Tampa Bay retired wrestler Mike Graham, son of the late promoter Eddie Graham, died as the result of a gunshot wound to his forehead a week ago today while in Daytona for Biketoberfest. His wife found him lying face up in a bed with a hangun nearby.
wrestling DAYTONA BEACH -- As shocking as retired pro wrestler Mike Graham's self-inflicted gunshot to the head during his visit to Daytona Beach for Biketoberfest is, he's just the latest in a long line of dead wrestlers used up and disposed of in the world of sports-entertainment with suicide, homicide and athletes dropping dead in a culture of steroids, pills and alcohol abuse.
Headline Surfer, the 24/7 Internet newspaper that covers the greater Daytona Beach market, will take a hard look at the dark side of wrestling in this ongoing special investigative series, "Wrestling with Demons," looking at the ups and downs of professional wrestling with the World's Most Famous Beach as a backdrop.
You'll hear from a former professional wrestler who wrestled Graham many times in the squared circle as well as a few of the modern-day stars as to where pro wrestling is at with commentary from bloggers who follow it as well as sports psychologists.
The series will begin later today with our multi-media presentation of stories, blogs, fast facts graphics, photos and videos.
Editor's Note: Frederick. who specializes in legal affairs investigative reporting, also is a fan of professional wrestling and has followed it from the age of 5. He's interviewed the likes of Chris Jericho, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, George "the Animal" Steele, Diamond Dallas Page and many others. He's working on a book, "Wrestling Rewind," that will be published early next year.