10 WWE Superstars Who Found Religion

Wrestling can be a sinful business. Who are you going to turn to?

by Lewis Howse

We all know that wrestling is not exactly, shall we say, the most savoury of businesses. The trappings of professional wrestling are no secret. There have been countless wrestlers who have fallen by the wayside, lured by the highs of drugs, drink and women. Wrestling is a business that promotes violence and sex. The morals of the wrestling industry are skewed, far removed from real life and what 'normal people' would consider right and wrong. How then, could something like religion coexist in the wrestling world? But there is a distinct connection between the two. After encountering the dreaded personal problems, many WWE superstars turn to their Bibles for comfort and advice on how to live. For some, being involved in the wrestling business is such a corrupting factor that they believe that only God can save them. While Vince McMahon might like to think that he's God (as evidenced by his strange feud with the supreme being in 2006), for a lot of wrestlers there is a force even more powerful than him. He may have the capability to hire, fire, humiliate, suspend and black ball, but only God has the power to decided whether they live or whether they die. For wrestlers who have stared death in the face due to their reckless behaviour, that is a comforting thought.

10. Superstar Billy Graham

Superstar Billy Graham has been one of the most outspoken critics of the WWE in recent years. Graham, a devout Christian, has been unhappy with their content and programming for ages. Graham was so unhappy with the WWE that in 2011 he demanded that they remove him from their Hall Of Fame (they didn't). Graham was a huge star in the 1970s and his influence can be seen in everyone from Ric Flair to Dusty Rhodes and Scott Steiner. Superstar reinvented what a wrestler could be, with his Muhammad-Ali inspired promos, tie-dye ring gear and huge physique. Of course that physique wasn't natural and Graham was a heavy user of anabolic steroids. The steroid and other drug abuse helped to deteriorate his body and he has suffered from the side-effects for years. Graham, who took his name from a famed evangelical Christian evangelist, was a preacher in early adulthood but really stepped up his religious efforts following his retirement.

9. Kurt Angle

What, the clean-cut (ha!), all-American wrestlers is a Christian? How shocking, you say. Yes, Kurt Angle is a Christian, as anyone who follows him on Twitter and Facebook will attest to. Angle routinely turns to social media to preach the word of GOD (in all caps). For example, here is a portion of a Facebook post from August 30th, 2014:
Miracles are GOD's work through us. When We do a good deed, even something so small, it's an act of GOD. We can make a difference in others' lives by the Good things We do. GOD works through us. Sometimes We sit and wait for miracles to occur. Did You ever think that GOD created You to lay miracles upon others?
And so on and so on. They're all pretty much among the same theme (GOD is good, believe in GOD etc.). Angle also takes umbrage with anyone who says something against GOD or one of his servants, as former WWE star CM Punk knows. Angle and Punk have had a few Twitter run-ins in the past but their one in February 2013 was the most bizarre. After CM Punk called the Pope a Nazi in a tweet Angle responded by tweeting 'Cm Punk Should thank GOD that the Pope is a forgiving Man. Because Even the Pope Could Whip Punk's skinny ass'. How Christian of him.

8. Jake Roberts

Has anybody in the wrestling business battled more demons than Jake The Snake Roberts? There have been wrestlers who have suffered personal hardships and had their issues with the booze and the drugs, but Roberts exceeds them all. Roberts' issues are well-documented. You only need to see Beyond The Mat or the ill-fated Heroes Of Wrestling PPV for a demonstration of how bad things were at one point. Roberts battled his demons until fairly recently, when friend Diamond Dallas Page invited him into his home to help him with his recover. Some had thought Jake had turned a corner back in the mid-90s when it became known that he had found God. Robert returned to the WWF at the 1996 Royal Rumble as a Bible-preaching babyface. Art was imitating life as Roberts had recently become a born-again Christian and was preaching around the country. He famously cut a religious-based promo on Steve Austin at the 96 King Of The Ring, which was the catalyst for the famous 'Austin 3:16' promo that Austin cut after being crowned winner. But Roberts was not a totally reformed character and he wouldn't fully embrace his Christianity until much later. Speaking to newsday.com in 2012, Roberts stated that:
My relationship with God has gotten better and stronger for the simple fact that I understand it a lot better [...] You know, to me God€™s my best friend. I€™m not really into religion, OK [...] He didn€™t let me come off the edge, but boy I got real close. And I know that God€™s got something out there for me to do.
Roberts is, by all accounts, committed to his sobriety and his faith plays a big part in helping him win that fight.

