Chasing The Championship

March 31, 2016April 6, 2016 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(It’s WrestleWeek on POP GOD! In celebration of WrestleMania 32 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 to see how this fake sport provides real lessons for anyone who’s ever grappled with God.)

WWF Belt “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Jake “The Snake “Roberts. The “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. Razor Ramon. Mr. Perfect.

What do these wrestlers all have in common?

They’re all iconic performers. They’re all WWE Hall Of Famers.

And none of them were ever World Champion. Continue reading →

God’s Announce Team

March 30, 2016April 6, 2016 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

One of the most underrated and important aspects of what makes pro wrestling so great is the announce team.

From my personal favorites of the early 90s Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan to the Attitude Era staples Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler, the best pro wrestling commentators truly take the in-ring spectacle to another level.

I once dreamed of being a pro wrestling announcer (ok I still do). I had my own toy headset that I would wear and call the action on my old WWF videos and with my action figures.

But being a great pro wrestling announcer isn’t as easy as simply calling the action in the ring. The best commentators share a few common traits: Continue reading →

How To Create A Wrestler

March 29, 2016April 6, 2016 / Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

I spent a lot of time during my formative years playing wrestling video games.

The first one I ever owned was WWF Royal Rumble for the Super Nintendo. It was a pretty basic game – as most were back then – with 10 or so characters that all could do pretty much the same moves. Still, I played it for hours on end.

Video games evolved over the years and thus so did wrestling games. From WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64 to WCW Nitro for the Playstation all the way up to the WWE Smackdown Series for PS2 and beyond.

With new systems came expanded rosters of characters, new match types, better graphics and in-depth story modes.

Without a doubt the greatest feature ever added to wrestling games was the Create-A-Wrestler feature. Continue reading →

The Run-In

March 28, 2016April 6, 2016 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2016-03-27 at 10.17.26 PM

The momentum in a wrestling match can swing in an instant.

All it takes is one right move or one reversal to bring a competitor back from the brink of defeat to a momentous victory.

Sometimes though a wrestler is so exhausted they can’t fight anymore. Their only hope comes from a run-in. Continue reading →

Cookie Monster’s Good Friday Message

March 25, 2016March 28, 2016 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCbWyYr82BM

No one likes to wait for cookies.

We all want to enjoy warm, freshly baked cookies. But to enjoy them we must wait for them to cook in the oven. And the waiting can be agonizing – especially if you’re Cookie Monster.

Sure, you can always buy pre-baked cookies. They’re fine. I would never turn down a cookie of any kind.

But there’s something special about the cookies you have to wait for. That’s why Cookie Monster is willing to endure what seems like forever to get his sweet reward.

It’s not just cookies we hate to wait for. Our patience is tested daily in our “on demand” world. We must remember though that good things come to those who wait. Continue reading →

What To Do When You Escape “Room”

March 24, 2016 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

'Room' is a journey out of darkness, director says

Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay star in “Room.” (Ruth Hurl/Element Pictures)

The tension watching the movie “Room” is incredibly palpable. You can’t help but cheer for Jack and his Mom to escape the tiny shed their captor has trapped them in for years.

The performances – and the movie itself – are haunting, gripping, and deserving of all the award-season praise they received.

You feel the claustrophobia and the dread sinking in as the movie confines you to the same space they’ve been confined in. There are no flashbacks. No glances outside the room. Nothing but the grim misery of life inside “Room” as Jack and Ma try to come up with their escape plan.

As one such plan is set in motion my wife and I were literally yelling at the TV in nervous agony.

Warning – Spoilers for the movie follow after the jump:

Continue reading →

What Would Jesus Watch – 9: The Passion Live

March 23, 2016March 28, 2016 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Welcome to “What Would Jesus Watch?”, our podcast series overanalyzing the overlooked genre of Christian Cinema.

This week Kate and Alex return for an emergency podcast covering the glorious ridiculousness of Tyler Perry, Trisha Yearwood and Chris Daughtry performing “The Passion Live!”

Yes Fox just broadcast a “live” modern musical retelling of the last days of Jesus’ life using the music of Train, Jason Mraz and Hoobastank so we had to cover it in painstaking detail. We name our favorite and least favorite performers and musical moments, talk about the uncomfortable acting and argue over whether or not Jesus would be a modern day “bro”. We also cover whether or not the true message of Easter was proclaimed and share some Prayer Requests for who we’d like to see in next year’s version of “The Passion Live”.

If you didn’t catch “The Passion Live” you’ll still be able to enjoy the podcast. But if you’d like to prepare you can watch the full musical on Fox.com or search On Demand and other streaming providers.

Follow along on Twitter and on Facebook to see what movie we’ll be watching next or to offer us your suggestions or comments!

To Subscribe on iTunes click here or search for Pop God Podcasts on the Podcast app or in iTunes or listen on Podbean Continue reading →

Confessions Of A Lazy “Runner”

March 7, 2016October 30, 2017 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

I am not a runner.

Oh don’t get me wrong – I love to run. I enjoy the exercise, the time alone to think and listen to music and podcasts. Running refreshes and recharges my body and my brain.

I made a huge mistake though when I confessed in church that I want to run a full marathon this year to celebrate my 30th birthday. People are going to hold me accountable to that. And that’s no good because I am not a runner.

I try to run 2-3 times a week. But a lot of times it’s just once. Sometimes I even go a couple of weeks between runs.

I’m not very fast either – I average about 10 minutes and 30 seconds per mile. I hate running in the morning. I only run in the afternoons or at night. Continue reading →

Following Jesus On The “Bridge Of Spies”

February 16, 2016March 7, 2016 / Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what people think. You know what you did.

Tom Hanks’ character James Donovan utters these words to a young POW towards the end of the excellent movie “Bridge Of Spies”. The soldier had been trying to explain to Donovan that he did not waver from his loyalty to America during his captivity.

os-bridge-of-spies-trailer-tom-hanks-20150616 What Donovan tells the young man is that the opinions of others don’t amount too much in the long run. People will think what they want to think. What truly matters is what your conscience tells you. That’s all you can really control.

This is exactly how we’ve seen Donovan go about his business over the course of the film. The opinions of his bosses and his enemies don’t matter much to him. He simply wants to do what he believes is right for the good of his clients. Continue reading →

Is Saying Yes Really Worth It?

February 9, 2016March 7, 2016 / Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

The Yes Movement came to a painful end last night.

Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan finally ended months of speculation and announced his official retirement from professional wrestling last night live on Monday Night Raw.

The man who garnered global fame and success from his spontaneous chants of “Yes! Yes! Yes!” had to finally say “No” to his desires to go against doctors’ wishes and return to the ring after suffering a debilitating concussion last April. Continue reading →