Too often, autobiographies are self-serving, revisionist histories where the author expects the reader’s sympathy or wants to put themselves over for all of the good they have done in their lives. There is rarely every that delicate, human balance. As for professional wrestlers, these people have been told for most of their careers by writers what to do and say, and have been taught how to make themselves look good so the fans like them, so an autobiography by one of them always needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt. Thankfully that’s not the case with Lex Luger (real name Larry Pfohl) and his new book Wrestling With The Devil (co-written by John D. Hollis).

You don’t have to be a wrestling fan to care about Lex’s story. He doesn’t talk over the readers’ head with wrestling jargon or overload the book with “road stories” featuring people a non-wrestling fan wouldn’t know. It’s an open and honest journey where he doesn’t hold back about the mistakes he’s made throughout his life. But for the wrestling fan, Lex gives insight on becoming the man he was in the business, his time with the nWo and The Four Horsemen, and about life on the road. As a key player in WCW and WWF throughout the 1990s, Lex had an incredible run and made a great living for himself and his family doing it. But choices in his personal life took their toll, and demons like drugs and alcohol became part of his daily routine. So much so that he’s been on the news and in tabloids…but not for winning world titles. Despite all of that, Lex keeps it personal and positive throughout.

At 223 pages, Wrestling With the Devil isn’t a long read, but it’s enough for the reader to learn about this man’s rise to the top of his profession, his terrible downfall, and his redemption in finding Christ and making his life mean something. The book’s forward is written by Sting, another respected man in the wrestling industry (and born again Christian) who tells us that Lex has really turned his life around and how proud he is of him for it. Thanks to Wrestling With The Devil, Lex Luger is the first professional wrestler I have actually looked at as a human being and not a character.

Den of Geek: While trying to become a professional football player you played for about half a dozen teams. Did you ever get discouraged in your journey and start to think you should just give up the dream?