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Post by LankyLefty17 on Feb 27, 2023 19:44:07 GMT
Inoki got a color card over the summer, Tiger Mask/Liger/Baba/Rikidozan all had b/w cards, though some of those are harder to find due to being out of print.
Theres also a very robust bootleg scene with art and stats done by many of the same guys that are involved with the official game, allowing you to obtain guys where licensing isn't likely to happen (WWE/F guys, The Funks, 4 Pillars, ect.)
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Post by Staubhold on Feb 28, 2023 20:07:18 GMT
 King Kong Bundy. And here I thought eveybody would have forgotten all about Bundys Five count pin. |
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Post by Shadow Master on Mar 18, 2023 16:01:38 GMT
Now that I finished my attempt at translating Super Fire Pro Wrestling Special on SFC, I figured this thread could use some more likenesses:
Tag Team Wrestling GameMore knockoff Wrestlers in (yet another) generic Wrestling game that's available on your Android devices.  And as an added bonus ...I spotted The Rock as the cover model of an unrelated trivia game!  The default character is known as "Ultimate Combatant". As generic as he looks, I'd estimate this character is based on Randy Orton. Khali is The Big Show. I guess that's also a reference to The Great Khali. Zelda is a palette swap of Khali.  Thunder John - Kane MC Burns - Kane palette swap Villainous - Ultimate Combatant's palette. Now he's starting to look like Batista.  King Cobra - With the incredible popularity of Batman-related content, you're bound to find many a Joker knockoff in these unlicensed games. Riotous Joe - The Joker palette. Hippolytus - John Cena. No idea why the character of Greek mythology by the same name is being used here. Perhaps the name is a nod to Cena's Hip Hop association.  Dewie - John Cena palette. For some reason, he also has the KO cry of the girl characters when defeated. Black Show - A palette of Dewie - another John Cena clone. Dewie's name is a pun of The Big Show. Margendry - Bailey mixed with Asuka. Even has a modern WWE belt attached. I remember seeing this model in the mobile game 'Bad Girls Wrestling'.  Tiffany - Giving off Beth Phoenix vibes here. Another character most likely lifted from Bad Girls Wrestling. Marry de Great - A palette of Tiffany. Executie (no relation to Pokemon's Exeggecute) - reminds me of Poison Ivy from the DC universe. Nightmare - A palette of Poison Ivy/Executie. I think she is supposed to be a Storm knockoff.  Bellatrix - No idea on generic Wrestler. Maybe Rousey? Rebellious - Bellatrix's clone. Looks like a pale imitation of Chyna.  While the graphics are above average for mobile Wrestling standards, the gameplay gets old very quickly. Add to the fact that one half of the roster is essentially palette swaps, and along with every character sharing the exact same moveset. Tag Team Wrestling Game is an extremely repetitive title. One best kept at a distance. |
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Post by Shadow Master on Mar 20, 2023 2:31:22 GMT
30 pages and several decades later, I'm still discovering obscure Wrestler likenesses in even more obscurer Wrestling games: PowerslamDeveloper: Cobra Blade Year: 2012 Platform: MAC  Powerslam Wrestling billed itself as the first Pro-Wrestling game on Mac. The game itself was released in 2012, and as you can see from the cover art, it seems we have a few recognizable faces. Mitsuhau Misawa, Razor Ramon, Axl from Street Fighter and ...The Great Muta make up the bottom row!  There's also an Ultimate Warrior-looking character.  Footage and screenshots of Powerslam are few and far between. Though, we do have this screenshot of the character select screen. The character next to Muta looks like Masahiro Chono. The masked Wrestler on the top row (fifth from the left) looks like The Great Sasuke. |
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Post by Shadow Master on Mar 21, 2023 5:22:49 GMT
It's hard to believe the Attitude Era ended 21 years ago. Often considered the pinnacle of the WWE's success, many Wrestling fans look back on the Attitude Era as the last great hurrah for sports entertainment. Today, nostalgia for that brief moment in WWE's history continues with a brand new mobile Wrestling game available in the google play store:  With a title like "Wrestling Mania" you probably already figured out that we're (once again) heading into knockoff game territory. A collage of Rock's looks throughout the years make up the poster art for this title.  There are 11 characters to choose from. Well, 10 actually, as Stone Cold Steve Austin's icon is not working. Let's take a look at the roster: ![]()  As usual, the roster seems to be stolen from a modern WWE title. I guess stealing Wrestler models dressed in Attitude Era attires was too difficult. For some reason, AJ Styles has his head shaved.  You can tell the age of these stolen models since the roster features a WWE-era Chris Jericho with short hair.  Could you imagine if Shinsuke Nakamura was part of the Attitude Era? In actuality, Nakamura made his in-ring debut as Pro-Wrestler just a few months after the Attitude Era ended. Well, Attitude Era is another fine example of unlicensed WWE garbage that you can download in the google play store. In fact, we briefly talked about this title last month --- when the game was first released as an unplayable mess that crashed on startup. while Attitude Era is playable now, I don't recommend it. The enemy A.I. is unresponsive, controls are pretty much the same - and the game gets repetitive quickly. What was intended as a homage to the Attitude Era comes off as an insult here. To paraphrase a slogan from the end of that particular era, Momo Studio's Wrestling Mania Attitude Era needs to "get the F out" of the google play store. |
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Post by Shadow Master on Mar 21, 2023 14:14:36 GMT
All of these Wrestler appearances in video games have finally caught up to me. Last night, I dreamt I was playing an unreleased Wrestling game for the original gameboy. It looked and played just like Hammerlock Wrestling (also known as Genichiro Tenryu WAR in Japan); just without the comic-style cut scenes taking up 50 percent of the screen. Then I realized the game was made by Jaleco, and what I was holding was actually a handheld port of Hammerlock Wrestling. Still I persisted... Sadly, the final boss was a knockoff of Giant Baba (a character not found in either port of the original); who promptly demolished me in quick procession. Oh, well. Back to reality:
80's Mania Wrestling Returns:
Our friends over at 80's Mania Wrestling have added two Wrestler likenesses to their March update. The official Twitter text reads:
"It's MARCH BAD-NESS!
