Wrestler appearances in other video games

Eventually, I would love to own/scan this issue for everyone here.

For lovers of Wrestler illustrations, here are the arcade overlays that display the button combinations to perform each Wrestler's signature
move. I find it cool that the illustrations faithfully replicate the in-game graphics for each Wrestler.

Inoke (Antonio Inoki) - Enzuigiri

I wonder who Inoki is facing? Tatsumi Fujinami? Akira Maeda? Karl Gotch? I can't say.


Hanson (Stan Hansen) - Western Lariat

Without a shadow of a doubt, the opponent Hansen is applying the lariat to is legendary maskman The Destroyer.
I wonder if Destroyer was also considered to be added to Appoooh? He could have been a splendid final boss.

Additionally, Hansen is pictured wearing his signature cowboy hat. I wonder if Hansen's design was originally
intended to wear it in-game?


Giants (Andre The Giant) - Body Press

Again, Andre is facing The Destroyer. Seems Destroyer was the easiest Wrestler design to use for a dummy

character.


Uma (Umanosuke Ueda) - Kendo thrust

No generic opponent to be found here; just a stellar illustration of this lesser-known Japanese heel from

yesteryear.


Babu (Giant Baba) - Coconut Crush

Baba is applying a coconut crush on The Destroyer. That can't be good for Destroyer's mask....


Tigerman (Tiger Mask) - Sobat

40 years later, I still find this tights-less depiction of Tiger Mask to be offsetting.


Hogen (Hulk Hogan) - Axe Bomber

Further proof that The Destroyer was used as the generic opponent. Destroyer was known for switching mask colours;
most commonly with masks that featured red and blue mask lining.

Graphically, Hogan's white-faced character sprite looks awfully similar to....

Buchie (Andullah The Butcher) - Headbutt

No opponent to speak of, but a great depiction of an early 70's Abdullah, as he competed (and subsequently won)
the AJPW PWF title. When most Japanese old-timers think of the Butcher, the white pants-ed, goatee-wearing

depiction of the Madman from Sudan is usually the first thing that comes to mind.

Lately, I've been hacking the code of the Fire Pro Wrestling series on the PC Engine; seeing what other

secrets the early Fire Pro titles have to offer.

In 2nd Bout, entering the code F820BC20 allows you to play as the strangest character ever added to
a Fire Pro-Wrestling title ...

Alas, it's just Genichiro Tenryu with a different character portrait and the placeholder name of 'Musashi'
(short for Victory Musashi/Antonio Inoki).



Inputting the code F820BC21 allows you to play as another bizarre character. A grid-like design that reminds

me of a game of hopscotch.

As this character uses Hulk Hogan as a sprite and moveset; I have since named this character 'Hopscotch Hogan'.

80's Mania Wrestling Returns has a new Wrestler:

For some reason, EPOCH decided to release the Gokuaku set with different packaging ripping off the Mario series.

Much like the chicken or the egg, I don't know which packaging came first. Did Nintendo send a cease and desist?
Did the Gokuaku actually endorse this product? Did Bull Nakano get livid and force EPOCH to change the packaging
to something Mario-esque? We may never know.




The precursor to those abysmal Tiger handhelds was EPOCH's other handheld Wrestling toy: Mini Pro-Wrestling.

There's nothing too exciting to say about this toy (and calling it such is bit of a stretch, in my opinion). Basically, a
tug of war simulator that contains graphics of generic Wrestlers.

Being a game released exclusively in Japan, it seems EPOCH were hoping to sell this game in the West judging
by the toy's packaging art. Though, the Wrestler in the blue trunks to the left reminds me of Terry Funk or
Bob Backlund.

Could that be Stan Hansen taking a body slam in the background? Perhaps the Von Erich brothers? All of which
competed in Japan during the 1980's. We may never know...