Rick McGraw

Rick McGraw
Personal information
BornRichard Emmett McGraw Jr.
(1955-03-19)March 19, 1955
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedNovember 1, 1985(1985-11-01) (aged 30)
Fair Haven East, Connecticut, U.S.
Cause of deathHeart attack
Spouse
Lisa
Professional wrestling career
Ring nameRick McGraw
Billed height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1]
Billed weight235 lb (107 kg)[1]
Billed fromCharlotte, North Carolina[1]
Trained byRip Hawk
Bill Watts[2]
Pat O'Connor[2]
Debut1975

Richard Emmett McGraw Jr. (March 19, 1955 – November 1, 1985) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name "Quickdraw" Rick McGraw from 1980 until his death in 1985. He also wrestled for the World Wrestling Association (WWA), where he won the WWA World Tag Team Championship with The Dream Machine as The New York Dolls, and Southeastern Championship Wrestling (SECW), where he won the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship.

Early life

Richard Emmett McGraw Jr. was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 15, 1955.[3][4] He graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 1973,[5] where he was a state wrestling champion in the 185-pound division and chosen as his school's athlete of the year.[2][4] He also played football as an All-County linebacker and running back.[6] McGraw then attended Elon College, where he also wrestled and played football.[6]

Professional wrestling career

McGraw made his professional wrestling debut in 1975 in Florida after training under Rip Hawk, who knew him at a young age, at the gym in the basement of Hawk's house.[4][6] That same year, he made his debut for Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), working there until 1977.[5] He returned to North Mecklenburg High School in 1979 to serve as an assistant wrestling coach.[5]

In May 1980, McGraw made his debut for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as a face.[1] On August 9, he took part in the Showdown at Shea event, losing to Greg Gagne.[7] He defeated enhancement talent, but mostly lost to heels who were ready to challenge WWF Champion Bob Backlund.[8] In April 1981, McGraw appeared for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as part of the "NJPW WWF Big Fight Series II" tour, often teaming with Ken Patera, Backlund, Tiger Jeet Singh and Dynamite Kid against the likes of Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Seiji Sakaguchi and Riki Choshu.[9] Two months later, McGraw was involved in an angle where his neck was "broken" by Killer Khan in a match, sidelining him for six to nine weeks.[8] In the interim, he wrestled for Promotions Varoussac, where he and Gino Brito defeated Swede Hanson and Le Bourreau to win the Canadian International Tag Team Championship on November 9. They lost the titles on December 30 to Gilles Poisson and Sailor White.[10] McGraw returned in January 1982 with Arnold Skaaland as his manager, and formed a tag team with Steve Travis the following month.[8] They were known as the "Carolina Connection" due to both men being from the Carolinas and having similar backgrounds playing football in college.[11] At the same time, he teamed with André the Giant, and both teams unsuccessfully challenged Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito for the WWF Tag Team Championship.[8] McGraw left the WWF in July and briefly returned to NJPW that month as part of the "Summer Fight Series II" tour.[9]

On September 6, McGraw debuted for the World Wrestling Association (WWA), where he and Giant Kimala challenged Spike Huber and Steve Regal for the WWA World Tag Team Championship, but lost the match via disqualification.[12] Shortly after, he formed a heel tag team with The Dream Machine known as The New York Dolls, incorporating tuxedos and bow ties as part of their ring gear and Jimmy Hart as their manager. They were brought to Memphis to feud with the Fabulous Ones (Stan Lane and Steve Keirn).[13][14] On September 25, they defeated Huber and Regal to win the WWA World Tag Team Championship. However, they lost the titles in a rematch in December.[15] In 1984, he began appearing for Southeastern Championship Wrestling (SECW), winning the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship from Vic Rain on May 28. He lost the title in August to Boris Zhukov.[16] Later that month, McGraw returned to the WWF full-time.[8]