HUGE N. HAIRY is the biggest and baddest everywhere he goes. And he goes anywhere he wants!
MAJOR MALICE has gone turncoat and declared that he respects no man or nation!
PLUS! MMW GM Achievements to earn game cash for your 8MWR game!
UPDATE NEXT WEEK!" Huge N Hairy is based on Big John Studd, while Major Malice is the heel turn of Sgt. Slaughter (with some Hulk Hogan from the movie Urban Commando seemingly thrown in). |
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Post by Shadow Master on Mar 22, 2023 9:20:12 GMT
Wrestler appearances can be spotted in a brand new Wrestling game called Ultra Pro-Wrestling:  With seven days to go, Ultra Pro Wrestling is a crowdfunded Wrestling game inspired by the classic AKI Wrestling engine of the N64 era. Graphically, the designs of the Wrestlers themselves are based on the Disney Infinity style, with characters displaying a cartoonish charm to them.  The first Wrestler seems to be based on Shawn Michaels. The shin guards remind me of Kenny Omega.  Roman Reigns? Small nods to Elias? Possibly some Tommy Dreamer elements thrown in for good measure? You be the judge.  Rey Mysterio.  The classic foreign heel. No idea on this one.  At first I thought he was Cody Rhodes. Now I'm leaning towards Darby Allin.  I am reminded of Royce or Rickson Gracie here. Thoughts?  Val Venis.  At first, I thought this was Colt Cabana based on his singlet. After reading through his bio, I'm sure this Wrestler is Rick Rude.  Taki's bio brings to mind the stoic nature of Japanese Wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa. Taki's hairstyle and "exploding nature" may also be a reference to hardcore legend Atsushi Onita - and Onita's innovative exploding barbed wire deathmatches.  I am reminded of Ken Shamrock here for this MMA type. |
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Post by Shadow Master on Mar 22, 2023 22:04:25 GMT
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Post by Staubhold on Mar 23, 2023 22:16:03 GMT
HUGE N. HAIRY is the biggest and baddest everywhere he goes. And he goes anywhere he wants!
Huge N Hairy is based on Big John Studd I see a lot of Harry from "Harry and the Hendersons" in Huge N Hairy...  |
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Post by Shadow Master on Apr 1, 2023 15:05:07 GMT
It goes without saying that I enjoy sharing ultra-obscure Wrestler references with all of you. Which brings me to our next entry. Of all places, I found this app over Tik Tok! Pro Wrestler Makeup  Pro Wrestler Makeup is an effects filter Wrestling fans can apply to their photos and videos while using Tik Tok. Sadly, the only way I could properly present these effects to everyone was to apply them myself:  Users can scroll through the three selectable filters by clicking on their faces. The first filter is Akira Hokuto. Second is Aja Kong, and I believe the third is supposed to be Dump Matsumoto. Hmmm... with Aja Kong's makeup, I kinda look like one of my all-time favourite Wrestlers: THE GREAT KABUKI!  Speaking of Tik Tok (and not wanting to create a new mod thread), I've done a few character tributes myself: www.tiktok.com/@justin_ziadeh_actor/video/7208563498677193989 |
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Post by Staubhold on Apr 1, 2023 17:41:08 GMT
The icon for "THE WRESTLER" app looks like Spawns Violator clown form.  |
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Post by Shadow Master on Apr 3, 2023 16:46:13 GMT
Anyone who follows this thread knows how much I hate mobile Wrestling games. For every gem in the rough like Wrestling Empire, there's 20 duds that recycle the same stolen Wrestler models from other games. Today, I'm happy to announce three classic Arcade Wrestling games (Mat Mania containing several Wrestler look-alikes for good measure) are available in the Google Play Store:  There's just two problems: 1) The ability to insert additional coins is disabled and 2) It's next to impossible to button mash with a touch screen. I haven't tried a USB controller add-on (or if these particular mobile games support such an accessory). Though, with all three titles being free of charge and seem to be perfect arcade conversions otherwise, old school Wrestling fans may still consider these titles worthwhile. |
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Post by Shadow Master on Apr 5, 2023 16:58:14 GMT
My tireless quest to scour the web for every last Wrestler appearance in video game format continues. This next game is an update of a mobile title we already covered in a previous post.  Sound familiar? Well, it should. Wrestling Trivia Run features questions and recognizable Wrestlers unofficially lifted from other WWE games.  The goal is simple: collect powerups, answer questions and fight bosses at the end of each level to progress. Trivia Run does offer a new concept with this update, however. Instead of unlocking additional WWE superstars after completing levels, players are now tasked with creating the superstars themselves with unlockable edit pieces. Merging similar pieces together creates extra attires. Get all of the matching attires and a new superstar is created.  The bosses feature mixed up edit pieces. For example, the boss on the left is Hulk Hogan ...who also appears in the later level wearing John Cena's t-shirt and Rey Mysterio's pants. WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN HULK CENARIO DIALS 619 AND DROPS THE ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
ON YOU, BROTHER?
