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Religion and sports have been a huge topic of discussion since forever. While it is common to see several athletes thank the supreme power above for their achievements, some others refuse to believe in God. Similar is the case with WWE Superstars as well, who range from being highly religious to complete atheists.
It is every individual's personal choice and right to have belief in whomever they want, and honestly, there's no right or wrong in it. If that faith in God helps them to overcome the difficulties in their lives with a positive attitude, they have every reason to do that. At the same time, atheists also have their reasons as to why they don't believe in God.
But rather than engaging in that debate, we are here to take a look at what category our favorite WWE Superstars fall into. So, let's take a look at 3 WWE Superstars who are atheists and 3 others who are highly religious.
#3 Atheist - Seth Rollins
Starting with a huge surprise, the man who portrays himself as an incarnation of Jesus on WWE RAW and calls himself the Monday Night Messiah, Seth Rollins, is an atheist in real-life. He himself revealed that he's "100% atheist" and a "disbeliever all the way" while replying to a fan on Twitter, as you can see in the tweet below.
This fact in itself makes Seth Rollins' Monday Night Messiah gimmick even more interesting. Recently, he has been in a gruesome feud with Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik, while having Murphy as his disciple.
After a successful career in the independent circuit and ROH, Seth Rollins signed with WWE in 2010 and went on to become the inaugural NXT Champion of WWE's Black and Gold brand. He later made his main roster debut at Survivor Series 2012 as part of The Shield, one of the greatest factions in WWE history.
Ever since, Seth Rollins has been one of the biggest players for WWE, main-eventing several PPVs, and shows. He made history at WrestleMania 31 when he cashed in his Money in the Bank PPV during the main event, walking out with his first world title victory. He has won the WWE Champion twice and is also a two-time Universal Champion.
Seth Rollins is engaged to fellow WWE Superstar Becky Lynch, and the couple is expecting their first child together soon.
#3 Believe in God - Rey Mysterio
While his WWE rival Seth Rollins is an atheist, Rey Mysterio, on the other hand, is a big believer in God. He is a Roman Catholic, and one look at him and you would notice several tattoos on his body - a cross on his chest, and many others referencing God.
Rey Mysterio can also be seen crossing himself before his matches, and in fact, the Master of the 619 revealed during an interview with WWE that he prays to God every time before stepping into the ring.
“I’m very spiritual. I’m a big believer in God. I believe that all of my success, everything that I’ve accomplished, I couldn’t have done without God. So I thank him every night and every day before I step into the ring, and after the match, for all of my accomplishments, and for always being there with me. That’s my ritual. My spirituality is extremely important when it comes down to me going to the ring, because I have to ask God to forgive me for my sins and guide me through my match and make sure that neither my opponent, nor myself, nor anybody on the card, gets hurt that night, so we can go out there and entertain our fans and give them the best of the best.”
Rey Mysterio has had a highly successful career in WWE, being considered one of the greatest high-flyers in the company's history. A three-time World Champion in WWE, Rey Mysterio recently lost an eye (in Kayfabe) at "The Horror Show at Extreme Rules", courtesy Seth Rollins.
All signs point towards his son Dominik making his in-ring debut with WWE soon and his fans are surely excited to see the next generation of Mysterio in the ring!
#2 Atheist - CM Punk
CM Punk is considered to be one of the most controversial, yet successful WWE Superstars in history. The reason for that is his outspoken nature, as he's someone who does not hesitate to speak out his opinion in public, even if it ends up offending someone.
CM Punk's "Straight Edge Society" persona was an extension to how he is in real life, as he does not smoke, drink, or do drugs. But no, that's not because of his religious beliefs as CM Punk has revealed that he is an atheist. Check out this tweet below where he calls the idea of "believing in a man in the sky" illogical.
CM Punk made his WWE debut in 2005, and while his career had some massive moments, none probably matches to his popularity during the summer of 2011 when CM Punk was arguably the biggest star in WWE. His infamous "pipe bomb" during his rivalry with John Cena is considered one of the greatest WWE moments of all time.
After leaving WWE in 2014, the six-time World Champion made his return in late 2019 as he joined WWE Backstage as an analyst. It is to be seen whether we'll ever see him back in a WWE ring!
#2 Believe in God - AJ Styles
Considered by many to be one of the best wrestlers in the world, WWE Superstar AJ Styles is a devout Christian. He has even stated that his mantra in life is "It's God first and family second." During an interview with Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, AJ revealed the following -
“I went to church when I was younger, but it was never something pushed down my throat or anything, which is a good thing. I found out for myself where I belonged.”
AJ Styles mentioned how it changed his life. He then revealed how people and fans react to him being religious, which is mostly positive, but he is fine with someone not agreeing to his thoughts and beliefs.
“People respect that, and if they don’t, that’s okay. And if they try to get a rise out of me, I’m just like, ‘Look man I’m not gonna push this on you. It’s cool if you don’t believe, it is what it is. I’m just telling you what makes me, me.”
After a highly successful career, AJ Styles made his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble. During his four years with the company so far, he has been the WWE Champion twice and has main-evented several WWE shows and PPVs, including Night 1 of WrestleMania 36 with The Undertaker. Currently, he is the Intercontinental Champion on WWE SmackDown.
#1 Atheist - MVP
WWE Superstar and backstage producer MVP (Real Name: Hassan Hamin Assad) has openly declared himself as an atheist. Despite earlier converting to Islam, MVP now describes himself as an atheist and infidel. He has been very vocal about this fact, as witnessed in several of his tweets throughout the years.
MVP started his WWE career in 2005 and became the WWE United States Champion and Tag Team Champion before being released in 2010. After spending time in several other promotions like NJPW, TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, and others, MVP returned to WWE earlier this year at the 2020 Royal Rumble.
While he transitioned into the role of a backstage producer in February 2020 and teased his in-ring retirement, he continued to work as an on-screen character and turned heel during an episode of RAW earlier this year. Currently, one of the oldest performers on the WWE roster, MVP has recently formed an alliance with Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin, calling themselves The Hurt Business. He is in a feud with the WWE United States Champion, Apollo Crews and has debuted a new US title, claiming himself to be the "real" United States Champion.
#1 Believe in God - Shawn Michaels
One of the greatest WWE Superstars of all-time, Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels was one of those who suffered from several issues in his life, from substance abuse, to even contemplating suicide. After his earlier retirement in 1998, the Heart Break Kid married Rebecca, who had a strong Christian fate.
It was after that when he turned himself to God and found the true meaning of life. In an interview with Pat Robertson, Shawn Michaels revealed -
“I look at it [drugs] idle hands, and an idle hand is the devil’s work, I just didn’t know what to do with myself. I wasn’t comfortable with myself. And so much of it was me finding me and that didn’t happen until I came to the Lord”
After marrying Rebecca, Michaels started attending church and Bible study with her, and later got baptized and became a born-again Christian in 2002. He was able to make his return to WWE and further solidify his status and legacy.
“All I wanted was for God to help me be a good witness on the platform He had brought me back to”
Shawn Michaels can be seen making a praying gesture on his knees during his WWE entrance. His infamous rivalry with The Undertaker saw WWE incorporate the "dark vs light" theme, with Michaels making his WrestleMania entrance, signifying him descending from the heaven.
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