Wrestling with the Devil

by Lex Luger

  We talked en route. “How close are you?” he asked me.

  “I’m about an hour away.”

  “Who are you with?” he asked.

  “Nobody.”

  “What do you mean, nobody?”

  “I’m driving myself!”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  “No, I’m serious.”

  Nikita was as excited as I was. It was a great moment shared with a wonderful friend.

  More and more, I was leaving the cocoon of Shepherd and venturing out into the real world again. It was time for the next big move. With my increased mobility and ability to drive, I wanted to find a more centralized location, still near the Shepherd Center but closer to my friends and family.

  Pastor Steve and I went exploring and found the perfect spot about fifteen minutes away. This condo was located in a village setting with tons of restaurants, a barbershop—and a Starbucks, of course! I was looking forward to walking around my new neighborhood for exercise and hanging out at my favorite coffee shop.

  Another big moment was walking into a regular gym for the first time since my injury. All my workouts since then had been at the Shepherd Center. Words can’t describe how ecstatic I felt in those familiar surroundings. Going to the gym was something that I had done all my life and never thought I would be able to do again.

  Obviously, my workouts are different now than they used to be; I’m not pumping the heavy iron anymore. However, just to be able to work out on the machines for my upper and lower body and then hit the cardio on the treadmill, elliptical machine, or stationary bike are things that I have found a brand-new appreciation for. I still love going to the gym!

  When I was at Shepherd, I had asked the staff, “What’s the best way to increase my walking speed and mobility?”

  “Walk,” they replied. I’ve really taken that advice to heart. I’ve incorporated as much walking into my daily activity as I can. I walk at my local Walmart, Target, and grocery stores. I’m out and about, movin’ and a-groovin’, and making friends at the same time.

  As I recovered, I also became more confident to get out there and share my story again. There was so much more to tell.

  I began speaking at schools, churches, business groups—anyplace I could encourage others.

  Remember my master plan that I pursued for most of my life? I’m now following the Master’s plan. Total Package Fitness allows me the opportunity to coach, mentor, and assist others to implement a happier, healthier lifestyle. I guess you could call me a wellness or lifestyle coach. We discuss fitness and nutrition, as well as how to maintain a positive outlook and surround yourself with positive people and influences. We address better time and stress management strategies and emphasize getting enough rest and sleep. I’ve discovered that when I talk with people about various ways to improve their lives, a level of trust develops. This is a great door-opener to discuss the spiritual aspects of their lives. It enables me to share my faith with them and explain its vital importance in my life. Mentally fit, physically fit, spiritually fit—the trifecta—the total package!

  I love how God utilizes our past experiences for the greater good.

  I continue to volunteer my time at the Shepherd Center, especially talking with young men and women and their families who are facing the same things I did. It is an honor and a privilege to help in any way I can.

  I work with ministries and organizations that help people struggling with addictions. Once again, God is using something that had caused so much pain and darkness in my life for the benefit of others.

  God has also given me the opportunity to reconnect with wrestling. I am working with a new nonprofit organization called World Wrestling Outreach (WWO). Our goal is to impact the wrestling industry and its fans in a positive way. We will be coaching, mentoring, and training new talent, as well as assisting current or retired wrestlers in any way possible.

  The WWO will also use the sport of professional wrestling as a community and evangelistic outreach on weekends. We plan to go into the schools on Fridays with a message about making positive choices. Saturday evenings we will hold a family-friendly fund-raising wrestling event, with local businesses, schools, and churches participating. Everything will be capped off with Sunday morning services in local churches, where the gospel message will be shared.

  I am very thankful for all these opportunities God has provided and look forward to where He will lead me in the future. My journey continues. Praise God, hallelujah!

  EPILOGUE

  THE GOOD NEWS

  When I was on my knees with Pastor Steve in that hotel room in 2006, I finally realized that I needed to be saved from myself. I had tried to do everything my own way, and it definitely wasn’t working. My life had become a train wreck.

  I believed that I was the one who was in charge of my destiny. After all, I had my master plan. I thought I had my future all mapped out. I embarked on a relentless quest for money, fame, glamour, and achievements. But I was never satisfied. Enough was never enough. The more I had, the more I desired. I was on an empty and futile chase. I was living proof of the “successful” man that Jesus described—a man who had gained the whole world but, in the process, was losing his own soul.

