Lex Luger and John D. Hollis. Wrestling with the Devil: The True Story of a World Champion Professional Wrestler – His Reign, Ruin, and Redemption. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum, 2013. 248 pp. $16.28.
Lex Luger is a name that every wrestling fan of the 1980s and 90s immediately recognizes. Yet his personal story is not one that is familiar. In Wrestling with the Devil, the former professional wrestling world champion tells his own amazing story. Luger opens up about his childhood, his college and pro football days, his marriage, his wrestling career, his fame, his drug and alcohol abuse, his affairs, his divorce, his time spent in jail, his miraculous salvation, and his devastating paralysis.
I have to say that I did not expect to read a good book when Christian Audio sent me this one to review. However, as a former wrestling fan, I could not resist giving the book a listen. What I learned fascinated me. Luger and Hollis spin a fascinating tale of fame, pain, and redemption. Luger is honest about the depts. To which he sank in his life, but the book never crosses the line into the crude. Luger and Hollis manage to tell Lex’s story in a way that lets readers know what happened without taking us down unwholesome paths in the process.
I’ll also add that Luger offers a sweet and clear presentation of the gospel in this work. His own salvation testimony involves a persistent jailhouse chaplain who cared enough about him to become Luger’s friend. It is an inspiring reminder that one of the most powerful things a Christian can do to help another hear the gospel is simply to form a genuine friendship and love someone enough to tell them the truth.
If you are a wrestling fan, there is enough insider info in this book to make it worth the read. If you are a Christian, you will likely find Lex’s story inspiring, especially as you see the heart that God has put into a man who can no longer do the things he used to be able to do because of a major spinal injury (thankfully, the book declares that Lex is making progress in his recovery). If you are an athlete, you will be challenged not to fall into the traps that Luger fell into.
No, Wrestling with the Devil is not a giant literary accomplishment—it was not intended to be. However, it is a story worth the read. I know that I am very glad to have received it, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Lex’s story.
I received a free copy of this work from ChristianAudio.com as part of their reviewers program. This work, like all the others I have heard from Christian Audio, sounds great and is very well-read.
Pastor Travis Peterson 