Troy Graham
| Troy Graham | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Troy Rolland Thompson Jr.[1] |
| Born | October 26, 1949 Memphis, Tennessee, United States[1] |
| Died | March 7, 2002 (aged 52) |
| Cause of death | Heart attack[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Dream Machine[1] Dr. Troy Graham Randy Tyler Troy Graham[1] Troy T. Tyler |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Billed weight | 233 lb (106 kg) |
| Trained by | Memphis, Tennessee, United States[1] |
| Debut | 1978 |
| Retired | 1994 |
Troy Rolland Thompson Jr. (October 26, 1949 – March 7, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Troy Graham and The Dream Machine.[1]
Professional wrestling career
Thompson was discovered by Jimmy Hart and first came into wrestling as Troy 'The Hippie' Graham. During his initial career, he fulfilled the role of a heel.
Wrestling as the masked Dream Machine, Thompson captured the
From 1982 to 1983, Thompson teamed with
As the Dream Machine, Thompson (sans mask) was one-half of the tag team known as "The New York Dolls". The Dolls had a longstanding feud with the Fabulous Ones, Steve Keirn and Stan Lane.
In 1984 Troy Graham was replaced in the Bruise Brothers and left the Memphis territory.
Graham reappeared in the Memphis territory, in a wheelchair, as the manager of the Interns. The Interns feuded with the Dirty White Boys and Rock n Roll RPMs. The Interns won the Southern tag titles early in 1985.
In 1994, Graham returned to the Memphis territory, where he won a battle royal by eliminating Brian Christopher. This earned him a shot at the Unified World Heavyweight Championship held by Jerry Lawler.[3]
Troy Graham died on March 7, 2002, of a heart attack, leaving behind a seven-year-old daughter Charlie Sue, his mother and great grandmother.
Championships and accomplishments
- Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2022
- Continental Wrestling Association
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- United States Wrestling Association
- 1 time)[1]
- World Wrestling Association
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Bill Dundee, Dream Machine vs Kevin Sullivan, Wayne Farris - AWA Southern Tag Title Match (5-2-81). YouTube.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: DREAM MACHINE RETURNS -1994. YouTube.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-55490-331-3.
External links
- Troy Graham's profile at Cagematch.net
