Q&A with Koloff - #41

This is Sam from the mass concerning podcasting or go with the podcast is help you to try to find your way in this difficult world. Your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network call for questions and answers they would fall off the welcome back to Q&A would call off that's right questions and answers. It's not me asking the questions, it's you asking the questions and if you'd like to submit some questions go to co-op.net email me and let me know. Hey, I'd love to be on your Q&A show and out with me today in the studio. Amanda really needs no introduction but I am getting introduce them anyway. Stu Epperson, Junior he is when you talk about truth radio network. He is the poster child for truth radio network having he made this all possible lead. It's too great great happy with me on Q&A was good to be here when I'm in this close proximity to Nikita call off the Russian nightmare. I'm just look around making sure that they're not planning on tearing me out on a stretcher. If I can walk out of my own accord and unscathed on un-bruised and uncut appraisal course with his younger brother.

I will bring my resting chain.

Today I donated you got changed got your living walking Jay look at those pythons may look at look at the nightmare that Molly Lamont still the gym after all the is always a safe place. We are having lunch with Nikita or in the studio with him because it no one messes with Russian nightmare. They know better the devil he knows you try to give him notice. I think my wanted poster with my my picture on it is in hell, by the way well is your is and I'm okay with that so do my best to damage his kingdom and build God's came in so well for those who don't know, I mean Stu you made. You, me, the whole man up show and in the Q&A and all that were doing possible and as the man who who had the vision originally for truth radio network and when you reached out to me spring of 2020, and an investment made all this happening for those who don't know give give the listeners to those who may not know Stu Epperson Junior is given a quick insight quick snapshot of husband of Julie father to hope, grace, joy, and faith father-in-law to Harrison and grandfather Walker yeah and I grow grub and radio family didn't want do anything like that had a hold of the career track. Actually, you know, in one point time I want to be progress okay. I'm confessing that publicly a national radio show. I actually just dreamed about being a pro wrestler and a little thing called basketball got away and then a big person named Jesus got away and changed all of that and then come out of college following Jesus. I want to go to law school or grad school or seminary or a play bachelor C-section a contract from Germany to play back overseas and got out of the plans.

I didn't want to go to Ray to visit my family always done right and but God had other plans in the middle of my senior year in college I got, rope tended into taking a class on broadcasting it was with the easy professor. It was we were just cruising. It was like. Working to get easy a yeah you know you can tap out graduate and go on the next right and when the professor said well for our class project class were to start an on campus radio station.

That's how we talk to Dr. Hunter's and I thought what I will be interesting in many said leadership starts the top to be our major and I started duck underneath my wraparound desk.

You lie down and yelled at me and I just slumped under there and everyone looked at me he knew I had a radio background that I am working radiography little radio Brad only stations in my sugar cubes is a red food. Yeah so frustrated by that and so and so they all look to be some became the manager and I loved. I love the power my country right now you are tired. When he's in these microphone 9000 you can hear this. Yeah right William the phone and making a million phone calls that were never Latin energy and so so on the economic campus.

I had a pretty little team of people doing the production and engineering had a guy named Bill to fix anyone's truck on campus and he was in the classes. Enable your engineers, so he grabbed his toolbox and we go to harvest all radio sites and my dad's comprehensible radios due to tower site equipment in the soundboard and we in the main dorm.

There's a little tiny janitors closet and we say, can we use this for our station to put all in there with someone had a six CD player in it which was rare back then right to play six CDs and rotate them right. Yes, that we had a way to semi automated just run reels of all the songs were back then. It is so and then I had a sales guy who could sell anything this guy could sell licensed Eskimos is that good and Robbie know… You got with Robbie, but this guy's name was Lauren Jones and we would we would walk out a chapel in the rain.

We could look out a war, we stand a lobby with an umbrella hat okay and he had a bag of it. We like all those so he would sell out of the note and make a ghetto few hundred bucks I said Lori was in the class a Lauren your sales manager and he would go get local people to advertise, but was Christian radio was really just a tremendous blessing like man I want to do this. Rest my life so I sworn every three things. Number one I swore I'd never get in radio because my dad never did write not at all. Then I like a different track. Don't be no right right never to assist. I'm never going to go to Bob Jones University today because it was a super strict place was like really confined rentals and all that and a great Christian school.

