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 →

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 →

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 →

Why I Love Fake Things

November 20, 2013November 25, 2013 / Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

I learned the truth when I was about 6-years-old.

I was watching a video in the bedroom while my parents had friends over. My father came in and he just couldn’t take it anymore.

He had to tell me the truth – the truth about wrestling.

“You know it’s fake, right? It’s all planned out and scripted,” he told me about the hulking superstars I had recently become obsessed with.

Funny, though. The revelation didn’t bother me. Even at a young age, I simply shrugged and went back to watching Randy Savage drop elbows. Continue reading →