Pop Culture Playmakers Podcast

🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!
JC and Antwan are back from Houston after seeing the Las Vegas Raiders take on the Houston Texans LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏈 We talk about the stadium experience, Houston's game-day atmosphere, the Raiders' comeback, and why JC may owe Aidan O'Connell an apology.
⚾ JERSEY PLAYER OF THE WEEK — #25 BARRY BONDS Episode 25 means we're giving flowers to one of the most dominant baseball players ever: Barry Bonds. ⚾ 7× National League MVP ⚾ 762 career home runs ⚾ 73 home runs in a single season ⚾ 12× Silver Slugger ⚾ One of the most feared hitters baseball has ever seen Love him or hate him, you can't tell the story of baseball without Barry Bonds.
🤼 WRESTLING TALK We jump into what's happening around WWE, including: 🔥 Is WWE slowly setting up a Cody Rhodes heel turn? 🔥 Could Cody eventually align with Paul Heyman? 🔥 Do we need the return of ruthless heel Randy Orton? 🔥 What's happening with Bayley? 🔥 Which upcoming WWE free agents should stay or leave? 🔥 Are WWE wasting Ivy Nile?
🌹 ROSES — JAMES EARL JONES For the first time, we're expanding Roses beyond those still with us to honor an icon whose work continues to live on. This week's Roses belong to the legendary James Earl Jones. From Darth Vader and Mufasa to Coming to America, The Sandlot, Claudine, and beyond, we celebrate one of the most recognizable voices and commanding presences in entertainment history. We debate: 🎬 What role defines James Earl Jones? 🌹 What was his most underrated performance? 👀 What role was actually overrated? 🗑️ What project would we erase? 🎥 What would we have loved to see him do?
💰🎬 THE $30 MOVIE RECAST AUCTION — JURASSIC PARK Hollywood keeps remaking movies, so we're going to recast them BEFORE Hollywood does it wrong! JC and Antwan each get $30 to bid on modern actors and build a six-person remake of Jurassic Park. Pedro Pascal. Florence Pugh. Jenna Ortega. Austin Butler. Steven Yeun. LaKeith Stanfield. Glenn Powell. …and more! Who built the better Jurassic Park cast?
⛰️ SIX GRANDFATHERS: ATHLETES TURNED ACTORS This week's mountain celebrates athletes who successfully made the jump into acting. Our six: 🎬 Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson 🎬 Carl Weathers 🎬 Jason Statham 🎬 Ed O'Neill 🎬 Gina Carano 🎬 O.J. Simpson Plus honorable mentions including Terry Crews, Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Conor McGregor and more.
🎮⚔️ GAME FIGHT — 9 ROUNDS We're putting some of gaming's biggest characters head-to-head in a straight-up fight! ⚔️ Kratos vs. Dante 🍄 Mario vs. Sonic ⚔️ Link vs. Cloud 🔫 Arthur Morgan vs. Lara Croft 🧟 Leon Kennedy vs. Joel Miller ⚔️ Geralt vs. Jin Sakai 🥷 Ezio vs. Solid Snake 🔥 Scorpion vs. Akuma 💥 Master Chief vs. Doom Slayer Who survives all nine rounds?
🎲 DICE OF DOOM We finish with a little nostalgia: What part of growing up BEFORE smartphones do you miss the most? From finding your friends by looking for the pile of bikes outside someone's house to simply having more face-to-face connection, this one took us back.
👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATION 🏴‍☠️ What's your favorite NFL stadium experience? ⚾ Where does Barry Bonds rank all-time? 🌹 What role defines James Earl Jones? 🦖 Who won our Jurassic Park recast? 🎬 Which athlete-turned-actor belongs on your mountain? 🎮 Who wins the Game Fight tournament? 📱 What do YOU miss about life before smartphones? 👍 LIKE 💬 COMMENT 🔔 SUBSCRIBE 📲 SHARE THE SHOW! #PopCulturePlaymakers #Raiders #RaiderNation #HoustonTexans #NFL #BarryBonds #JamesEarlJones #DarthVader #Mufasa #JurassicPark #WWE #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #TheRock #CarlWeathers #Gaming #Kratos #Sonic #MasterChief #DoomSlayer #PopCulture #Podcast

🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!
It's Episode 24, and there was only one choice for the jersey this week:
🐍 KOBE BRYANT.
