Remember The Rumble

January 28, 2017February 28, 2017 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

santino-rumble This 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 →

God’s Announce Team

March 30, 2016April 6, 2016 / 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.)

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 →

We Are Action Figures

August 25, 2015September 21, 2015 / 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 →

POP GOD POPcast: Episode 27 – Marc Mero

January 28, 2015March 24, 2015 / Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

Welcome 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.

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 →

There Are No Rules

October 22, 2014November 5, 2014 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Hulk Hogan is 61 Years Old.

Seems like just yesterday “The Immortal” was threatening to body slam Andre The Giant through the center of the earth and carry Donald Trump to safety (seriously, this interview is amazing):

In sports (and even in sports entertainment) years Hulk Hogan is way past his prime. He hasn’t wrestled a match in 3 years. He’s had multiple back and knee surgeries. He really should never compete athletically again.

Yet The Hulkster can’t keep himself away from the ring.

WWE.com

Even in his AARP years Hogan still wants to fight. It seems in every interview these days he’s talking about the possibility of one more match. Continue reading →

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 →