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Big Ugly piledrives Virgil during a four-way match against Mike Rayne and Timothy Thatcher at a Christian wrestling event at Vinewood Community Church on Saturday. (Dan Evans/News-Sentinel)
Local churches, New World Pizza host Christian wrestling supershow
The Honky Tonk Man walked into the wrestling ring at Vinewood Community Church on Saturday night wearing a black and silver outfit, resembling an Elvis impersonator. Then the crowd joined him as he sang the old '50s Johnny Horton hit "Honky Tonk Man" before taking off his robe and getting ready to rumble.
Honky Tonk, participating in a four-man tag-team match, played to the crowd of about 300 to rile them up. It wasn't hard, since Honky Tonk and his partner, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, were definitely the crowd favorites.
"Kick him in the heart, Honky Tonk!" a spectator yelled.
Yes, he said that in church.
The tag-team match was one of eight battles in Saturday's Professional Wrestling Supershow at Vinewood's spacious gymnasium, where wrestlers mixed body slams with Christianity.
The event, sponsored by Pastor Jim McClelland of New Hope Free Will Baptist Church and New World Pizza owner Kasey Voorheis, was part of a fundraiser for Building Blocks, a non-profit organization that McClelland and his wife, Kathy, run on behalf of the needy, many of them on Lodi's Eastside.
Ted DiBiase
The day included a breakfast with retired World Wrestling Federation performer Ted DiBiase and a trade show featuring photographs and autographs of active and retired wrestlers, in addition to the evening matches.
The crowd seemed to have pre-determined heroes and villains for each match, and spectators were really into the event.
"It's great, a great show," Stockton resident Jeff Miller said. "We've been here since 7 this morning."
Do women wrestle?
Oh yes, they do. And they beat each other up just like the men. Raisha Saeed and Christina VonErin body slammed each other and shoved some mean forearms to the face during their match at Vinewood.
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Saeed, whose real name is Melissa Marie Anderson, portrayed a Middle Eastern woman from Syria. Her face was completely covered except for her eyes. VonErin wore a bikini top, low-cut pants and spiked hair.
Saeed and VonErin weren't available for comment after their match, but a retired wrestler, Terri Runnels, was in the gym signing autographed pictures of herself in a swimsuit.
Runnels noted that it's odd for women to be violent in the ring, yet feminine once the match is over.
"It's a dichotomy of personalities," she said.
Runnels said she began her career working for Ted Turner as a makeup artist for celebrities and wrestlers. Then someone in the wrestling industry thought she would be good in the ring.
"They asked me to be an on-air character on TV," she said.
She retired from the ring a year ago.
Unusual post-wrestling activity
Building Blocks at a glance
Location: 701 N. Stockton St., Lodi.Contact: Kathy McClelland, 747-1219, lodibuildingblocks@yahoo.com.
Services: Food bank on second and fourth Saturday of each month. Must arrive by 10 a.m.; clothes, household supplies and baby items by appointment.
Highlights of the Building Blocks program in 2008:
Source: Building Blocks
Quotes
“I don’t do bars. Bars and wrestling do not mix.”— Greg “The Hammer” Valentine
“Jesus said, ‘I’m going to make fishers of men.’ And any good fisherman knows you need good bait. The wrestling show is the bait.”
— Ted “Million Dollar Man” DiBiase
“I really enjoyed it, the action. It’s something that’s never been brought to Lodi.”
— Monica Larkin, Lodi
“You suck, you suck, you suck.”
— Crowd chanting at wrestler Rick Luxury
“What church is today is not like church was in 1950. You’ve just got to make sure the story’s right.”
— Kathy McClelland, New Hope Free Will Baptist Church
After the eighth and final match on Saturday, Ted "The Million Dollar Man" DiBiase jumped into the ring and talked for a half-hour about what God means to him. A wrestler dubbed Eugene, along with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Steve "Dr. Death" Williams," joined DiBiase in his support for the Lord.
"I was a Christian when I was a young boy," The Hammer told the crowd. "Then I turned my back to God for 30 years. In 2002, because of the wrestling business, I gave my heart to the Lord."
Dr. Death then talked about God saving him from throat cancer, and DiBiase, who says he has been an ordained minister for 10 years, discussed his infidelity and admitted contemplating suicide until he saw an open Bible in the room.
DiBiase said that having a personal relationship with Jesus is required for going to heaven, and described Allah as a "false god."
"Strong men build strong churches, strong churches build strong communities and strong communities build strong nations," DiBiase said.
About half the crowd left the Vinewood gym during DiBiase's presentation, but the remaining spectators became silent. Several walked up to the edge of the ring after DiBiase invited anyone who was seeking God for the first time or needed God's help on a personal matter.
Mixing wrestling with God
Christians disagree on whether wrestling, rock music or other forms of entertainment should be used to worship God. Some people think it's a great idea, while others say that using entertainment in a church setting displeases God.