JC and Antwan celebrate the Black Mamba's incredible career, Mamba Mentality, five NBA championships, legendary scoring performances, defensive ability, competitiveness, and the impact Kobe continues to have on basketball culture.
We also give some love to other legendary #24s, including Ken Griffey Jr. and Charles Woodson.
🤼 WRESTLING TALK
There's plenty happening in professional wrestling, including:
🔥 Kevin Owens & CM Punk heating up🔥 Zilla Fatu arriving in NXT🔥 The never-ending Bloodline family tree🔥 Chelsea Green🔥 Oba Femi & Bron Breakker🔥 Survivor Series possibilities🔥 Swerve Strickland, Kofi Kingston & Austin Creed🔥 Ric Flair's emotional Rolex moment
Plus, we continue our challenge:
What's ONE wrestling match you would show a non-wrestling fan to make them a wrestling fan?
This week's picks include Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show and the Halloween Havoc classic Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero.
🏈 NFL PRESEASON + BUILD A 17-0 TEAM
Football is back!
We talk preseason football, the Raiders, Panthers, fantasy football and what we're looking for as teams prepare for the regular season.
Then we try to do the impossible:
🏆 BUILD A 17-0 NFL TEAM!
QB. Running backs. Receivers. Tight ends. Offensive line. Defense. Head coach.
Our first attempt finishes 12-5... so we'll have to try again.
🏈 NFL BIG THREE: AFC SOUTH
Our NFL Big Three series continues!
This week's division:
🐆 Jacksonville Jaguars🤘 Houston Texans🐴 Indianapolis Colts⚔️ Tennessee Titans
From Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney to J.J. Watt, Andre Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Steve McNair, Chris Johnson and more—we try to narrow each franchise down to just THREE memorable players.
🌹 ROSES: KEITH DAVID
This week's Roses go to the legendary Keith David!
From live action to animation, Keith David has one of the most recognizable voices in entertainment.
We discuss:
🎙️ Goliath in Gargoyles🐸 Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog🎬 The Thing🎬 Men at Work🎬 ATL🎬 Pitch Black🎬 Barbershop😈 Husk in Hazbin Hotel…and a career full of unforgettable performances.
We debate his most underrated role, career-defining performance, overrated role, and what we'd love to see him do next.
🕷️ SPIDER-MAN DISCUSSION
Then we go deep into Spider-Man, breaking down the movie's biggest moments, Peter Parker's journey, Punisher, Hulk, Damage Control, The Hand, emotional character moments, Marvel connections and where the story could go next.
⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD!
🎮🎙️ GUESS THE VOICE ACTOR
How well do we actually know the voices behind our favorite animated characters?
We test ourselves with characters from Pixar, Disney and beyond—and discover just how many iconic characters were hiding behind the same voices.
⛰️ SIX GRANDFATHERS MOUNTAIN: VOICE ACTORS
It's finally time to honor the people behind the voices.
We build our Six Grandfathers Mountain of legendary voice actors, including names like:
🎙️ John Ratzenberger🎙️ Mel Blanc🎙️ Phil LaMarr🎙️ Tara Strong🎙️ Matt Mercer
Plus, we give flowers to several honorable mentions who have brought some of animation's greatest characters to life.
👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATION
🐍 Where does Kobe rank on your all-time NBA list?🤼 What's ONE wrestling match you'd show a non-wrestling fan?🏈 Who belongs in your NFL team's Big Three?🌹 What's Keith David's greatest role?🕷️ What did you think of Spider-Man?🎙️ Who is the greatest voice actor of all time?
👍 LIKE💬 COMMENT🔔 SUBSCRIBE📲 SHARE
#PopCulturePlaymakers #KobeBryant #MambaMentality #NBA #WWE #CMPunk #KevinOwens #ReyMysterio #EddieGuerrero #NFL #NFLPreseason #FantasyFootball #KeithDavid #Gargoyles #SpiderMan #Marvel #VoiceActing #VoiceActors #TaraStrong #PhilLaMarr #MattMercer #MelBlanc #Podcast

 
🐐 It's Episode 23, so you already know who we're talking about.
JC and Antwan kick off this week's Pop Culture Playmakers by giving the spotlight to Michael Jordan and jumping straight into the GOAT debate. Six championships, six Finals victories, the competition of Jordan's era, LeBron's longevity, and more—where do you stand in the MJ vs. LeBron debate?