I did like all the other stuff in case another very that they've dropped a lot of stuff but liberal who will many colleges yeah but but not little bad when they really picked up the faith with it neatly lightens up some of those categories right.

But here's the thing. The only place in America that had a graduate program. A combined broadcasting and management okay was Bob Jones University. So here I am on my way back with my new bride from Southern California to Bob Jones University literally in the buckle about renal software.

The third thing is why never got North Carolina different specialties. Write some in Greenville and I working and going to grad school. Loving it and working in sector radio and get a great job with some great stations here to stations in Winston-Salem and I end up going back to work on. So those are three things I told so you know you want tell got your plans and you and your guy. He laughs, telling your plant. I just would have it, so then if you literally maybe five years later three years later for five years later someone their God will grab for morning and I just burn the word truth on me. I am driving around listen to great Christian music that I can find a station that had programs like man up programs like Christian cargo that great teaching programs 24 seven committed to it with a great signal and so at that point, the Lord just broke my heart to start truth the Truth Network so literally a year or two later I left a great pan, wonderful job sector radio making a ton of money to start a 24 seven. Christian teaching and talk format in North Carolina and now we got close to 31 signals nationwide and we got over 400 affiliates carries some or all of her programming across the country reaching people all over the world and your program now 55 countries people can hear what man up with you: it's a movie that's moving along it's moving along so little background on on stupid Q&A questions and answers do sell your opportunity to on-air asked me a couple questions that are burning what what we want.

Okay so the opponent you least you look lease for the wrestling wall man. Well, you know that I tried to get along really honestly with every guy is not that people think all your all buddies are all friends but it's like any job or anything your personality clashes you have, so there were certain guys that you know if you say didn't get along with. I liked what one guys is the name we reachable Manny Fernandez for whatever reason, we just didn't click it, you know, we had matches we breath.

In fact, Ivan and I defeated Dusty Rhodes and Manny Fernandez for the world tagteam champion of NWA taking championships and I had other matches with them and nothing was a bad guy.

Then he says, but just we just didn't click.

And so I I did not look forward especially if I had a single match is really look forward to the step of the ring with him but still try to go in and have a have a good match couple guys were quick to Jake the snake, Roberts.

You know I tried I was cautionary if that's if that's a word. Use caution with him and in another guy, big Ben Bader who actually right here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was my very last match ever against the exam, Bader got it to injuries at night. He was there for 5500 pounds over that range and he had a history of being reckless and he injured me that night and then himself. And he would understand the sport renal pro wrestling lately.

If anyone calls for little happy with the bottle my eyes when you're in your that kind of size yeah and you're not. There's like there's lot on the line very athletic and if someone goes rogue or gets mad on the and they go off script helping others. There's like yeah you know there's there's things called vertebrae and assist all ligaments and tendons right and something hit rip and tear pretty bones and yeah you look at the rushing nightmare. They think that this guy but but that was it was your profession. What motivated you to pump the iron to me. I know you're in the gym all the time just diligent what what was it that kept you going to weight room was adjusted as part of the sauna that I don't well and in a little bit of back story, you know, was age 12 to pick up a magazine called Iron Man magazine was a bodybuilding and I was enamored by the guys in the magazine and and I remember making a statement to myself and a few others that the statement one day, look like one of those guys age 12 one bought 110 pound plastics that awaits that Phil was sander concrete from from summer might be old enough to remember Sears and Roebuck robot I know and I just began lifting stew and and and thought one day. Fast forward 12 years later I walk into Charlotte North Carolina town.

