found the late great Gordon Solie. He was a mainstay on the Florida circuit during the ’70s and early 80’s and was a favorite of Gordon Solie and Dory Funk Jr. In 1981, Graham wrestled in the American Wrestling Association and feuded with Buck Zumhofe over the AWA Light Heavyweight Championship over the next two years. Great sstories about the origin of Billy Graham.
He also speaks about Dusty Rhodes being mega over in Florida ( his shoot interview is uploaded as well) He explains the terrible heartache that Dusty brought upon his father eddie after Eddie gave him pieces of the Florida wrestling company but left Florida to get the book in Jim Crocket Promotions for Jim Crocket Jr. leaving Eddie and Mike Graham behind but took all the great talent that Eddie had already established in Florida with him because the TBS cable nationwide exposure was something they could'nt ignore. That destroyed his father. He lost Dusty , Barry Windham, Kevin Sullivan, Lex Luger, J.J. Dillion and other greats that ultimately killed the Florida terriotory and lead to Eddie committin sucide. His father Eddie died after committing multiple gunshot suicide on January 21, 1985, leading to Mike taking over his Championship Wrestling from Florida territory.[3] In the late 1980s, he would again team with Keirn and wrestled in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions (who he sold his father's territory to), with Keirn briefly around this time. In the following years, Graham & Keirn wrestled in Memphis as a tag team. Talks about his involvement in all booking aspects of booking Florida Champioinship Wrestling. Stories of Bill Watts and Dusty Rhodes. Hear how he found Magnum T.A. Terry Allen. Graham went back to Florida to the newly renamed Florida Championship Wrestling, where he briefly teamed with Dustin Rhodes. Mike helped train Dustin Rhodes who has gone on to become Golddust and a trainer at AEW. Talk
Graham retired as an in-ring competitor in 1992. He became a road agent for World Championship Wrestling. Along with the likes of Paul Orndorff, Pez Whatley and DeWayne Bruce, Graham also worked as a trainer in WCW as part of the WCW Power Plant. He goes deep into the Chris Benoit , Nancy and Kevin Sullivan issues in WCW. The infamous NEVER DREW A DIME and ERIC BISCHOFF SHOULD BE IN PRISON STORIES. The crazy fight with sid Vicious as a WCW road agegent. He was reportedly responsible for causing Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn to leave the company for the WWF, granting their releases.
His father and son had committed suicide in similar manners on January 21, 1985, and December 14, 2010, (some sources state the 15th) respectively. Explains the days leading up to his fathers suicide and how he was at the NFL Super Bowl and they called him over the loud speaker to tell him the bad news.
Graham suffered business misfortunes years prior to his death, and a restaurant he owned in Florida closed in 2011 after about two years of operation. He and his wife were also involved in real estate, which took a beating in Florida during the recession. His friends also claimed that he had struggled with the death of his son Steven. He was also rejected by his daughter, blaming him for the deaths in some part for his father and his son. In the final months in his life, he had felt responsible for the deaths of his father and son. On October 19, 2012, Graham was found dead by his wife of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at their residence in Daytona Beach, Florida during Biketoberfest. At the time of Mike’s death, he was wearing his son’s old work boots, and also frequently threatened committing suicide to his wife. He was also intoxicated, and according to his toxicology report, Graham's blood-alcohol concentration was at 0.259.
Not as famous as his father but was in wrestling his whole life and is a wealth of information. Don't think this shoot interview is one to pass on because it's shockinly informative.