WWE

Remember The Rumble

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

santino-rumbleThis Sunday is the 30th anniversary of the Royal Rumble, the WWE’s most exciting hour of action every year.

30 Superstars compete in one match – each man drawing a random number and entering the ring in order every 2 minutes. The only way to be eliminated is to be thrown over the top rope and have BOTH feet hit the floor. The last man standing after all 30 men have entered wins a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania, the grandest stage of them all.

I love the Royal Rumble because it’s always full of surprises including debuts, returns of injured wrestlers, and one-off appearances by retired hall-of-famers. There’s a great sense of unpredictability in the air. For at least 60 minutes there’s wall-to-wall action and entertainment.

I also love the Royal Rumble because at its essence it is a grace-filled affair. Continue reading →

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Chasing The Championship

/ 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

/ Alex Doriot / 1 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.)

jerry-lawler-jim-rossOne 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

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

(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.)

IMG_7739I 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

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2016-03-27 at 10.17.26 PM

(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.)

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 →

Is Saying Yes Really Worth It?

/ Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

IMG_7018The 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 →

Monday Morning Music: The Next Storm

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

I’ve always enjoyed the rain. While others get depressed by storm clouds in the sky I tend to find them soothing.

In fact, I think it’s kind of funny when people freak out about a little precipitation. I know some people who won’t leave the house or drive their car if they see a rain drop.

And to be fair these people are probably more sane and just living more safely than I am, so I can’t really fault them.

It’s just that I don’t think hiding from bad weather is any way to live your life. So if you’re staring into storm clouds this week, maybe you could use a little Monday Morning Music to motivate you to step outside: 

Continue reading →

We Are Action Figures

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Kids these days – they don’t know how good they have it.

Have you strolled through the toy section of Target or Walmart lately? It’s amazing how far things have come from when I was kid. Especially with the wrestling figures.

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

Now that’s how you sell toys! Gosh, I know that commercial by heart. “So close to the real thing it’s like being in the ring!”

Except as awesome as this advertisement was the toys really didn’t live up to the hype.  Continue reading →

What Would Jesus Watch – 1: The Encounter

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments


(Click Here if you can’t get the link above to work)

Christian cinema doesn’t have the greatest reputation.

Even though faith-based movies have exploded in popularity ever since the success of 2004’s “The Passion Of The Christ”, the genre has rarely received much critical acclaim.

Still there seems to be a booming marketplace for films which touch on faith-based issues. Many of them even attract A-list actors like Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver, Russell Crowe, Emma Watson and Nicolas Cage.

All of this got us to thinking:

What Would Jesus Watch?

Are these movies any good? Are they just looked down upon because of a Hollywood bias against Christianity? Or are they worthy of the bashing most critics give them?

Join hosts Alex and Kate Doriot on this new podcast as they explore the high, the low and the “Huh?” of Christian cinema one movie at a time, giving a fair chance to faith-based films big and small.

Though Alex and Kate come to the podcast with a sense of humor, the goal of What Would Jesus Watch? is not to make fun of bad movies.

Instead, the purpose of the podcast is to encourage those willing incorporate faith-based themes into their art and inspire them to strive for excellency when doing so.

Each week we’ll celebrate what worked in bad movies, what didn’t work in good movies and explore the impact this rapidly growing genre of films can have on our faith. It all begins today with our debut episode!

Ever wonder what it would be like to hang out at a diner with Jesus? Pretty exhausting, apparently!

That’s the lesson learned in our premiere episode as we watch the 2010 film “The Encounter”.

It stars legendary wrestling superstar Sting and tells the story of 5 weary travelers convening at a mysterious diner run by Jesus himself. What will they discover about themselves over the course of dinner? Is Jesus a good burrito chef? How long will it take for Jesus to multiply a loaf of bread? And why isn’t Jesus more attractive? Find out all of this and more on What Would Jesus Watch! Continue reading →

POP GOD POPcast: Episode 27 – Marc Mero

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

10408026_10152114986056701_1541056051440319210_nWelcome to Episode 27 of the POP GOD POPcast – a podcast interview series exploring the presence of God in the present tense.

This week’s guest is Marc Mero. Marc is a former professional wrestling superstar, touring the world for WWE, WCW and TNA. Today he’s touring the world as a highly in demand inspirational speaker touching the lives of students about the topics of bullying, drug use and faith through his Champion Of Choices program. Marc shares openly about how he hit rock bottom through a series of devastating events in his life and how he made a choice to see God through the pain. He also talks candidly about how the tragic turn of events in his friend Chris Benoit’s life challenged him to start reaching out to students.

1800413_10100294707017265_5359138410208692344_n(1)Marc is bringing his story across the southeast this month including a special event at Mount Paran Church in Marietta, GA on January 30 at 7 PM. It’s free, open to the public, and is an event that can change a child’s life. Listen to this podcast preview then make plans to go hear Marc’s incredible testimony in full:

Or Download on iTunes or Listen on Podbean

Follow Marc Mero on Twitter and on Facebook. Check out his website to find out where to see him and how to bring him to your church’s next event. Continue reading →