Q&A with Koloff - #14

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Every gift counts and now every gift is doubled. trainaposter.com It's about to start in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, and please, share it around with all your friends. Thanks for listening, and thanks for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network. Nikita Koloff here. Questions and answers. Q&A with Koloff, the devil's nightmare. Welcome back to another segment of Q&A with Nikita Koloff, the devil's worst nightmare. Hey, today's questions come from a Twitter follower.

If you don't follow me on Twitter, go to Nikita Koloff with the numeral one behind it. Also on Instagram, and if you're looking for me on Facebook, look for the one that has me standing in the river. I'm in the river with the million dollar man, Ted DiBiase, and another wrestling buddy. It's actually the Jordan River in Israel.

We were taking turns baptizing each other in the Jordan River, following the steps of Jesus, who was also baptized in the Jordan River. But Brandon Hunter submits these questions. He was not available for a phone call today because of his job obligations. But he submitted some really, really good questions, and so let's just jump right into this. Brandon says, or asks, he goes, I was wondering, what is your story of finding, finding the Word of God?

He asks. So, interesting question, what's my story on finding the Word of God? And, you know, I would say this, in my search for truth, right, over the years, and I was not always a believer. Many of you know my story, or some of you know my story, that for 34 years I was not a follower of Jesus Christ, I was not a believer. And I was just out there in the world, doing my own thing, living for Nikita, and not living for anyone else. In fact, it was my world, you were just living in it, and if you didn't like it, don't let the door slam you on the rear end on the way out, right?

I mean, that was honestly kind of my attitude. And then I meet, post-wrestling, after walking away from my wrestling career in November of 1992, in other business ventures, I meet this Christian couple, Dick and Elston, Dick and Charlotte Elston, I meet this Christian couple in business, and they invite me to their church in October of 1993, 17th of October, 1993, I find myself at an altar, surrendering my life to Jesus. Now, had I read the Word of God prior to that?

Actually, I had. Believe it or not, a little quick back story, I actually attended a Bible college back in the day. Now, just for the record, I didn't go there to learn about Jesus. I went there because I knew several of the coaching staff, it was right out of high school, it was a junior college. It was right out of high school, and I knew four out of the five coaches. In fact, one was my very first male mentor in my life. If you've heard the podcast, me talking about my dad, sharing my dad's story, if you hadn't heard that, go back and listen to that podcast, me sharing how God reconciled the relationship with my dad after about 45 years.

And you may even, if you hang tight with the podcast, you may even hear my dad in his own voice, I'm just saying. And so anyway, he left at a very young age, Bill Burke came into my life in seventh grade, he was my football coach, my very first football coach, became like a male mentor to me. Fast forward, he's the defensive coordinator at the junior college, and so it's instrumental in me coming over to that college, Golden Valley Lutheran College. But you were required to take a Bible class, and I'm like, man, like for real, like we have to do that? Like, you know, every quarter semester, whatever it was. And I honestly, like this true story, would wear my ball cap in there and tried my best to sleep through every one of those classes.

And I don't know how the teacher, how the professor didn't come down on me, but they didn't. Anyway, so I was exposed to the Word of God back in my college days, but once I gave my life to Jesus, man, so part of my story or part of my journey to, Brandon asked the question, finding the Word of God, man, when my eyes were opened after my salvation, I was hungry to then learn more. In fact, I have a Bible sitting right here in front of me, and I was hungry to open the Word of God and find out what it was God wanted to say to me, what he wanted to reveal to me, what he wanted to show me through his Word. And his Word is, it's called the good news, it's called the living Word, because it is alive and well. God's Word is alive and living. And so if you're out there and you're not reading the Word of God, can I just challenge you and encourage you to consider that, pick up the Bible? In fact, my oldest granddaughter, I was just over in Nashville, Tennessee, visiting my grandchildren, just had grandchild number nine.

Whoa, yep, number nine. But my oldest grandchild, we were talking one day, she goes to a Christian school and she was asking me, Grandpa, have you ever read the whole Bible? I go, I have, honey.

