Sinful Storylines: Religion In Pro Wrestling

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we discuss the history of religion in pro wrestling.

Is religion one of those areas that shouldn’t be touched upon in pro wrestling?

Chad Gelfand: Like everything, there’s a line you can walk where it goes from satire to just offensive, and wrestling is not really a medium known for nuance. However, I have little issue with religion being touched upon.

Juan Bautista: Now it is. As the Lil Nas X situation showed, at least in the United States, the church still has a grip on society.

James Klonowski: As an atheist, I don’t have a problem with religion being involved in wrestling. But I respect all religion, and know it’s a super sensitive subject, so if it is done, it has to be with a touch of sensitivity, something all too often lacking in sports-entertainment.

John Corrigan: Nothing is off limits in pro wrestling. That’s why I love it!

Steven Jackson: Religion is a very sensitive topic, which in any medium needs to be treated with respect. I don’t think religion should be out of bounds, but definitely a mutual understanding is needed to make it appropriately part of a storyline or feud.

Jack Goodwillie: I don’t think so. I think anything and everything is fair game when it comes to pro wrestling. There is definitely such a thing as going too far (we’ve seen that), but you’ve also got to be willing to push the envelope from time to time.

Were you offended by God being used in the Backlash 2006 storyline?

Gelfand: No. I was eight years old and didn’t fully grasp what was going on. I just knew Vince McMahon was a weirdo maniac.

Bautista: I didn’t watch this event, but looking back, this shouldn’t have been taken seriously.

Klonowski: I found the storyline so over the top that it amused me. It was the Mr. McMahon character at its most delusional, so the whole God thing just fitted. It was never meant to be taken seriously by anyone. It was just a bit of comedy, perhaps in poor taste, but that’s pro wrestling.

Corrigan: No. I was intrigued, but not enough to actually buy the pay-per-view. So I guess mission not accomplished.

Jackson: After everything Vince has done in the last 40 years, seeing him trying to mock God is one of the least controversial and offensive things he has done. I’m actually surprised he didn’t do it sooner.

Goodwillie: Not at all, although I will say I had to question the purpose of the storyline, which speaks volumes coming from me at a time where I still had doubts that some of these storylines weren’t completely legitimate. I guess what I mean to say is, by introducing “God” into the fold as Shawn Michaels’ tag partner, where do you go from there? What do you do? I guess that was part of the intrigue as well, but I’m sure the idea sounded a lot better in the demented head of Vince McMahon, a place where it probably should have stayed.

What was the best use of religion in pro wrestling?

Gelfand: Austin 3:16 is the obvious answer, but I’ll go with something different and say Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV. Michaels incorporated religion into his character when he returned, with its peak being the Heaven vs. Hell match he had with Undertaker. Beyond that being an amazing match, the entrances were spectacular.

Bautista: The Corporate Ministry.

Klonowski: Not sure about the best use of religion, but Seth Rollins as The Messiah is a fun way to go about it. It adds another layer to his character and allows the fans to dig deeper into his psyche. Some of his early feuds with Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens were a bit farfetched, but again, this is religion we are talking about.

Corrigan: Aside from “Superstar” Billy Graham coming out to “Jesus Christ Superstar,” it has to be Austin 3:16. I do wish we had more time with Mordecai, though, and I’m curious to see how far AJ Pan goes.

Jackson: As odd as it may sound, Hulk Hogan telling the Hulkamaniacs to “eat their vitamins and say their prayers” always felt like a positive image for religion and being a strong role model for young people.

Goodwillie: “You sit there and you thump your bible and you say your prayers, and it didn’t get you anywhere. Talk about your songs, talk about John 3:16…. Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!”

What was the worst use of religion in pro wrestling?

Gelfand: Vince Russo’s Ring of Glory shows.

Bautista: Ring of Glory.

Klonowski: ECW with the whole Raven sacrifice angle. It was just awful on every level. Kurt Angle, who was a special guest for the evening, walked out in disgusted protest over the angle, while Raven was forced to apologize to the fans by an embarrassed Paul Heyman. WWE somehow got away with a similar angle involving The Undertaker sacrificing Stone Cold Steve Austin and Stephanie McMahon on his cross. It was just unnecessary.

Corrigan: I know it was the goal, but I can’t stand Brother Love.

Jackson: Muhammad Hassan. At the time it was too close to the bone and near to the knuckle for people to get behind. Understand it completely and really enjoyed it in retrospect. But, in the moment, it wasn’t the best move WWE has done.

Goodwillie: Gotta be when The Sandman caned “the man of the cloth” on the ECW on SyFy debut.

In all seriousness, we might have to stay within the world of ECW for the worst use of religion in pro wrestling. It may have been the night Raven crucified The Sandman in front of Kurt Angle. Raven has been known to be a bit of an edgelord when it comes to booking his own angles, but while what he and Sandman did that night wasn’t offensive to me, it was offensive to Angle, who may have signed with ECW had he not seen that display. All in all, I didn’t hate the spirit of the angle, I just don’t think it really moved the needle and represented an unnecessary risk for ECW at the time.

Roddy Piper calls Vince McMahon from hell. Not kidding. pic.twitter.com/avXDmtIrjX
— The Combat Republic (@combatrepublic) April 23, 2021

Now that Vince McMahon has cleared up where Roddy Piper is, where do you think Mr. McMahon ends up in the afterlife?

Gelfand: I don’t know where Vince McMahon will end up, but I have a feeling he may have a seat next to Ultimate Warrior, Ronald Regan and Art Briles.

Bautista: Hell.

Klonowski: He will orchestrate a hostile takeover of hell, for sure. If there is a heaven or hell, then the character of Mr. McMahon is definitely heading to the fiery depths of inferno. But, Vince McMahon? That will be interesting to find out. The greatest wrestling promoter of all time, and a self-made billionaire, but he’s not without his faults. Whatever happens, his legacy is intact as the best to ever do it.

Corrigan: If Vinnie Mac makes it to the Pearly Gates, there’s hope for all of us.

Jackson: I don’t think Vince McMahon will go to the afterlife. Something tells me Vince McMahon isn’t human and will be with us forever and ever and ever!

Goodwillie: If you believe an afterlife exists, let’s hope Vince McMahon and God have buried the hatchet after all these years.

Brief story: For a short stint of my life, I attended Sunday School. One Sunday that probably took place in late-1999 (Aikman was still playing for the Cowboys), YEARS before I began to regularly watch, mind you, saw some kids talking a little Stone Cold and WWF wrasslin’. Well, our Sunday School teacher didn’t take too kindly to that. In fact, she heavily implied that anyone involved with that show, and Vince McMahon specifically, would have a nice place in hell waiting for them. Sadly, kids can be impressionable and probably took those words a little more seriously than they should have, but that lady would probably be thrilled to learn of McMahon’s rap sheet in the coming years: incest angles, rape references, necrophilia, and of course, a match with the big man upstairs himself.