7. Road Dogg

The former D-Xer is now a devout Christian. Oh, you didn't, know? To recap: Brian James, as one half of the enormously successful The New Age Outlaws during the Attitude Era, lived hard and fast. The WWF were on top and, as one of the most over and pushed acts in the promotion, the Outlaws had a lot of cash, money they routinely used to buy drink and drugs. The Road Dogg was fired by the WWF in early 2001 after it became clear to Federation officials that he had a serious problem with drugs. It would take a few more years for him to admit that he had a problem. After splitting up from his wife he made the decision to give rehab another try, this time checking into a Christian-based facility. He and his wife reconciled and had a child and Road Dogg has been on the straight and narrow in recent years and he tweets a daily prayer on Twitter. It really seems like he is in a better place in his life now.

6. Ted Dibiase Sr.

Like many wrestlers who performed during the 1980s and 90s, Ted DiBiase was on the road a lot. The schedule was a punishing one and DiBiase, while he was never a drug addict or alcoholic, certainly did his share of partying to get by. But it wasn't substance abuse that was taking over his life, it was womanising. DiBiaise had a strong faith in God when he was a younger man but that dissipated as he grew and entered the wrestling business. His cheating ways became so blatant that his wife confronted him about it after WrestleMania VIII and DiBiase thought his marriage was over. It was only after returning to his bible that DiBiase began to lose his ego and change his ways. He explained in an interview with WrestlingInc.com that after his wife threatened to leave him:
I turned back to my faith in God. It changed my life, I mean totally changed my life. Totally changed the way I look at everything. From that time to today, the most important thing in my life is my wife and my family, not my job, not my career, not me me me me me. It's them.
Now DiBiase works as a minister, spreading the word of God as a member of the Heart Of David Ministry. The Million Dollar Man's views have been controversial in the past, however, and he has made some alarming comments about Isreal and also claiming to have performed miracles himself.

5. Sting

Steve Borden's path to Christ mirrors the one made by many other wrestlers before and after him. Although never a terrible person (he was well-liked by almost everyone in the business) Sting nevertheless struggled with substance abuse and became estranged from his family. Life on the road will do that to you. The time away from his wife put a strain on his relationship with his family and Sting turned to pills and alcohol to cope. Sting had been abusing muscle relaxers for a couple of years when he confessed to his wife who demanded that he go to rehab. Realising that his life was at an all-time low point, Sting turned to God in August 1998. According to Sting's wife Sue Borden, the change was a dramatic one and even helped her after she realised her faith had lapsed:
Just seeing what happened to my husband, I wanted that so desperately. It was a couple of months after he had given his life to the Lord that I truly surrendered. I had grown up in the church, but I never had a relationship with Jesus Christ. It wasn€™t the miracle that he experienced, the overnight, but I€™ve had a slow and steady growth and it€™s been just unbelievable for our marriage, for our children
Sting has been involved in many religious charities and organisations since his intervention and his faith is well-known. One of the reasons he didn't come to the WWE before 2014 was because he objected to the racy content of their shows, claiming it clashed with his beliefs.