  I was reaping exactly what I was sowing, especially with my double life. I wandered along with no sense of accountability, going from one bad decision to another. A series of compromises was leading me down a path of destruction for myself and everyone around me.

  And yet I still didn’t get it. I had no concept of God and did not acknowledge Him as the Creator of everything, including me. I wasn’t aware of anything except me, myself, and I. In every situation, I thought I had all the answers.

  Selfishness and pride were my biggest obstacles.

  I needed to surrender myself to God.

  That’s true for all of us. It’s only when we get to the end of ourselves that God can begin to do His work. He knows us better than anyone does, inside and out, because He made us. Each one of us is a unique person wonderfully created by Him with our distinctive gifts, talents, and abilities. And in His infinite wisdom, He has a plan and a purpose, a divine calling for each of us that we can discover if we yield our lives to Him.

  When Jesus was asked which was the most important commandment, He replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). Wow. How incredibly simple: love and honor God, love and serve others!

  But before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave us one more commandment: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15). It’s called the Great Commission, and it’s the only reason I wrote this book. I was once a lost person who needed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News. Pastor Steve shared it with me. It’s my privilege to share it with you. My hope and prayer is that you will accept God’s free gift of eternal life and let Him begin working in your life, as He is doing in mine.

  I now embrace the journey God has me on. I echo the words of the apostle Paul: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:14).

  Won’t you please join me on this incredible journey?

  AN INVITATION TO THE JOURNEY

  Each one of us is on a journey—a journey that begins at a different time, in a different place, and under different circumstances. My story may seem dramatically different from yours, but in reality, we are all alike: we are born separated from God. We all have that in common. The most important decision we need to make in our lives is whether we want to continue to live that way.

  If you have read my story and want to take the steps I did to become a follower of Christ, here’s what you need to do:

  Acknowledge that God is the Creator. He is the Architect who created everything, and He “rules over every
thing” (Psalm 103:19).

  Die to yourself and be reborn in Christ. Jesus never pulled any punches about what is missing in our lives, no matter how rich or successful or religious we are. He clearly spelled it out to a highly educated man named Nicodemus: “You must be born again” (John 3:7).

  Face the truth that you are a sinner. Romans 3:23 tells us that “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” God is holy and cannot look on sin. Our sins prevent us from having a relationship with Him. You can see from my story that my sins started out small and seemingly innocent but escalated over time. Big or small, our sins keep us separated from God and poison our souls.

  Confess to God that you are a sinner. Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Here is the Good News for all of us: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). Christ took our sins upon Himself and nailed them to the cross.

  Believe that Jesus is the one and only way to restore your relationship with God. As He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There’s no other way that we can be reconciled to God except through Jesus.

  That day in the hotel room, Pastor Steve had me read Romans 10:9 out loud: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Then he had me recite Romans 10:13: “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” When I read those two verses, I wept.

  In an instant, I knew that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

  It will be a life filled with redemption, forgiveness, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide you—a life filled with “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

  This doesn’t mean that there won’t be trials or adversities along the way, but you will never face them alone again. God will be beside you. He will never forsake you. God taught me that at the Shepherd Center. Each time I felt I couldn’t go on, He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

  But that wasn’t all He taught me. He let me know that what I was going through would be a way for me to serve others. “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4).

  I am stronger and richer than I have ever been because of the decision I made on April 23, 2006, to give my life to Jesus Christ. From that moment, I began building my life upon the Rock.

  What about you? Do you want to begin a new life? Why not take the first step right now? Surrender. Build your life on Jesus the Rock, not on the sand (see Matthew 7:24). That is my desire for you. If you make that decision, I promise you that your life will never be the same.

  LEX LUGER

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  First and foremost, I want to thank God. Without Him, I wouldn’t have this story to tell.

  In addition, special thanks go out to the following people:

  Bonne Steffen and the entire team at Tyndale House Publishers

  John D. Hollis

  All my family and friends whom I love so much—you know who you are

  And a special shout-out to Michael Anthony Mooney, aka “The Great Moodini”

  LEX LUGER

  I want to thank God for His blessings and guidance in helping us bring Lex’s story to life.

  My role in this inspirational project wouldn’t have been possible without the unconditional love and support of my wife, Regina, and our precocious young son, Davis. The two of them have long been my own personal bedrock, allowing me to persevere through life’s toughest challenges.

