Body Slams and Baptisms: This UK Church Mixes Sermons With Wrestling So More People Show Up

A church in England is taking wrestling with their faith very literally.

St. Peter’s Church in Shipley, Bradford, is hosting monthly wrestling matches, turning their sanctuary into a wrestling ring in hopes of reversing the country’s declining church attendance. The events are hosted by Kingdom Wrestling, a totally real Christian pro-wrestling charity that combines WWE-style moves with sermons to “wrestle” with life’s big questions.

Gareth “Angel” Thompson, a 37-year-old wrestler and Kingdom Wrestling staple, sees the sport as a perfect metaphor for faith.

“Any Christian will tell you that when you go through life, you wrestle with stuff, you wrestle with your faith,” he explained. “Wrestling gives us that opportunity to tell those stories.”

And, much like real pro-wrestling matches, the stories told in the ring aren’t exactly subtle. In a recent match, David “Star Killer” Birch unleashed some WWE-style trash talk, shouting to the crowd, “Is this your savior? You have no God. The Star Killer is now your God!”

Rev. Natasha Thomas of St. Peter’s defends the approach, saying, “People may have a certain perception of what church can be, but actually church can be anything about worshipping God. That can be having fun—and wrestling is part of that.”

It’s not just theater and testosterone, though — there’s also testimony. In a recent match, Thompson shared his personal story of overcoming a traumatic childhood, homelessness and abuse, recounting how he found peace and salvation in Jesus.

“As I grew as a Christian and as I grew as a wrestler, I wanted to bring those two things together,” he said.

Since its inception in 2021, Kingdom Wrestling has baptized more than 30 people and started a training school for aspiring wrestlers who want to reconnect with their faith.

So, while the idea of church-sponsored wrestling is undeniably absurd, it’s hard to argue with the results.