🤼 From there, it's time to see how our SummerSlam predictions actually turned out.
We break down the fallout from SummerSlam, including Randy Orton's return, Kevin Owens' comeback, Chelsea Green, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, the Shield tribute, Danhausen, and where some of WWE's biggest stories could go next.
We also ask: What's the one wrestling match you would show someone to turn them into a wrestling fan?
🌹 This week's Roses belong to Adam Sandler.
From Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison to The Waterboy, Little Nicky, Airheads, and his more serious performances, we discuss the roles that made Sandler a household name.
What's his most underrated performance? Which movie is overrated? What project should disappear from his filmography? And who has been his greatest on-screen partner?
We also celebrate Sandler for something bigger than his movies—his reputation for bringing his friends and family along with him as his success grew.
🏈 With football returning, we're introducing our NFL Big Three.
We're picking three memorable players from each franchise, starting with the NFC West. The Cardinals, Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers give us plenty to debate as names like Larry Fitzgerald, Marshawn Lynch, Aaron Donald, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott and others enter the conversation.
📺 Then it's time to climb Six Grandfathers Mountain: Sitcom Edition!
JC and Antwan have to agree on six sitcoms worthy of the mountain:
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air• Family Matters• The Cosby Show• Full House• Abbott Elementary• The Big Bang Theory
Did we get it right—or did shows like Martin and Living Single get robbed?
🎮 We also bring back our Game of Games, trying to identify mystery video games in two minutes using only yes-or-no questions.
Finally, we close out this two-hour episode with a massive Sitcom This or That and character showdown featuring The Office, Parks and Recreation, Friends, Seinfeld, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, and many more.
🎙️ This week on Pop Culture Playmakers: sports, wrestling, gaming, movies, sitcom nostalgia, and plenty of arguments along the way.
Tell us:
🐐 Michael Jordan or LeBron James?🌹 What's Adam Sandler's greatest role?🏈 Who are your NFL team's Big Three?📺 What six sitcoms belong on your mountain?
Follow, rate, review, and share Pop Culture Playmakers!
#PopCulturePlaymakers #Podcast #MichaelJordan #AdamSandler #WWE #SummerSlam #NFL #Sitcoms #Gaming #SportsPodcast #PopCulture #Comedy #TV

🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!
Episode 22 is packed with football, wrestling, movies, gaming, comedy, and plenty of pop culture debates!
🏈 Jersey of the WeekThis week we honor Emmitt Smith (#22)—the NFL's all-time leading rusher and one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game. We debate where he ranks among the greatest backs of all time and compare his legendary career to icons like Barry Sanders.
💙 Own Your StigmaWe're proud to continue partnering with Own Your Stigma, an organization dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. We talk about why asking for help is a strength and how their mission aligns with ours. Use our discount code to save on their apparel while supporting mental health awareness.
🏈 NFL & Fantasy Football
NFL training camp storylines
Carolina Panthers outlook
Fantasy football draft recap
Superflex strategy
Our roster breakdowns
Can we build a perfect 17–0 NFL team using players from different franchises?
🤼 SummerSlam PredictionsWe break down every major match on the SummerSlam card, including:
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk
Gunther vs. Nick Aldis
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky
Finn Bálor's title opportunity
Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair, and more!
🏀 WNBA TalkWe discuss A'ja Wilson's MVP-caliber play, Breanna Stewart, the Las Vegas Aces, the Minnesota Lynx, and which WNBA team JC should adopt as his own.
🌹 RosesThis week's Roses go to comedy legend Eddie Murphy.
We discuss:
The first Eddie Murphy project we ever saw
His most underrated performance
The role that defines his career
His most overrated role
One project we'd erase
What we'd love to see him do next
🎬 Wrong Characters Movie GameOur fan-favorite guessing game returns! Can we identify movies when the characters are replaced with completely different roles played by the same actors?
⛰️ Six Grandfathers Mountain: Stand-Up ComedyThis week's mountain is dedicated to stand-up comedians! We debate which comedy legends deserve a place among the all-time greats, including storytellers, classic comics, and modern icons.
👇 Join the conversation!
⭐ Where does Emmitt Smith rank among the greatest running backs ever?⭐ Who wins at SummerSlam?⭐ What's your favorite Eddie Murphy movie?⭐ Which comedians belong on your Six Grandfathers Mountain?
