Five Things We Will Learn
- Why both amateur wrestling and professional wrestling (WWE) have become unmistakably Christian stages in America.
- How Hulk Hogan’s public surrender to Jesus — including baptism photos he posted on X — reflects a powerful shift in wrestling culture.
- Why NCAA champions, WWE legends, and high-school wrestlers alike openly testify about Jesus more than athletes in any other sport.
- How the sport’s physical demands and personal trials uniquely push wrestlers toward faith in Christ.
- How this boldness on the mat aligns with the biblical warnings of 2 Peter about truth under pressure in the last days.
Hulk Hogan’s Public Turn to Jesus: A Cultural Shockwave in Wrestling
For more than 40 years, Hulk Hogan has been one of the most recognizable figures in American entertainment — a global icon, a childhood hero, and the face who carried professional wrestling into mainstream culture.
But in December 2023, Hogan did something far greater than headlining WrestleMania:
He publicly surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.
Wearing a cross necklace and standing in the waters of baptism at Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida, Hogan was baptized alongside his wife, Sky Daily — an act of faith he openly shared with the world on his X account.
His words were simple, powerful, and unmistakably genuine:
“Total surrender and dedication to Jesus is the greatest day of my life. No worries, no hate, no judgment… only love!” — Hulk Hogan, X
This wasn’t a promo.
It wasn’t a storyline.
It wasn’t a persona.
It was real.
And the photos — posted by Hogan himself — captured a man who wasn’t acting, but awakening.
A Faith That Has Been Growing for Years
Though Hogan accepted Christ at age 14, he drifted from his faith during his rise to fame. But he never forgot Jesus.
Over the last decade, he began speaking openly about salvation:
- “Jesus died on the cross and paid for my sins.” — TMZ, 2009
- “The only thing really real is what lasts forever… your faith and belief in God.” — Hogan, 2015
- “I am one with God.” — Hogan, X (April 2023)
And during an interview with Joe Rogan in August 2023 — while wearing a John 3:16 shirt — Hogan told how God humbled him and brought him back:
“Everything else is a distant second to what happens around me. I’m locked back in.”
His baptism was the public declaration of a man who knows the difference between the lights of fame and the light of Christ.
It also sent a message across the wrestling world:
Faith is not fringe — it’s rising to the forefront.
Wrestling Has Become the Most Openly Christian Sport in America
Hogan’s bold testimony stands beside a growing reality:
No sport in America displays Christian faith more consistently, more publicly, and more unapologetically than wrestling.
This is true in two arenas:
- NCAA amateur wrestling
- Professional wrestling (WWE and beyond)
Let’s look at both.
College Wrestlers Lead the Nation in Public Christian Testimony
In recent NCAA championships, it has become almost expected that wrestlers speak openly about Jesus after their toughest battles.
Champions across weight classes say things like:
- “All glory to God.”
- “Christ’s resurrection is everything.”
- “The Lord was with me on the mat.”
Wrestlers such as Aaron Brooks, David Carr, and many others openly proclaim Christ without hesitation. Their boldness echoes what Pastor Greg Lancaster teaches in “The Battle for Truth: Navigating the Dangers of Deception in the Last Days” — that God would raise up a clear, public witness even as culture pressures truth into silence.
And who would have guessed?
The witness would come from the wrestling mat.
Why Wrestling Breeds Christian Boldness
1. Wrestling Is a Gritty, Humbling Sport
No helmets.
No teammates for cover.
No hiding place.
Just a man, an opponent, and reality.
The sport naturally produces humility — the soil in which Christian faith grows.
2. Wrestlers Face More Personal Hardship Than Most Athletes
Weight cuts.
Isolation.
Mental strain.
Identity trials.
Wrestlers are forced to confront themselves, and often, God.
3. Wrestling Aligns with Biblical Imagery
Scripture speaks of striving, battling, fighting the good fight — even Jacob wrestling with God.
This is why wrestlers connect with biblical truth uniquely and deeply.
4. The Community Is Rooted in Faith Regions
Wrestling thrives in the Midwest, the South, and rural America — areas where faith is strong, open, and cultural.
Hogan’s Baptism Marks a Shift in Professional Wrestling, Too
Professional wrestling has always been loud, theatrical, and over-the-top.
But now it is becoming spiritually loud.
Hogan’s baptism broke through decades of secular entertainment and sent shockwaves through millions who grew up watching him.
The message?
Even the greatest “heroes” need the real Hero — Jesus Christ.
And Hogan is not alone.
Other wrestling legends have testified about Christ, shared their salvation stories, and spoken publicly about redemption.
Hogan’s lifetime of fame now serves a higher purpose:
“Having put off his old self… he is now in a position to point millions to the only One who can save.”
Wrestling isn’t just physical entertainment anymore.
It has become a platform for the Gospel.
A Witness in a Culture at War with Truth
As the Apostle Peter warned, and as Pastor Greg Lancaster emphasizes in “The Battle for Truth,” in the last days:
- Truth will be mocked
- Believers will face pressure
- Culture will push silence
Yet wrestlers — college and professional — stand up and speak anyway.
On mats.
In arenas.
On national broadcasts.
On social media platforms like X.
Hogan’s baptism photos are a reminder:
When God transforms a life, the testimony becomes impossible to hide.
The Mat Has Become a Modern Pulpit
In a generation starved for authenticity, wrestlers offer what culture cannot suppress:
- Raw faith
- Open testimony
- Public surrender
- Real transformation
The mat has become a pulpit.
And in both the NCAA and WWE, wrestling has become America’s most visibly Christian sport — a spotlight God is using to proclaim truth in a darkening age.