  I’d also like to thank my brother-in-law, Howard Davis Jr., as well as my close friends Kevin Tydings, Stewart Verdery, Rich Gable, Steve Metzger, and Curtis Bunn, among others, whose precious time and kind words always provided me with inspiration. Many friends found it ironic that I would someday be involved in a book project with one of the professional wrestlers we had watched together during college weekends.

  Big props also go out to Bonne Steffen, our talented editor at Tyndale House Publishers whose tireless efforts helped make this book possible. Thanks, Bonne, for teaching me so much.

  I also wish to recognize Matt Lacey for his time, valued insights, and passion in helping Lex and me put this story together in the best way.

  I’ll never forget the first time I met Lex Luger for lunch at the Shepherd Center in early June 2008. I had been slated to write a story about him for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and had been looking forward to meeting him in person because I had been an avid professional wrestling fan when I was younger. I envisioned an older version of The Total Package, the man whom I had seen on television with the larger-than-life persona and sculpted physique. This Lex Luger was not that guy, at least not physically, since he was in rehabilitation for a devastating spinal cord injury. He is a deeply spiritual man, one who displayed tremendous grace and humility when discussing his many transgressions during his life. He and I hit it off right away and came to know one another very well.

  The story I wrote about Lex in the AJC generated overwhelming public response that easily surpassed any such buzz created by previous sports stories I had done. Two years later, Lex asked me to partner with him on this book project, and I couldn’t have been prouder.

  Lex’s story had always resonated with me on a very personal level because of my own doubts and shortcomings, albeit on a lesser scale and minus the intense public scrutiny. His well-chronicled mistakes had played out for the rest of us to see. In Lex, I saw glimpses of myself and my friends, all of us to varying degrees drifting aimlessly in search of life’s true meaning. The story of Lex’s redemption and powerful transformation through the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is one we should all heed.

  I am a better man because Lex shared his story with me. And for that, I will always be grateful.

  JOHN D. HOLLIS

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  LEX LUGER is a three-time world heavyweight wrestling champion who has held nearly every championship and title obtainable in professional wrestling. Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Lex played college and professional football for a number of years.

  As a wrestler, some of Lex’s career highlights include belonging to the legendary “Four Horsemen” group, slamming Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid to kick off the Lex Express tour, and being one of the headliners of Nitro, during which he was the first to defeat world champion Hulk Hogan on national television.

  In 2006, Lex experienced a dramatic spiritual awakening, and the next year he suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury. He was diagnosed as a quadriplegic and told by doctors that he would remain so for the rest of his life. But today, Lex Luger is back on his feet, dedicated to mentoring others and sharing the incredible story of what God has done in his life.

  JOHN D. HOLLIS is a veteran journalist who has covered both professional and college sports. He was the lead reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s story of WWE pro wrestler Chris Benoit’s tragic end in 2007.

  THE EARLY YEARS

  At the beach with my dad. Look at those golden curls!

  The Pfohls all dressed up: my mom, me (left), my sister, Barb, and my brother, Barry

  With sweet Daisy, one of three Saint Bernards I grew up with

  Showing some style in my high school senior portrait

  READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL

  Excited to be a Hurricane at the University of Miami. I was touted as a future NFL player even as a sophomore.

  The Pinto with the exploding gas tank. I drove that junk heap all the way up to training camp in Montreal.

  With my parents at Chri
stmas after my rookie season with the Alouettes. Dad loved the hat, at least for the photo.

  LEX LUGER IS BORN

  Brian and me in the backyard pool at our first house in Tampa

  With trainer Hiro Matsuda, celebrating my first big title—the NWA Southern Heavyweight title I won as a rookie in 1986

  “The Total Package.” Dusty Rhodes first used the phrase to describe me in a prematch pep talk.

  A clean sweep of gold. In 1987, the Four Horsemen (left to right)—Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, and myself—had all the NWA/WCW championship titles, under J. J. Dillon’s management (far back). I was the US heavyweight champion, Tully and Arn were world heavyweight tag team champions, and Ric was the world heavyweight champion.

  FRIENDS, FOES, AND FAMILY

  J. J. Dillon (left) flashing the cash to Tully Blanchard and me during Horsemen days

  One of my countless matches against Ric Flair

  The first time Sting and I teamed up. We defeated Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard for the Crockett Cup in 1988, and Magnum TA (center) presented the trophy to us.

  Sting and our kids hanging out together about 1991. Sting is holding his firstborn son, Garrett, and my children, Brian and Lauren (lying down), are on the trampoline with another friend.