At 280 lbs. of sheer evil, Apocalypse outweighs his cherub-faced opponent Angel by a good 85 lbs. But the teen audience in the high school auditorium in May Pearl, Texas, most of them members of the local First Baptist Church, aren't worried about Angel. He does, after all, represent the forces of light, and in the Christian Wrestling Federation, good always lays the smack-down on evil.
The nonprofit CWF, which made its debut May 10 and is booked through the summer to play for church groups throughout Texas, is the muscle-bound brainchild of Rob Vaughn (nom de mat Jesus Freak), 30, a personal trainer and massage therapist who lives in Carrollton, Texas, with his wife, Anissa, a software saleswoman. Unlike the World Wrestling Federation or World Championship Wrestling, the CWF features no pneumatic babes and no profanity.
It's really not about wrestling, anyway. Between matches the announcer talks about faith, and Christian rock blasts in the background. "This is a big outreach ministry for the kids," says Vaughn, a former college football player. "We're going to them in their own environment with what's popular with them."
But while the CWF wrestlers view their bouts as the Lord's work—"God provides different ministries for different people," says Tim Scoggins (a.k.a. Karnage), 36—they also pack a punch. Before being pinned by Angel (real name Jason Allman, 19) to end their bout, Apocalypse (Dennis Dobson, 24) got his nose broken. It isn't easy being evil.
Your Reaction
