The year before, he was in a hotel room and had a drug overdose. A year later, Luger found himself in the same hotel room, in fact, and was on the same couch that he was on when he overdosed. But the difference on April 23, 2006, was that instead of reaching out to drugs, he gave his life to Jesus Christ.
The former professional wrestler shared that testimony Sunday evening at New Beginnings Christian Church in Griffin.
“My life has never been the same,” Luger said of the day he decided to turn his life around.
Luger recounted his life before becoming a Christian.
Luger didn’t grow up in a Christian home and never gave any thought to being a Christian. His life was more about pursuing material wealth and living the “Hollywood” lifestyle — a path that ultimately led to using drugs and being in jail.
“I was chasing fame, fortune and glamour,” Luger said.
Five years ago, he was sitting in the Cobb County Jail and it was during that low point of his life he knew he had to change. He became friends with a chaplain and it was the beginning of his transformation.
“I felt like the chiefest of sinners at that point,” he said.
He was invited to attend church services but was reluctant to go. He had never even heard a sermon before but on April 16, 2006, he decided to go, even though he still felt some uneasiness and reluctance.
When he built up the courage to enter the building, the preacher’s message was about the wise man who built his house on the rock and was protected from the floods. The minister’s words pierced Luger’s conscience.
“I was in some serious floods then,” Luger said. “I could have been dead a couple of times from a drug overdose. My life was a total wreck with me managing it. All those years, I didn’t get it. We’re born to be stubborn, prideful and self-willed.”
Becoming a Christian did not keep problems out of his life as the 15 years of wrestling (about 4,000 matches), 15 years of football and years of drug use took a toll.
Three-and-a-half years ago, Luger became paralyzed from the neck down and was given a 0 to 5 percent chance of regaining any movement from the neck down.
He lost some 80 pounds, losing muscle and strength, but he survived — not only gaining movement but being able to walk again.
“God is building me up from the inside out, that big muscle guy kept getting in the way,” he said. “I’m a walking, standing, breathing miracle of God.”
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