👍 Like💬 Comment🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week!
#PopCulturePlaymakers #EmmittSmith #NFL #FantasyFootball #SummerSlam #WWE #EddieMurphy #StandUpComedy #WNBA #AjaWilson #Movies #Gaming #Podcast #PopCulture

🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!
Episode 21 is packed with sports, movies, gaming, wrestling, and one of our most meaningful conversations yet.
🏈 Jersey of the WeekThis week's spotlight belongs to Charles Woodson (#21)! We celebrate one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history while discussing why he edged out legends like Deion Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson for this week's jersey.
⚾🏀🏈 Sports Roundup
WWE and Triple H's latest moves
AEW, TNA, and Triple AAA discussions
Boston Red Sox' incredible winning streak
Raiders quarterback concerns
Fantasy Football strategy
LeBron James' move to Philadelphia
NBA title contenders
Michael Jordan vs. LeBron debate
Victor Wembanyama's future
🌹 RosesThis week's Roses go to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson!
We answer:
What's the first role we remember him in?
His most underrated performance
What role defines his career?
Which role is the most overrated?
One project we'd erase
What dream project we'd love to see him tackle next
🎮 Gaming ChallengeCan we guess each other's mystery video games using only yes-or-no questions? Watch us battle through Nintendo classics, PlayStation favorites, and some iconic gaming franchises.
🧠 Mental Health MattersWe're excited to introduce our newest partner, Own Your Stigma! Chack out https://ownyourstigma.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqJzvtPWwWgnivUrtLikNh5ycd3BNG40AW-bhp_oI4JSmigGj-4 for great Merch use the Code: PopCulturePlayers+MH  and get 15% off your merch
As mental health professionals, we discuss why ending the stigma surrounding mental illness is so important and why asking for help is a sign of strength—not weakness.
🎬 Six Grandfathers Mountain: Mental Health MoviesWe each choose films that have had the greatest impact on conversations surrounding mental health, including:
Good Will Hunting
Silver Linings Playbook
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Soloist…and more meaningful discussions about therapy, trauma, depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and healing.
👇 Join the conversation!
⭐ Who was the better #21—Charles Woodson, Deion Sanders, or LaDainian Tomlinson?⭐ What's your favorite Rock movie?⭐ Which movie has had the biggest impact on your understanding of mental health?⭐ Who wins the GOAT debate: MJ or LeBron?
👍 Like💬 Comment🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week!
#PopCulturePlaymakers #CharlesWoodson #TheRock #NFL #FantasyFootball #NBA #LeBronJames #WWE #AEW #MentalHealth #OwnYourStigma #GoodWillHunting #SilverLiningsPlaybook #Gaming #VideoGames #Podcast #Movies #PopCulture

🎙️ Welcome back to Pop Culture Playmakers!
It's Episode 20, and we're celebrating with one of the greatest running backs in NFL history—Barry Sanders. We dive into his legendary career, his impact on football, and why he's still one of the most elusive players the game has ever seen.
🏈 This Week's Topics Include:
⚡ Barry Sanders Spotlight
Why Barry is one of the greatest running backs ever
Oklahoma State legacy
His NFL records and Hall of Fame career
⚾ MLB Talk
Netflix's Home Run Derby
MLB All-Star Weekend
Barry Bonds appreciation
JC prepares for his Boston Red Sox trip to Fenway Park
🏀 NBA Discussion
LeBron James rumors
Summer League standouts
Caleb Wilson
Dylan Harper
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs' future
🏈 NFL Debate
Raiders' need for a true WR1
Bryce Young's future in Carolina
Fantasy football talk
Blind Ranking NFL QB & WR combinations
🤼 WWE & Wrestling
Rhea Ripley's absence
Judgment Day
Bloodline storyline
Austin Theory
Wrestling For A Cause
Saturday Night's Main Event
🥤 Dubby Dragonade ReviewWe rank Dragonade against Yuzu Lemon, Blue Razz, and Tiger's Blood to see where it lands on our all-time Dubby list.
🎬 Movie Talk
Young Washington review
Live-action Moana
The Odyssey hype
Casting discussions
Greek mythology
Movies vs. historical accuracy
🌹 RosesThis week's Roses go to the legendary Tom Hanks as we discuss:
His greatest roles
Most underrated performances
Most overrated role
Which project we'd erase
What we'd love to see him do next
🎮 Games
Wrong Characters Movie Challenge
Guess the Movie
Six Grandfathers Mountain: Cartoons Edition
👇 Join the conversation!
