WRESTLERS TURN TO GOD
By Anthony Conchel
Squared Circle
Wrestlers often can be financially wealthy and still find themselves morally
bankrupt.
If you read "Wrestling With God" you find out that for at least 10
mat stars, coming to grips with their creator changed their lives for the better.
The book chronicles the careers of Ivan and Nikita Koloff, Tully Blanchard,
Sting, Ted DiBiase, Tatanka, B. Brian Blair and others.
It's an interesting read, but one that hardcore wrestling fans might find difficult
because of the subject matter. Religion is interwined with wrestling by author
Chad Bonham as he allows each subject to talk about his personal journey of
faith.
Each man has a different story to tell, yet all share similar stories of how
a lonely life on the road led to their moral demise. Some turned to pills, others
to alcohol or women. Eventually they all turned to God.
Some excerpts:
Tully Blanchard left a life of substance abuse and turned to full-time ministry.
"My parents and people from their church had been praying for me for 12
years. God answers prayers. The Lord just took all
that stuff away from me -- drugs, alcohol, cussing. I was just changed."
After a huge push with the NWA, Nikita Koloff lost his wife, Mandy, to Hodgkin's
disease. The Russian nightmare was having
his own real-life battles and left the business for six months before God intervened.
"I had all the stuff ; cars, the big house, fame and fortune. But there
was something missing. I knew there had to be some-
thing more to life."
Koloff found it
one Sunday morning in October 1993.
He answered an altar call and put his faith in Christ. "There's so much
to learn and so much to do for Christ."
Sting recently hung up his wrestling tights and boots. But for 15 years, Steve
Borden was the franchise player for the NWA/WCW.
But Sting's biggest
move didn't come in a ring. It came in the Los Angeles Coliseum at a 1998 Promise
Keepers event when
he invited the Lord into his heart and his life.
"I felt forgiven, cleansed and it was an incredible experience. I accepted
Jesus Christ into my heart, and it was long overdue."
Chris Chavis (Tatanka) felt the Lord tugging at his heart, but he resisted the
hold like he would an opponent's.
"It was my time for that seed that had been planted years earlier to be
manifested."
Now he works small promotions and tries to spread God's message to those who
will listen.
Each of these men had a unique journey through life. Each met adversity in his
personal life as well as in the ring.
Some lost loved ones, others lucrative careers with the WWF. For others, it
was a matter of timing as to when God would
become the leader of their lives.
Some, like DiBiase, had grown up going to church. But life on the road took
DiBiase as far from God as one can get. His wife
threatned to leave him if he didn't clean up his life.
With nowhere to turn, DiBiase went back to church.
"God wanted to deal with my ego. God was asking if I was willing to be
humbled. I finally realized that the key word is
surrender."
He accepted the Lord as his wrestling career was ending and his managerial one
was taking shape. Today he ministers all
over the nation and has appeared on national programs proclaiming his newfound
life.
For DiBiase and the others profiled in "Wrestling With God," they
came to understand that He is the ultimate champion.