On the October 26, 1985 episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, McGraw was a guest on Roddy Piper's "Piper's Pit" segment and got on his case about always shooting his mouth off and not wrestling on television, prompting Piper to accept a challenge to wrestle him on the following week's show, which would be McGraw's final televised appearance.[17] At the start of the match, Piper threw McGraw out of the ring and twice into the guardrail. After no-selling several punches and kicks in McGraw's comeback, Piper hit him with a swinging neckbreaker and two DDTs, the second prompting the referee to stop the match, declaring McGraw unable to continue. Coincidentally, the match aired the day after McGraw's death.[8] Off TV, McGraw faced Mike Sharpe in his final match on October 28.[4]

Other media

McGraw appeared on an episode of The A-Team in 1985 alongside Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Ricky Steamboat, The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) and Corporal Kirchner.[18]

Personal life and death

McGraw enjoyed boating, bowling, ice hockey and swimming.[2]

On November 1, 1985, McGraw died of a heart attack at the age of 30.[5] His body was found at his home in New Haven, Connecticut, by friends who grew concerned after being unable to contact him.[19][20] Fellow professional wrestler Bret Hart noted in his autobiography that McGraw regularly consumed Placidyl and suggested this resulted in his heart failing.[21] He was survived by his wife, Lisa.[22] On December 16, the WWF held an event to benefit McGraw's family, which was headlined by Roddy Piper.[22][23]

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  2. ^ a b c d Gordon, Gene (January 1978). "Rick McGraw: A Soaring Star In The Grappling Galaxy". Wrestling Monthly. Kietzer Publishing. pp. 36–38.
  3. ^ "Deaths And Funerals In Mecklenberg County". The Charlotte Observer. November 3, 1985. p. 48. Mr. Richard Emmett McGraw Jr., 30, of New Haven, Conn., formerly of Charlotte, died Friday in New Haven.
  4. ^ a b c d Adams, Joshua (May 1986). "Rick 'Quick Draw' McGraw". Wrestling Eye. Jems, Inc. p. 50.
  5. ^ a b c d "Wrestler Dies". The Charlotte Observer. November 3, 1985. p. 28.
  6. ^ a b c "McGraw Grapples For Wrestling Fame". The Charlotte Observer. August 24, 1975. p. 64.
  7. ^ Shields, Brian (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s (4th ed.). Pocket Books. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4165-3257-6.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Cawthon, Graham (2013). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 1: WWF 1963 - 1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1492825975.
  9. ^ a b "Rick McGraw >> Matches >> New Japan Pro Wrestling". CageMatch. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "International Tag Team Title (Québéc)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  11. ^ Cunliffe, Joe; Cunliffe, Ron (July 1982). "The Wrestling News® interviews the Carolina Connection (McGraw & Travis)". Wrestling Revue. pp. 14–15. ISSN 0049-8181.
  12. ^ "Lawler triumphs to keep title". Memphis Press-Scimitar. September 7, 1982. p. 23.
  13. ^ Oliver, Greg; Johnson, Steven (2005). "Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. ECW Press. p. 262. ISBN 978-1-55022-683-6.
  14. ^ Hoops, Brian (October 18, 2022). "Daily Pro Wrestling History (10/18): The Dudleys win IWGP Tag Team titles". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Indianapolis: WWA Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 97–98. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  16. ^ a b Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Alabama: Alabama Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 185. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  17. ^ Nedeff, Adam (July 31, 2014). "The Name on the Marquee: WWF Championship Wrestling (10.26.1985)". 411Mania. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  18. ^ Stroud, Brandon (August 30, 2018). "The Wrestling Episode: A-Team, A-Team, Go Go Go!". Uproxx. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  19. ^ "Pro wrestler McGraw found dead". Austin American-Statesman. November 5, 1985. p. 28.
  20. ^ "Rick McGraw, 30; professional wrestler". The Morning Call. November 6, 1985. p. 42.
  21. ^ Hart, Bret (2007). Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. Ebury Publishing. pp. 130, 156. ISBN 978-1-4070-2931-3.
  22. ^ a b Sorensen, Tom (December 17, 1985). "Hulkamania With A Very Soft Touch". The Charlotte Observer. p. 48.
  23. ^ Piper, Roddy; Picarello, Robert (2002). In the Pit with Piper. Berkley Books. p. 138. ISBN 978-0425187210.
  24. ^ "Wrestling Information Archive - Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". June 16, 2008. Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
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