The superstars that I encountered in Wrestling Trivia Run are: Rey Mysterio,
The Undertaker,
John Cena
Kane
and Hulk Hogan.
Moving on, we're going where no other Wrestling book has gone before ....back to Tik Tok:   Searching for 'WWE' in Tik Tok's filters brings up many different filters users can make photos and videos with. Using the first filter 'WWE Superstars', I activated a roulette, which randomly selects a WWE superstar to appear over my long haired mug.  Respectively. looking up 'Rey Mysterio' also leads to additional filters. The first features randomly-selected Rey's appearing on top of the user's head.  Typing in 'John Cena' to Tik Tok provides a large number of results; which is to be expected, as John Cena is one of the most popular WWE superstars of the last 20 years. The first filter features an AR John Cena model that dances on your screen! |
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Post by Shadow Master on Apr 5, 2023 23:13:38 GMT
Many of the video, handheld and even card games featured in this thread were created by Japanese toymaker TAKARA TOMY. Today, I was glancing over Japanese Wrestling games and discovered this ultra-bizarre
wrestling figure set:
Haniwa Pro-Wrestling
(Known in Japan as はにわプロレス)
Year: 2016
Released by: TAKARA TOMY/Panda's Ana
 Haniwa Pro-Wrestling is a five figure Wrestling select released by TAKARA TOMY exclusively in Japan. "Haniwa" are clay terracotta figures which date back thousands of years. In Japanese culture, haniwa were used in funerals and often buried with the dead. Yes ...you read that correctly. Clay figures buried with dead people. Though, Haniwa figures are also used in Japan as protection charms.  The Wrestlers are (left to right): Taiha Nit Wan - His name sounds just like Tiger Jeet Singh. He's also carrying a weapon (or is that a flute) in the same fashion as Tiger would with a sabre sword. Wanimaru Haniguchi - Sounds like Animal Hamaguchi. Wanimaru's mask seems to resemble Tiger Mask's Red Devil. Honeydozan - The mask design and pose is obviously based on Mil Mascaras. Though, this Wrestler's name is clearly inspired by Rikidozan. Hornet Muwa - This is another tough one. The mask depicts an octopus with the number 8 (obviously referencing the Octopus' 8 appendages). A standard Japanese Wrestling hold is also the Octopus Stretch. Hambo Wanita - Another Tiger Mask character knockoff. |
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Post by Shadow Master on Apr 6, 2023 13:11:28 GMT
Some of the hardest Wrestling games to find are defunct browser-based ones. The old HTML flash games that predate mobile gaming by at least a century (okay ...maybe a decade). Today, I've come across a website called wwegames.online,which hosts several browser-based Wrestling games:  Sadly, I can't get any of the games found on wwegames.online to load. I would imagine all of the games listed above use Flash; a plugin no longer supported online.  ...which is a shame, because I really wanted to brush up on my alphabet and English skills with the 'John Cena Find Alphabets' game! From the above list of browser games, I was able to find footage of:
Masters Of Wrestling. Platform: Web browser Developer: Silent Bay Studios Year: ???  The game logo looks like a cross between the Wrestlemania font and the old Smackdown Vs RAW series logo.  There are four generic Wrestlers to choose from in Masters of Wrestling. The poster boy of the game is Roaring Jack, a British masked Wrestler. Its hard to say who Jack could be based on, but due to his size and use of power moves, I'll go with The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith.  The token Mexican masked Wrestler is The Panther. This Wrestler is clearly based on Tiger Mask.  This is another tough one. Some say Gold Digger could be The Undertaker because of his black cowboy hat and boots. Not to mention, Gold Digger sounds a lot like Grave Digger.  Gold Digger uses a Gorilla press Backbreaker.  Cossack Yuri pays tribute to a forgotten Wrestling trope: the token Soviet Russian Wrestler. Most likely inspired by Nikita Koloff and/or Nikolai Volkoff. You can watch Masters Of Wrestling in action here: |
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