Tully Blanchard was born into a professional wrestling family. The son of wrestling promoter and star Joe Blanchard, Tully got involved in the family business early. He began by selling programs and refreshments. Later, he did some refereeing. The business led him to fame, fortune and the rock bottoms of excessive living before finding Christ and leaving his former life behind to minister to the incarcerated throughout worldwide.
In college, Tully was a star football player at West Texas State University, where he was the teammate of two other future professional wrestlers, Tito Santana and Ted DiBaise. After graduating, when his dreams of professional football didn’t pan out, he trained as and entered into a career as a professional wrestler.
A couple of years into his career, Blanchard’s 16-year-old brother died on the way to baseball practice as the result of an auto accident. Both of his parents found Christ as a result of the event.
“After the rolling around and the pity and the sorrow and the grief and blaming themselves for letting him drive to baseball practice,” Blanchard said.
Jesus came into their lives and gave them peace and saved them.
Missing the Wake-up Call
Though he’d been successful in his career, Blanchard didn’t get the same wake-up call. He was multiple payments behind on his mortgage, strung out on drugs and alcohol, and considering suicide. He didn’t turn to God. Instead, he turned to himself. He quit wrestling, gave up his vices and got himself into shape.
Still troubled with debt, Blanchard returned to professional wrestling, joining the National Wrestling Alliance and earning success by winning championships and feuding with the likes of Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A. In early 1986, he joined with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson to form one of the most well-known stables in professional wrestling history, the Four Horsemen.
Tully Blanchard gave up Wrestling for Greater Desires in serving prison ministries. Photo credit: Mike Kalasnik Creative Commons
The Four Horsemen
The four members of the stable carried a persona of excessive drinking and embellished a partying lifestyle they referred to as “styling and profiling.” For Blanchard, it was less an act and more of an extension of his personal life.
“It was exactly like what we talked about during the television interviews,” Blanchard said. “I got drunk a lot, I got high a lot, and I had lots of women.”
Blanchard and Anderson left the NWA in 1998 for the World Wrestling Federation and found success. When the NWA was bought by Ted Turner and re-christened as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Blanchard’s old fried, Flair wanted Blanchard and Anderson to return so they could re-form the Four Horsemen. Blanchard signed a $250,000 annual contract and the stage was set for their return. Before it could happen, Blanchard tested positive for cocaine in the WWF and the WCW contract was voided.
Tully Blanchard Gets the Wake-Up Call
The WCW wasn’t going to hire Blanchard and the WWF had suspended him. Blanchard was joblessness and facing the prospects of hitting rock bottom again. Unable to sleep, Blanchard was desperate. “The words `Jesus Christ take over my life’ came out. You might think that was understandable and great. But this was a man who hadn’t been to church since he was 5 years old. He didn’t have the knowledge to ask Jesus Christ to take over his life. God, and the power of the Holy Spirit, came down and put the words in my mouth and in my brain, and put me to sleep right after I said that.”
Though he has wrestled off and on since then, Blanchard left wrestling, dedicating the bulk his time and efforts toward prison ministry, where he has helped countless others turn their lives around. He is the founder of Tully Blanchard Ministries, a Christian ministry for inmates and has served on the board of advisers for the International Network of Prison Ministries. He also serves on the staff and as a platform speaker at Behind the Walls a prison ministry of Bill Glass dedicated to sharing Christ in towns, cities, churches, prisons, jails and youth facilities across the United States and foreign countries.
As Blanchard says, “[w]e don’t get to choose our place of service. It’s not glamorous and it’s not fun but Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel.”
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Mr. Blanchard,
I am a fan of wrestling but in complete honesty I only knew “of” you because the obvious.. “4.” While I have obvious interest in wrestling & ur part, I cannot deny that Christ, I feel, led me here. Upon research of what I thought was looking desperately for something to watch, while at a very low point, like so many, I’m not special, I prayed after many days of what I know in my heart are signs but I fear acting on or speaking on due to my believes in Jesus. I saw “The Table of 3” u did for WWE. The talking after the first 8-10min quickly lost me straight after learning of ur current profession & the picture shared. That picture of the “four” as described, was as-if The Lord was saying yet again, he is like you…this time, he resembles you because of my prayers asking for confirmation. I’ve been called numerous times to do what u do or a close version of it. Sadly I really do STILL Feel Lost for Multiple Reasons but honestly & deeply, the light I saw in u through that WWE Interview led me here. I don’t know what or why but thats the very best I can fathom. Any Constructive Prayers would be Welcome. I hesitate to say but trust in my Lord to say I’m Not, Successful, I’m Lost Personally & I have nothing as a Career. I’m a Multiple Failure as a Recovering Addict & Alcoholic. For some reason I felt I needed to say that. Don’t know why. Thank you or Anyone for their thoughts, prayers & criticism.
-Christopher
Dear Mr Blanchard,
I watched you for many years. Lately, I have been involved in trying to help friends that have carried burdens for years, and never having been told that they don’t have to walk and suffer alone. It takes huge amount of courage to swallow your pride, and ask the Son of God to help you fight the 2nd most powerful being in the Universe (Satan). Too many people die young, from illnesses that can be attributed to the stress of guilt, shame, and heartache. Because you have had the courage to admit that you could not fight the onslaught of Satan alone, you are one of my heroes. God Bless, and fight on, in his name.
Chris,
One thing that I would ask any long term addict is: Have you surrendered to God? I have seen a lot of narcissism in ‘recovering’ addicts. I know people that want everyone to celebrate 3 years of being sober. Really? What about those of us that never took our hands off of the wheel? You see, i believe that addiction has a lot to do with being extremely selfish. Not saying, one way or another, but it is an issue that I keep seeing. Your move.