"When people speak like that, it angers me," said retired wrestler Ted "The Million Dollar Man" DiBiase. "You can go to church every Sunday and go straight to hell."
Kathy McClelland, whose husband Jim is a pastor at New Hope Free Will Baptist Church, which co-hosted the event, says there's nothing wrong with a church hosting a wrestling match, or for another church to have it in its building.
"I know what Jesus did; he was a friend to everyone," McClelland said. "Not everyone's going to come to a traditional church."
Kevin Suess, associate pastor at Vinewood Community Church, watched the matches from start to finish.
"We were in favor of it because it's getting people in a church setting," Suess said. "The idea is getting people introduced to Christ."
Having a wrestling match at church is no different than having a "biker Sunday" or women's scrapbooking, Suess added.
Amarjit Singh, of Lodi, who attends the Darmesh Darbar Sikh Temple in south Lodi, said he watches wrestling every Friday on TV. He also didn't mind incorporating religion into the event, even if he isn't a Christian.
"That's very good, talking about the word of God," Singh said.
Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.
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Reader Feedback
Lodian wrote on May 2, 2009 1:07 PM:
tanner b wrote on Apr 29, 2009 8:53 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 28, 2009 9:54 AM:
ordinarycitizen wrote on Apr 27, 2009 12:01 PM:"...to the altar weeping to make things right with the Lord. It's called fruth."
Followed minutes later by:
ordinarycitizen wrote on Apr 27, 2009 12:08 PM:"Error in my typing: It's called fruit."
Again, I understand the slip, but you have to admit it was funny.
And how come the headline of this story changed from "Biblical Smackdown"? "
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 28, 2009 7:54 AM:
The quote is not mine, I gave credit with the author's initials. But I understand propaganda when I see it and it did not escape my notice that the "Super Show" was not about archeology or biology or thermal hysteresis. It was "...on such an intellectual level, that even the most stupid of those toward whom it is directed will understand it..." and it was intended as nothing more than bait, same as Easter Sponge Bob and iPod giveaways.
In many ways the event proved what I've said about organized religion for years, but to see it come to fruition is actually more unsettling than I expected.
Anyway, I didn't mean to steal your thunder about making this into another "I Hate Everything About Obama" thread and I can see your anxious. Please, proceed. "
tanner b wrote on Apr 28, 2009 7:51 AM:
Hope2Be wrote on Apr 28, 2009 7:44 AM:
Cogito wrote on Apr 27, 2009 8:25 PM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 27, 2009 4:27 PM:
Leonard wrote on Apr 27, 2009 2:41 PM:
" Leonard, the Jihadis don't claim to be Christian (root word: Christ, person: Jesus). They're Mohameddan.
Same ice cream, different flavor. "
weezer wrote on Apr 27, 2009 1:17 PM:
weezer wrote on Apr 27, 2009 1:15 PM:
Audi 5000 wrote on Apr 27, 2009 1:11 PM:
Ends don't justify the means, that too is unbiblical. God is sovereign and His will be done and the gates of Hell will not prevail, not one who is called shall be lost. We are commaned to preach and teach the Word, God takes care of the results.
Who is arrogant enough to believe they can change God's predestined plan for the universe? "
Audi 5000 wrote on Apr 27, 2009 12:53 PM:
I do question DiBiase's understanding of biblical truth as he states "..wrestling is the bait." No it is not! God will call who He wills through the proclamation of the gospel message, period.
I also question not the sincerity but the wisdom of the church leaders that promoted and endorsed these activities. "
Leonard wrote on Apr 27, 2009 12:47 PM:
There seems to be a considerable distance between "turn the other cheek" and "kick him in the heart". "
ordinarycitizen wrote on Apr 27, 2009 12:20 PM:
ordinarycitizen wrote on Apr 27, 2009 12:08 PM:
ordinarycitizen wrote on Apr 27, 2009 12:01 PM:
Audi 5000 wrote on Apr 27, 2009 11:36 AM:
Fans shouting "Kick him in the heart!".
Fans chanting "You suck! You suck!".
A woman autographing swimsuit photos of herself.
Tell me Mr. Suess, how any of these actions bring glory to the name of Jesus?
Can you biblically defend every action that occurred in your church building over the weekend? How do you justify using God's name and His resources to promote worldly entertainment.
Mr. McClelland, Jesus was indeed a friend but that has nothing to due with being in the world and not of the world. He is the most anti-culture figure is history. He hated the culture and how it stymied their relationship with God, and confronted it head on.
Nowhere in the Bible did God and His Prophets, nor Jesus and His disciples once poll "the people" to find the pulse of the current culture, or to tailor their ministries in the slightest to appease a world view. The message of salvation is the polar opposite of cultural ideals. The two can not be melded without compromising Biblical truth.
You are are effectively building a church of tares. "
Leonard wrote on Apr 27, 2009 9:52 AM:
Comments on this story are now closed.