How beers at the footy led to former NRL prop James Graham accepting a challenge to take on pro-wrestling stars in the ring

What started off as beers at a Newtown Jets game has turned into former NRL enforcer James Graham accepting a challenge to take on professional wrestlers at their own game.

The former Bulldogs and St. George Illawarra prop will officially make his pro wrestling debut on October 13 at Metro Theatre in Sydney with Pro Wrestling Australia [PWA].

He will team up with Jack J. Bonza in a tag team match against The Regime, made up of Ricky ‘The Example’ South and Backman Lex.

And it all came about after some friendly chats at the footy took a sinister turn. 

Graham has been enjoying some time off at the The Beer Footy & Food Festival at Henson Park in July this year when he was introduced to the organisers of the PWA, who urged him to have a go.

Not treating the conversation totally seriously, Graham half-heartedly agreed – which earned the ire of Australian heavyweight champion South who said he ‘wouldn’t last two minutes’ in the ring.

‘I can’t imagine what it’s like to actually train for something,’ Graham said on his podcast, tongue firmly in cheek.

‘I’m so out of my depth.’

The fires were stoked when South did a radio appearance on Triple M where he was told Graham had been dismissing his comments. 

Graham never took a backward step in his playing career and doesn’t intend to start taking one now ahead of his wrestling debut

And all of a sudden the former NRL star was being called out to make his wrestling debut and put his money where his mouth is. 

‘I’ve been called out over this. Told to get in the ring, anytime, anywhere,’ he said.

South issued the challenge on Instagram. 

‘I got word from Triple M Sunday Scrum that one James Graham decided to talk a little bit of trash about the PWA and The Example Ricky South,’ he said.

‘Well listen here bruv, James Graham, you may be one of the GOAT prop forwards of all time but I am the best professional wrestler in the world.

‘Graham if you ever want to step into the ring with The Example and step into the world of PWA, you have an open invite from The Example.’

South had initially scoffed at suggestions Graham could make it in the wrestling ring

Graham is a lifelong fan of wrestling and wants to show he has ‘the minerals’ to put his money where his mouth is 

Graham then invited South onto his podcast where he was formally called out and accepted the challenge.

‘He is calling me out. And if you want to call me out and if you want to wrestle and kind of put your money where your mouth is and see if you’ve got any balls. Let’s do it,’ South said.

‘Have I got any balls?’ Graham laughed. ‘Let’s do it then. Let’s do it.’

‘I’m not the sort of person that’s going to say I will do something and then back out, I’m not going to bottle it,’ he said.

South stuck to his original comments and said that he didn’t believe Graham would be able to back up his words in the ring.

‘The brutality is going to be there,’ Graham said.