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An Anglican church in the town of Shipley in northern England has become famous on the Internet for its outside-the-box yet hugely popular technique of returning believers to the faith, professional wrestling.
Well yes, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, now popularly referred to as “Wrestling Church,” was the vision of 37-year-old Gareth Thompson, a former wrestler who had been saved by Jesus and WWE-style entertainment. He now combines the two in high-voltage Saturday evening extravaganzas that attract audiences of close to 200 individuals under vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows.
“Reduce it to the fundamentals—it’s good vs. evil,” Thompson says, who performs as Gareth Angel. “I began to see David and Goliath, Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob—all through a wrestling prism. And I thought, ‘We could retell these stories.'”
Wearing a T-shirt that says “Pray, eat, wrestle, repeat,” Thompson presides over the congregation with the panache of a preacher and the toughness of a ringmaster. A brief prayer and homily precede each two-hour battle of smackdowns and suplexes, establishing the tone for a night that mixes spiritual contemplation with all-out action.
Faith in the Ring
After watching pro wrestling, Thompson went from being a troubled teen who’d been through abuse and homelessness to using the same activity as a source of inspiration: “I could watch Shawn Michaels, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin and dream of being like them,” he says. “Now, God’s turned that escape into a mission.
The church’s monthly events—complete with foam fingers, body slams, and flying headbutts—aren’t just about entertainment. Over the last year, 30 people have been baptized during or after these events. And while only a few have transitioned to regular Sunday services, the impact is undeniable.
People perceive wrestling and Christianity as both being fake,” Thompson states. “But when you do believe—when you actually believe—you suspend your disbelief. You want to lose yourself in it. You want to hope.”
Supported by Rev. Natasha Thomas, the priest-in-charge at St. Peter’s, the project is one of a series aimed at reversing declining church attendance in the UK. Under the 2021 census, fewer than half of individuals in England and Wales now identify as Christian—a dramatic decline from earlier decades.
“You’ve got to take a few risks,” Rev. Thomas says. “This isn’t church as most people know it. But it’s bringing in a different crowd, a different community—and that matters.”
Beyond the ring, Kingdom Wrestling, Thompson’s faith-driven wrestling charity, hosts training sessions for kids and adults, women’s self-defense classes, a men’s mental health group, and coaching programs for children expelled from school.
Wrestlers such as Stephanie Sid, who goes by Kiara in the ring, describe how the program has helped them renew their faith. “Thanks to Kingdom Wrestling, I now pray before matches,” she says. “Sometimes with my opponent, asking for safety and to entertain everyone here.”Despite the snickers of traditionalists, Thompson has won over some lifelong St. Peter’s members. “You look at these tattooed wrestlers and think, ‘What on Earth?'” said parishioner Chris Moss, a longtime member. “But you sit down and talk with them, and find you just can’t judge a book by its cover.”
In the future, Thompson plans to take Wrestling Church to other UK cities—and possibly even found a church of his own.
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