⭐ Is Barry Sanders the greatest running back ever?⭐ Which Dubby flavor should we try next?⭐ What's Tom Hanks' best movie?⭐ Which cartoon belongs on your Six Grandfathers Mountain?
👍 Like💬 Comment🔔 Subscribe
#PopCulturePlaymakers #BarrySanders #NFL #MLB #NBA #WWE #AEW #TomHanks #Dubby #Dragonade #MoviePodcast #GamingPodcast #SportsPodcast #RedSox #Raiders #Panthers #Moana #TheOdyssey #Cartoons #PopCulture

This week on Pop Culture Playmakers, JC and Antwan are back with another packed episode covering sports, wrestling, gaming, movies, and pop culture!
🏈 We honor Johnny Unitas as our Jersey of the Episode and discuss why he's one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
🥤 We review Dubby's Tiger's Blood flavor and rank it against Blue Raz and Yuzu Lemon. Is it worth trying?
🤼 Wrestling is loaded this week! We break down:
CM Punk's championship win
Sami Zayn's future
WWE's latest storylines
AEW's newest champion
Tag team chaos across multiple promotions
🎮 NCAA Football 27 is finally here! We talk Road to Glory, dynasty mode, fantasy football, and our excitement for the return of college football gaming.
⚾ After weeks of debate... JC finally picks his new MLB team! Was Boston the right choice?
⚽ We discuss the World Cup, Messi vs. Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Viking culture, and why the haka is one of the coolest traditions in sports.
🌹 This week's Roses go to Wayne Brady, celebrating his incredible career in comedy, television, theater, voice acting, and his impact on the LGBTQ+ community.
⛰️ Six Grandfathers returns as we each build our mountain of some of our favorite LGBTQ+ characters in television and film.
🎮 We finish the episode with a hilarious video game guessing challenge where each of us has two minutes to identify classic games using only yes-or-no questions.
👇 Join the conversation!
How would you rank Dubby's flavors?Did JC make the right MLB choice?Who belongs on your Six Grandfathers?
Like 👍 Comment 💬 Subscribe 🔔
#PopCulturePlaymakers #Podcast #NFL #JohnnyUnitas #WWE #AEW #NCAAFootball27 #FantasyFootball #Gaming #MLB #RedSox #WorldCup #Messi #Ronaldo #WayneBrady #LGBTQ #Brooklyn99 #VideoGames #SportsPodcast #GamingPodcast

This week on Pop Culture Playmakers, JC and Antwan cover everything happening across the world of sports, gaming, wrestling, movies, and pop culture!
🏈 We kick things off by celebrating Episode 18 with Peyton Manning, discussing where he ranks among the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
⚾ JC continues the search for a brand-new MLB team after leaving the San Francisco Giants. Will it be the Red Sox, White Sox, Rockies, or Mariners?
🤼 WWE and AEW are heating up! We break down:• Night of Champions• Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns• Sami Zayn's championship win• Lyra Valkyria's heel turn• AEW's latest storylines• Our favorite wrestlers right now
🏀 NBA Free Agency has been absolute chaos! We react to blockbuster trades, LeBron's future, Giannis, Kawhi, and which teams won the offseason.
🎮 Gaming fans—we talk NCAA Football 27, Madden, and answer our Question of the Day:
Which video game character would make the WORST roommate?
🌹 This week's Roses go to Elliot Page, recognizing his impact on film and the LGBTQ+ community.
⛰️ Grandfather Mountain highlights actress Stephanie Beatriz, celebrating some of our favorite performances throughout her career.
🥤 Plus, we review another Dubby Energy flavor—Yuzu Lemon—and decide whether it lives up to the hype!
👇 Join the conversation!
Who is your GOAT quarterback?Which MLB team should JC choose?Who won NBA Free Agency?Who would be your worst gaming roommate?
Don't forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode!
#PopCulturePlaymakers #Podcast #NFL #MLB #NBA #WWE #AEW #Gaming #NCAAFootball26 #Madden #PeytonManning #RedSox #WhiteSox #Mariners #Rockies #Movies #TVShows #ElliotPage #StephanieBeatriz #Dubby #GeekCulture #PopCulture