In July 2024, Marty W. Miller self-published Wrestling With Faith: A 21-day Journey of Faith Through Some of the Biggest Events in the History of Pro Wrestling.
Miller is a husband and father, a minister, and a wrestling promoter under the HOPE Wrestling Ministries banner.
The 144-page book contains lessons where Miller talks about wrestlers or situations and how they might apply to faith. Towards the end of the book, a number of wrestlers and personalities share their own personal stories.
In an excerpt here at SlamWrestling.net, Miller addresses an infamous “match” where Mr. McMahon booked himself a match against God.
Day 17
Wrestling God Himself?
I have been a fan of professional wrestling for my whole life, and I have undoubtably seen some crazy events over the years. None may be crazier than what took place in 2006 at the WWE’s “Backlash” Pay Per View event. The owner of the WWE at the time was Vince McMahon. Vince had worked himself into the TV show as one of the biggest bad guy characters in the promotion at the time. In 2006, Vince and his son Shane were in a feud with Shawn Michaels who had just returned to the company after taking some time off. While Shawn was off WWE TV, Shawn began a real relationship with Jesus and became a Christian. When he returned to television, they did not shy away from this news which was a delight to my eyes. That was until Vince and Shane McMahon challenged Shawn Michaels to a match at the Backlash Pay Per View and Shawn’s Partner would be God himself!
The DVD cover from WWE Backlash 2006.
Now, if your new to Wrestling or maybe missed this event, let first say that I agree with you that this is the most absurd thing I had ever heard, as well. So absurd, that I refused to even watch the event. I mean how dare Vince challenge God. I grew up in a church where it was taught that we should not question God and therefore this was blasphemy to the highest degree. But, as I was thinking about this event recently, I was led to a scripture where King David issued a challenge of sorts to God. In the book of Psalm, chapter 22, verse 1 and 2, David says “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest.” Maybe I am misreading that verse, but doesn’t it sound like David, a man after God’s own heart, was questioning or even challenging God? Now I know he is not challenging God to a fight, but you get the point.
So, as I was reading this verse, I had this thought, “Why do we think God will get mad at us if we question him?”
I think we look at God as this disciplinarian sitting in the sky with his rule book in hand, waiting on us to mess up so he can strike us down. But that is not the God that I read about in Scripture. The God I read about is loving and kind. The God I read about wants us to know his plan for our lives. The God I read about wants us to be as bold as David and bring our questions to him. If God can create the world with his mouth, why would he feel threatened by our questions? The answer is he would not. David was willing to question God because he understood God enough to know that God loved him despite his questions.
If you read a little further in Psalms 22, verse 3-5, we see that even though David was brave enough to challenge God, he already knew the answer. David says in verse 3-5 “But you are Holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in you; they trusted, and you rescued them. They cried to you and were set free; they trusted in you and were not disgraced.” David knew the answer before he asked, but he still expressed his frustration to God, and guess what, God was OK with that. He is not threatened by your questions or your fears and worries. He knew you had them before you did. He wants us to be honest with Him, but He also wants us to trust his answer, no matter what, like David did.
RELATED LINKS
- Buy Wrestling With Faith at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca
- SlamWrestling Master Book List