MTSU Religious Studies Colloquium to host ‘Mormon Giant’ filmmaker for documentary presentation

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Faith intersects with professional wrestling in a documentary-style setting at the next Middle Tennessee State University Religious Studies Colloquium, set for 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, at the Keathley University Center Theater.

Dr. Mohammad Meerzaei, religious studies — Dr. Mohammad Meerzaei

The free event will feature “The Mormon Giant,” a live documentary presentation by associate professor David Walker, J.F. Rowny Chair in Religion and Society within the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Blending video, narration and live sound, the performance examines how religion and sports intertwine in American life.

“They’ll present portions of the video — including interviews and archival footage — with live narration and music,” said event organizer Mohammad Meerzaei, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.“It should be very interesting and informative, but also fun.”

At the center of the project is Don Leo Jonathan, a towering mid-20th-century wrestler known as “The Mormon Giant.” Walker’s research explores how Jonathan wove his larger-than-life persona in the ring with his religious identity as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or LDS, also known as the Mormon Church.

In this undated photo, audience members watch “The Mormon Giant,” a live documentary performance by David Walker, assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Tim Albro, as they explore 20th-century professional wrestling and its relationship to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A presentation of “The Mormon Giant” will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, in Keathley University Center Theater at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., for the biannual Religious Studies Colloquium. (Submitted)

Focusing on wrestlers with Mormon “gimmicks,” this multimedia presentation aims to show how they presented “heels” as villains or “faces” as heroes, and how such representations proved usable to the LDS church on a large scale, Walker explained on his website, themormongiant.com.

Meerzaei said the subject gets at a key idea in religious studies. Religion isn’t confined to doctrine — it’s lived, shaped and expressed through everyday culture.

“In America, sports are a major part of people’s lives,” Meerzaei said. “You can see how sports continually reshape religion — and how religion, in turn, shapes sports.”

The event’s interdisciplinary appeal could draw interest from fields ranging from anthropology to media arts and journalism, Meerzaei said.

The timing for the colloquium also aligns with a new direction for MTSU’s Religious Studies program. Meerzaei said the department recently added a course on religion and sports, expected to launch in the fall 2026 semester.

Don Leon Jonathan, also known as “The Mormon Giant,” was a mid-20th-century professional wrestler who used religious themes associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a showmanship “gimmick” to evoke audience reactions. He will be the subject of a documentary-style presentation by filmmaker David Walker, assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Tim Albro for the biannual Religious Studies Colloquium held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, in Keathley University Center Theater at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Submitted photo)

“We’re very happy to have this event in the spring,” Meerzaei said. “It’s a great example of how these ideas come to life.”

Admission to the colloquium is free and open to the public. The event will take place in the theater located on the second floor of Keathley University Center, 1424 Military Memorial. After-hours parking is free, and a searchable campus parking map is available at bit.ly/2026parkingmap.

For more details, email Mohammad at mohammad.meerzaei@mtsu.edu.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)