In fact, I've read it, I think four times through, and her eyes got big as saucers. She's like, whoa, and I go, and I'm reading it for the fifth time right now, and I'm just, because why? Because I'm just hungry for the Word of God, and I hope that you are, or if you're not, I hope God lights a fire in you and you'll get hungry for the Word of God. And so that's part of my story in Brandon's question, finding the Word of God. He asked another question that says, what was your catalyst to begin the process of turning towards Christ?

Another great question, in fact, I've already kind of alluded to it, I've shared a little bit of my journey in junior college. Let me back up, give you just a little bit more back story, because this just kind of comes to mind. In high school, in high school I used to attend, Greg Sutton was the football captain my sophomore year in high school. And he was also, though, the head of FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes. And so I would attend his FCA meetings, but once again, not for the right motives. Like, you know, I just told you the story about going to junior college, I went because they're the number one football team in the country, and I knew some of the, for junior college at the time, and I knew some of the staff. Well, I went to FCA meetings in high school because Greg Sutton was the football captain.

I thought I'd build brownie points with the football captain, that would look real good with him, and maybe I'd have a better high school football career, right? But again, the wrong motives. So here I'm at FCA and I'm hearing about God, even though I'm not necessarily pursuing God. I go to the junior college and I'm hearing about God, even though I'm not really pursuing God. I remember dating a girl and occasionally went to church with her. Once again, not for the right motives.

I thought it would impress the parents, and so completely wrong motives on why I darkened the door of a church. And so there's definitely a path, or you might say Brandon asked a catalyst to be, you know, the process of turning towards God. And you might ask the proverbial question, you know, what about your wrestling days? Well, George South, congratulations. George South, credit to, kudos to you for laying all those tracks in the dressing rooms and bathrooms and locker rooms. A track being the salvation plan, you know, to the foot of the cross and surrendering your life to Jesus. So clearly I can look back, Brandon, and see where there was a process or a path leading up to Dick and Charlotte Elston inviting me to their church that led me to the foot of the cross, 17 October 1993. That was part of the process of turning to Jesus.

And the second part of the question was what was the process like? So I think I really, really already kind of answered and addressed that. And so, Brandon, I thank you.

You know, you said you love to hear people's stories of redemption, and so that's part of my story of redemption. And so I thank you, Brandon, and I thank you for being a wrestling fan. You said you didn't want to ask any wrestling related questions today, and I totally respect that. But you did mention how you loved the matches with the Road Warriors.

Man, you want to talk about, like for real, some brutal matches? You know, I know people have their inclination of their view and perspective on professional wrestling, but I just want to state for the record, all these years later, my body feels the effects of the professional wrestling ring. I mean, you can't be a human crash dummy like we were and your body not feel the effects of that. From a sciatic nerve that right now has been giving me fits for the last six months to a neck that sometimes aggravates me from neck injuries and other related injuries in wrestling. So even though, you know, you may view it as entertainment, which it is, professional wrestling is entertainment, I want to tell you there's a real side to that as well.

Our bodies feel the effects and the tolls. And when it comes to the Road Warriors, listen, those guys, I mean, Road Warrior Animal was a legit about 300 pounds, Hawk was about 260 or so pounds. I used to work out with those guys in the gym and they could throw around thousands of pounds in the ring, let alone what they—excuse me, in the gym, let alone what they did in the ring. In fact, they were infamous for press slamming guys.

And I don't care if you were 200 pounds, 300 pounds, 400 pounds. I saw them press slam 400-pound guys. And so you want to talk about raw strength, the Legion of Doom Road Warriors as Hawk was like, oh, what a rush.

That wasn't a very good imitation. But those of you who are Road Warrior fans like Brandon, you remember Hawk's infamous, oh, what a rush. And, of course, the painted faces, the Mohawks, the spiked shoulder pads.

In fact, I'll go on record to say, as far as I'm concerned, a lot of great tag teams in professional wrestling, but the Road Warriors, Legion of Doom, were one of the—if not the greatest, certainly one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling. Hunter, Brandon Hunter, thank you for following me on Twitter. And for all of you out there, continue to submit those questions. Koloff.net. Submit those questions to me. And, hey, if you're available, I'll give you a personal phone call and we'll discuss these questions one-on-one. Tune in next time. Q&A with Koloff. This is the Truth Network.