4. Lex Luger

Lex Luger had something of an ego problem during the 1980s and 90s. He wasn't very well liked by his peers because he believed that he was above them and professional wrestling in general. Coming from a football background, Luger lacked the passion that a lot of the boys had for the business. For him, it was just a way to make money. Not that there's anything especially wrong with that, after all it is a business, but don't go around making that fact known and alienating your peers with your arrogance. Not only was Lex egotistical, but he also had his battles with substance abuse during his career. Luger had some dark times in the early 2000s, being arrested on several occasions and serving time in jail as well as being involved in the death of the former Miss Elizabeth on May 1, 2003. Lex and Liz and were in a relationship when she passed away of an acute toxicity when she combined alcohol with painkillers. The Total Package's life was a mess. Luger had a spiritual awakening after overdosing in a hotel room in 2005 and serving three months in jail in 2006. It was in prison that Luger was visited by a pastor who would smuggle Luger peanut butter, after the former star claimed that he was always hungry. Luger accepted Christ into his life and began to gradually humble himself and focus on rebuilding his lfie. Luger suffered a spinal stroke in 2007 that left him temporarily paralysed and confined to a wheelchair but he made a miraculous recovery, which he credits to God. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4uld_YPq20

3. Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio makes no secret of his religion. In fact, he wears his religion on his skin, having many religious tattoos. These are Mysterio's most visible displays of his faith. His religious tattoos include a rosary around his neck, a cross around his neck and the words 'Man Made By God' on his wrist. Mysterio also has a prayer tattooed on his left rib. The prayer came courtesy of a little girl who presented Rey with it at a signing. The prayer is in Spanish but translated into English it says:
Jesus Christ, you accompany me every day. I ask you to bless me and protect me every time I land on the mat because my life is always on the line. Never leave me alone. Protect me and be with me always. Amen.
Not only does Rey have religious tattoos and openly talk about his faith in interviews, but he also has religious pre and post-match rituals. Rey prayers before he wrestles backstage, again when he's in the ring and once more when his match is over. He explained to WWE.com that:
I€™m very spiritual. I€™m a big believer in God. I believe that all of my success, everything that I€™ve accomplished, I couldn€™t have done without God. So I thank him every night and every day before I step into the ring, and after the match, for all of my accomplishments, and for always being there with me.
Considering the amount of injuries that Mysterio has suffered in the past, it's no surprise that he would ask for a little spiritual assistance to make it through his matches in one piece.

2. Eddie Guerrero

Like so many wrestlers, Eddie Guerrero had his demons with drugs and alcohol throughout his career. Eddie almost overdosed twice but it didn't stop his partying ways: it was only after getting fired by the WWE following a stint in rehab that he realised he had to stop the abuse. Eddie had nothing when he got fired. He had lost his job, he was bankrupt and his wife was divorcing him. He hit rock bottom and turned to his Bible for help. Eddie described in his book how he refocused his energy on his wrestling and his spirituality since he had nothing else in his life. He would get up, train, read his bible, eat, work out, train and then finish off his day by reading more passages from his bible. It simplified Eddie's life and made him realise he had been neglecting some important things in the past, like his family. Eddie, inspired by his Christianity, put in some excellent performances on the independent circuit which helped him get his job back with the WWE. When Eddie returned to the WWE, he made no secret of his faith and referenced it in interviews and storylines.

1. Shawn Michaels

Probably the greatest example of a wrestler finding religion is The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels. During the 90s and early 2000s it was all pills, booze and women but, following a (thought to be) career-ending back injury and the birth of his son, Michaels turned to the Lord for salvation. The Shawn Michaels that tore the house down every night in the WWF during the 90s was not a nice person to be around. Cocky, unpleasant and at times disrespectful, few were shedding tears when Michaels had to retire in March 98. Michaels still made the occasional appearance on television and was abrasive as ever, politicking and often showing up in 'no condition to perform'. After becoming a born-again Christian in 2002, Michaels returned to the WWE and incorporated elements of his spirituality into his act. He began to pray on the stage during his entrance and his t-shirts and ring gear had religious imagery and phrases emblazoned on them. Michaels was, by most accounts, a changed man who was easy to work with. Those who knew the 'old' Shawn Michaels commented that his newfound faith had definitely had a positive effect on him. After retiring Michaels increased his work with the church and religious charities and organisations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EMwkNes2EM
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Contributor

Student of film. Former professional wrestler. Supporter of Newcastle United. Don't cry for me, I'm already dead...