WWE Hall of Famer ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham battling ‘acute renal failure’

WWE Hall of Famer ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham battling ‘acute renal failure’

Wrestling may be scripted, but the guys who do it are tough, and few are tougher than “Superstar” Billy Graham.

We know that because the WWE Hall of Famer has been in a very public fight for his life since the start of the year.

His wife, Valerie Coleman, said he “coded” during a trip to the hospital in January and doctors had to bring him back. And, it has been one terrible hurdle after another for the legendary grappler.

It also doesn’t appear to be getting any easier because his wife offered another heartbreaking update late Sunday.

According to Valerie, Graham, whose real name is Eldridge Wayne Coleman, is back in the Mayo Clinic with kidney and lung issues. This comes just a week after she said he was battling COVID-19 on top of everything else, so the lung update isn’t overly surprising. But the kidney issue appears to be a big-time concern.

“He has acute renal failure and they will start dialysis tomorrow,” the update to his Facebook page read. “Not sure of the cause at this point … too soon. Also, pray for his lungs. No pneumonia but some kind of inflammation or something.”

Graham’s insurance is also reportedly no longer covering part of his stay and the couple say they are having to pay $200 per day out of pocket to continue his care.

Graham, 79, has a long history of health issues, and he has had several setbacks, only to scrap back again, following last month’s near-death episode.

Coleman posted last week that they were in the seventh week of the fight with “no idea when he will be strong enough to come home.”

“He’s just very tired which is understandable with all he’s been going through, but he’s remarkably determined to get better and get home!” she wrote. “It’s one day at a time and that’s enough.”

During his days in the wrestling ring, Graham was known for his big personality, and was an inspiration for many big-name wrestlers — guys like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair — who followed in his footsteps.

He was a three-time heavyweight champion in major wrestling organizations, and was a 2004 inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.