The Difference Between Ultimate And Ordinary

April 4, 2014April 14, 2014 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

The Ultimate Warrior is finally going into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year.

The Warrior is a bit of a controversial candidate for induction. He certainly was not an outstanding in-ring performer.

But there’s a reason why The Ultimate Warrior is remembered so fondly by a certain generation of wrestling fans.

The Ultimate Warrior dared to be different.

While other wrestlers wore plain tights and boring boots to the ring, The Ultimate Warrior wore wacky tassels and neon colors and flashy face paint.

While other wrestlers walked slowly to the ring, The Ultimate Warrior rushed down the ramp like a wild animal unleashed.

While other wrestlers delivered promos like this: Continue reading →

Don’t Be A Diva

April 3, 2014April 14, 2014 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(It’s WrestleWeek on POP GOD! In celebration of Wrestlemania XXX this Sunday we’ll be looking at the intersection of faith and wrestling. You don’t have to be a fan to hop in the ring on this journey. Read on and see how this fake sport provides rich lessons for anyone who’s grappling with God.)

Wrestling has pretty much always been a guy thing in my life.

So when my fiancé started getting into “Total Divas”, I was kind of excited.

“Total Divas” is a reality show on E! which focuses on the women of the WWE, their romantic relationships with other wrestlers, and all sorts of other backstage drama.

At first I thought it was just a great way for my fiancé to get excited about wrestling so she wouldn’t give me crap for watching it. Maybe she’d even want to watch wrestling with me sometime!

Then, of course, I got sucked into watching “Total Divas”.

You might think as an obsessive wrestling fan that I would love watching anything associated with WWE. And “Total Divas” does entertain me sometimes.

But mainly “Total Divas” just makes me mad because of how fake it is. Continue reading →

The One Lesson Anyone Can Learn From Wrestling

April 2, 2014April 14, 2014 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

If I could sum up everything I’ve ever learned from pro wrestling in one sentence it would be this:

The face beats the heel.

In wrestling terminology there are two types of characters – faces and heels.

The face (short for babyface) is the good guy. Think Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, John Cena.

The heel is the villain. People like The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, Ric Flair, and Mr. McMahon were great heels.

Wrestling at it’s core is the story of a good guy versus a bad guy. Almost every single wrestling match in history consists of a face versus a heel. And the face beets the heel.

The heel may get the upper hand. He may vanquish a few good-hearted men along a path of destruction. But in the end the heel always goes down.

This is the cycle of wrestling, a never-ending story where the characters change but the outline stays the same each week. Continue reading →

What To Do When You Get Everything You Ever Wanted

April 1, 2014April 14, 2014 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

I remember when The Golf Channel launched in 1995. Living in Augusta, GA The Golf Channel came standard on our cable package. It was the first specialized network I remember coming on television, a channel devoted entirely to one sport.

As my parents watched The Golf Channel and I sat on the floor playing with my wrestling figures, I wondered if one day there might be a WWF Network.

19 years later my dream came true when the WWE Network launched (ok, my dream was one letter off).

The WWE Network is a 24/7 streaming video channel and on demand library. It’s a pretty revolutionary concept and is changing the landscape of the pro wrestling business.

For just $9.99 a month viewers get access to every major wrestling show of the past 30 years, plus every future pay-per-view event. Then there’s all the classic episodes of Monday Night Raw I grew up watching with the likes of Razor Ramon, Yokozuna, and Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

The catalog of programming is overwhelming in scope. It’s everything I ever wanted it to be and so much more.

So why am I not more excited about The WWE Network? Continue reading →

How To Be The Man

March 31, 2014April 14, 2014 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(It’s WrestleWeek on POP GOD! In celebration of Wrestlemania XXX this Sunday we’ll be looking at the intersection of faith and wrestling. You don’t have to be a wrestling fan to hop in the ring on this journey. Read on and see how this fake sport provides rich lessons for anyone who’s grappling with God.)

There have been a lot of great talkers in the history of wrestling. It’s hard to pick out the best of all time.