I've never been after a five-minute literally just just a five-minute phone call with guy named Jim Crockett, Junior Stu Epperson, Junior, Jim Crockett, Junior introduce myself from that five and a phone call he put me right of the TV set member I said I want to look like one of those guys. Fast forward 12 years later I went for about 100 pounds dripping wet with rocks in my pocket to 285 8% body fat with a 34 inch waist so that's how I broken wrestling and and and and all these years later 50 years later and I'm still the gym working out and exercising and taking care of this body, but the motivations of change now from from the early days yours try to impress anybody anymore. Now just trying to take care of this time of the dog and the spot motivation but you still are on mission to reach folks in stay healthy. Now when asked on your most hated foreign object mime now the chairs yeah you had bats wet wet and it enables it. We had a cow with the cowbell probably that the overall back to the cowbell guide in the middle okay is that thing got swing at Stan Hansen stand Larry Hansen used to carry the thing swing that thing around and he was blind as a bat like the real key to. If you take his glasses often see his hand out of his face, and in fact one of my buddies was working though the bell at ringside. One time in Charleston, South Carolina. Stan was swing that thing around you were just a blur and I jumped out of the ring and he swung it over the rope and hit my body.

My body got mad and sue that guy go rich, you can't do that. You're part of the show, you know job cowbell job.

It was your most hated it like that, what was the bloodiest match. You had you are you are just got blood he met maggot the maggot DH a toy. Was it a root was a real blood or was a contrived, oh no, it's self-inflicted wounds and so there's there's no chicken capsules like public, like where do I like materials in my tights and I see what I carry those you know, so we call himself in inflicted wounds, but magma I II it was too high up on on the had a hit a vein and I was as they would say Crimson red as they were, so that boy that really made for some good posters and some good shots and the scenes in it.

It did may be made for some good magazine covers and and/or or shots that are still alive talk about that while I am to up.

I won't get one more question want to cut you short but got several more questions and the most sure okay were the where are they now question okay is of all the wrestlers you've ever face you ever known about today modern-day time this century. This this year this day.

Who is it that you're most astounded by their condition and I can be good, bad or ugly or that your most shock. I like you say I would never in a million years. It was, it is not your that whenever that is going to be an evangelist for Christ who is it out there and restaurant. You're the most just just in all of how they are today. Well really pretty quick answer that this thing your icon staying means with AEW wrestling recently even had a tag match and him and I are 11 days apart in age is so getting yeah. Hats off to him: still going and mostly outside the ring, you know, mentoring younger guys and and and up but can still get in there and do it and add more than anything more than his wrestling with what is accomplish the will russet which is been a lot.

I mean, he does qualify as an icon in wrestling is the fact that in 1998. He surrendered his life to Jesus affect his whole story is on the man up, show, go back to archive the podcasts show great episode and and how he gave his life that in I had that the privilege of mentoring him over the years in his walk with Christ. And so he is salt and light in in a wrestling world that predominantly is is pretty dark, but he was back in there and and true to his faith. He is salt and light in the wrestling team. He's held in there with multiple organizations, multiple MOC's real evidence of how many times how many trenchcoat County changes how many good guy versus bad guys and hoagies there against him is there with you is against Julie's okay I mean wow.

I know I can imagine how me times he has painted his faith. I may have to ask him one day but anyway so but raising more than the testimony. What a beautiful testimony have not got the two of you together into a deeper camaraderie and of course your passion is it is it anyone you've ever wrestled with her known in that profession would come to know Christ and you want you and Sting want to spend eternity with those guys. We are in in so many how it is. I love how your show highlights the testimonies of these wrestlers who are now no in the ring for Jesus and and I've had the privet outcome will Come in on this note because of the privet Lex Luger nine who camp together cofacilitator can become Lotta ministry had the option to mentor him. Invite uncle uncle live on off to revival 1995.

Surrenders like to Jesus set free of drug addiction, alcohol addiction, tobacco addiction, many other things, Magnum TA, who's been on the show of a believer and road were hawk prior to his passing. We witnessed him, given his life to Jesus and then bringing him on the road with me for the year and 1/2 prior to his passing mentoring, discipling him and so I've been fortunate to be able to have an impact not only inside the square circle, but outside as well. But Sue, thanks for me I killed I would call online on what is the highlight of my very brief 92nd wrestling career. Well here with you the man of the hour.

That's our power to heal about another episode.

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