The wrestling business is full of odd questions and I thought I had heard many of them but the one I really wasn’t expecting was “Are you down to work a church service on Sunday morning?” Now working near or even in a church happens a lot but in a church, on Sunday morning… now that was a first. Nonetheless, I agreed to go and had the pleasure of representing All-Star Pro at the Fellowship Church location in Norman, Oklahoma. Now for a little background info Fellowship Church is a megachurch based out of Grapevine, Texas with 9 locations across Texas, Florida, and now Oklahoma.

I had seen an on my Facebook feed for a new series called “Wrastlin’: A Series by Ed Young” and had thought about going but when I was invited to be apart of an exhibition for a series featuring Sting, The Undertaker, Ted Dibiase, and Ric Flair there was not a doubt in my mind I had to be there. We had a crew of guys and did a total of 6 matches between the two services. But the start of this series really shared a look at what drove Sting to become the devoted man of faith he is known for today was quite the surprise.

The interview started with Sting talking about his time training at the legendary Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, California and after seeing an ad being asked to train to be a pro wrestler and being taken to see a show featuring names like Hulk Hogan who would go on to work many times during his time in WCW. He mentioned being trained by Red Bastien and said he was nice enough not to “stretch him” during their time training, which drew a laugh from all of the wrestlers who had all slipped in the back after our exhibitions in the foyer.

He went on to talk about some of his most serious injuries including tearing his patellar tendon and seeing his kneecap halfway up his thigh while running to the ring to attack Ric Flair. Then he gave his testimonial of denying God because he wanted to party and not live by a rule book as he called it. During the height of his run in WCW, he was addicted to painkillers, muscle relaxers, and alcohol.

Life on the road also led him to an adulterous lifestyle. In August of 1998, his wife confronted him about all of this and in his words “I was unable to lie anymore, I had always been the best liar, but this time I just couldn’t bring myself to lie so I confessed everything.” He said everything changed overnight for him he hasn’t had a drop of alcohol, a single pill, or even talked like he used to since that day 20 years ago. It’s truly an inspiring story for those who have battled or are battling addiction as so many of us in the wrestling business have.

In the coming weeks, you can either watch the series online or at one of their 9 locations. For more information on Fellowship Church and to watch online visit fellowshipchurch.com. All-Star Pro will also be at the Norman location with exhibitions before both services next Sunday, September 16th

• Wrestling with the Revolution from the Desk of James Southard