Last night I met a professional wrestling icon. Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart.  “The Anvil” was once world tag-team champion with his brother-in-law Brett “The Hitman” Hart.   So when I recognized him, I was star struck.  My wife even snapped a picture of he and I.  He was a really nice guy, very friendly, even signed an autograph.  We shared a beer, a couple of laughs, and he even wished Sid and I a ‘Happy Anniversary’.

The funny thing about ‘The Anvil’, I hated him growing up…not for real, in a pro-wrestling sense.  Saying I hated Niedhart, is like you saying that you hate Lex Luthor or the Joker.  It’s all make believe.

Anyway, back to the blog post…

I did a little research on Jim Neidhart, he has led a very hard life.  Much like other pro-wrestlers I have known, yes I admit that I knew some of them back in the day, their lifestyle lends itself to that type of behavior.  Just imagine jacked up frat boys with WAY too much time on their hands.

But there is NO question: Jim Neidhart is a legend, and icon of the sport.  It was cool to meet him.  But I’ve met other icons.

I’ve met Erwin McManus, Leonard Sweet, Rod Mortgenstein, Sean Hannity, and Newt Gingrich, just to name a few.  Some have been cooler than others, some have even been nice.  But the one constant is this: they NEVER live up to the hype.  They’re just men.  But we often project greatness on mere men who do not deserve it.

The Bible is pretty clear about making men icons, Romans 2:11 reminds us, “For God does not show favoritism.” That’s not to say that we can’t be fans, but it becomes a sin when we put people up on pedestals…even pastors.

So, it was really awesome meeting a boyhood (and manhood) hero, but it was also a reminder that the only real icon that stands up to God’s scrutiny, is Jesus Christ.  I wonder, is there pro-wrestling in heaven?