You have to consider “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes:

Hulk Hogan and Randy “Macho Man” Savage must be near the top of the list:

But to be the man, you have to beat the man. And the man nobody could beat at promos was Ric Flair: Continue reading →

Outgrowing God

April 8, 2013April 10, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

WWE.com

Sometimes I wonder if I’ve outgrown all this wrestling stuff.

That’s kind of how I felt last night watching Wrestlemania XXIX. I spent all week blogging about my excitement for the event. I ordered a hundred chicken wings and invited all my friends to the house. I drank unhealthy amounts of Cheerwine out of the giant Hulk Hogan mug I found at a flea market a few months ago.

All the elements were there for an epic night. Then the show started. Continue reading →

Macho Madness

April 5, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(It’s Wrestlemania week on POP GOD! Join us everyday this week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXIX this Sunday with new posts searching for God in the squared circle.)

Today we’re talking Macho Madness: That confidence, strength and intensity personified best by the one and only Randy “Macho Man” Savage.

May you tackle all of today’s challenges with Macho Madness. May you turn your life around 180 degrees. May you go left when the world tells you to go right.

You are more than a conqueror, and no matter what life brings you can trust “the beat goes on”.

Happy Friday. (And no more questions!)

(Click here if the video above does not work.)

Tales Of A Wrestling School Dropout

April 4, 2013April 7, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(It’s Wrestlemania week on POP GOD! Join us everyday this week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXIX this Sunday with new posts searching for God in the squared circle.)

This is the tale of a wrestling school dropout.

Before my alter ego Ice D ever defended his championship, I flunked out of wrestling school.

A few years back I stepped into a professional wrestling ring with two of my best friends in the outskirts of Harlem, GA. We grew up watching spandex-clad athletes assault each other every Monday night for years. One day we heard of a local wrestling group offering tryouts. We decided to join them.

We had our ring names picked out – a faction known as The UnXpected. Our T-shirts would bear our catchphrase: “Respect The UnXpected.” The merchandising dollars would be rolling in.

We dreamt of winning world championships and entering the Hall of Fame.

We never made it out of training. Continue reading →

Hall Of Fame

April 3, 2013April 4, 2013 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

(It’s Wrestlemania week on POP GOD! Join us everyday this week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXIX this Sunday with new posts searching for God in the squared circle.)

4,040 days – the length of time Bruno Sammartino held the WWE (then WWWF) Championship in the 60s and 70s.

20 years – the length of time the WWE Hall Of Fame has existed and ignored Bruno Sammartino’s unmatched accomplishments.
At this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony, one of the great injustices of professional wrestling will finally be righted. After over two decades of feuding and refusing to appear, “The Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino will take his rightful spot in the WWE Hall Of Fame.

This is a momentous occasion for wrestling history. Sammartino has been at odds with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon since the 80s over the way McMahon commercialized and sexed up the wrestling industry. But the WWE’s new PG attitude seems to have bridged the gap between the two sides.

WWE is finally recognizing Sammartino’s incredible contributions to sports entertainment. A new generation of fans who never heard of his legend will get to see Sammartino’s accomplishments on TV, DVDs, and the internet.

To many pundits Bruno’s career, and his legend, will not be set in stone until he is granted his gold ring. This despite the fact that people like Koko B. Ware are already enshrined. (Also, so is Drew Carey. What?)

Does Bruno Sammartino need the Hall Of Fame? Would his legend die out without it? Continue reading →

You’re Right To Fight

April 2, 2013April 3, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(It’s Wrestlemania week on POP GOD! Join us everyday this week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXIX this Sunday with new posts searching for God in the squared circle.)

What if Hulk Hogan never fought Andre The Giant?

What if instead The Hulkster was just handed a championship?

What if instead of bodyslamming the behemoth, Hulk Hogan just traveled the world talking about what a great athlete he was?

If Hulk Hogan was just a great speaker and never engaged in any battles, he would not have been my hero growing up.

Unlike so many people in the real world (and so many of today’s WWE stars), Hulk Hogan didn’t just talk about being the best wrestler in the world. He went into battle every night in arenas across the country to back up the words he said.

Hulk Hogan faced down conflict when it came after him – even in the form of a giant. Continue reading →