411Mania's Squared Circle News Report 08.29.09
Posted by Dustin James on 08.29.2009
411's Dustin James is back to discuss the surprising suspension of Rey Mysterio, Bryan Danielson signing with the WWE, the atrocity that was Johnny B. Badd, the top 10 wrestling video games of all-time and much much more!
Welcome back inside the Squared Circle! How is everyone doing this week? Me? I'm totally excited! Why? Because the time has finally come! Tonight is UFC 102 in my hometown of Portland and I'm jacked! I've been waiting along time for the UFC to come here and I don't think they will be disappointed. Portland is notoriously loud for events such as Blazer games and WWE events and I wouldn't expect anything less than a rowdy crowd tonight. If you happen to catch the PPV, look for me....I'll be sitting ringside so you may be able to see me!
Anyway, we have a lot to talk about this week. So........
LET'S GET IT ON!!!!!
Biggest News Of The Week:
Rey Mysterio Suspended.....
Warning: Steroids can cause you to crush little kid's jaws' using just your fingers!
No doubt in my mind, the biggest news of the week has to be the suspension of one of the WWE's most popular wrestlers, Rey Mysterio. This one came as a shock to some people, but not too me. Why am I not shocked? It's simple. I've been a pro wrestling fan for YEARS and I have almost convinced myself that 99% of wrestlers are on drugs of some sort. I guess I shouldn't exactly say "wrestlers" because I'm sure there are tons of guys on the indy scene who have never touched steroids. Perhaps it's more like "99% of WWE superstars." Now, let me explain myself before you get all pissy at me. I don't know what Rey took that caused the suspension so I'm just ASSUMING it's steroids. I mean, did you see the extreme weight gain the dude had in between his stint with WCW and the WWE? You want some photo comparisons?
Rey in WCW.....
Rey in WWE.....
You see the size difference? Now, as I mentioned before. It's hard for me to write this story without assuming Mysterio was busted for some kind of steroids. I remember the first time seeing Mysterio in the WWE, the first thought that popped in my head was "Wow, he put on some muscle!." I know it's bad to assume that every pro wrestler is on steroids, but when a man who is Rey's size is off television for a few years and then returns looking like a bodybuilder, one has to assume the guy is juicing. I'm sure if Rey was taking steroids he was doing it to help an injury heal, but that's still no excuse. The WWE has a very strict drug policy these days and us as wrestling fans have had to put up with this kind of shit for awhile now. It's absolutely inexcusable. Stop trying to look out for what's best for your career right now and start looking at how it's going to affect your health in the future.
I understand that a lot of wrestlers don't have the spare time (or energy) to hit the gym REAL hard and steroids are a great easy way to improve your look (which is what WWE is all about in the first place), but have we not learned from all the wrestler deaths in the past? Rey should know this better than anyone....
As for what's going to happen with Rey's IC title? Well, the current news is that Rey's suspension won't start until next Wednesday. That would allow the WWE time to have Rey drop the IC title (most likely to Dolph Ziggler) at the Smackdown tapings next Tuesday. If this does indeed go down, don't blame it on me for spoiling it for you. It's just an educated guess made by someone more intelligent than me.
Anyway, I hate to cut this short but I don't want to elaborate on the situation until I get more details. So make sure you check back next week and I guarantee you I'll have more on this developing situation......
Remember This Guy???
Johnny B. Badd
"I'm a BAAAADDDDDD MAN!"
WCW was full of crap during it's run. While last week I focused my attention on none other than P.N. News, this week I'm taking it even a step further....with P.N. News' old buddy, Johnny B. Badd! You see, Marc Mero was unfortunately born looking A LOT like Little Richard and WCW (being the great company that it was) sure did capitalize on that. While Mero was the "Wildman" and a boxer during his WWE run....in WCW he wore make-up, shot confetti out of a cannon, and pranced around like a chick. While his character was originally a heel, he ACTUALLY got over with the fans and the head honchos at WCW decided to turn the guy babyface....making his character 10x worse. Badd lasted a few years in WCW before deciding to jump ship to the WWE where the only reason he ever got over....was because his wife was hot.
Yes.....it does suck to be Marc Mero.
Here's Johnny B. Badd battling one of my all-time favorites.....Bobby Eaton:
Random News Bits:
- In news that shocked almost everyone (well, I was shocked at least), the WWE announced that they had signed longtime ROH sensation Bryan Danielson to a contract. Danielson is widely considered the best technical wrestler in wrestling right now, so you know what that means. He'll be given a horrible gimmick and thrown on ECW for two years before he's finally "future endeavored." I really hope that Danielson succeeds in the WWE, but part of me is skeptical and I have every right to be. He's a small guy and may need to start roiding up like Mysterio. Oops....did I just say that?
- The rapper Cam'Ron has released a new album. What does this have to do with wrestling? Well, apparently his lead single is titled "Ric Flair." I have personally yet to hear the song but I'm hoping the chorus goes something like this.....
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
- The latest update on Jeff Jarrett/TNA is that Jarrett is expected to stay with the company as half owner, but his time on television may be over due to the situation with Kurt Angle. Jarrett is now expected to work on various TNA business deals from the comfort of his own home. It's a lot safer than going to the arena and seeing this charging at you.....
And he's actually crazy too folks!
- The poster for Bound For Glory features a picture of Sting with the words "The final curtain?" on it. However, you can't expect this to be Sting's "retirement match". In recent years, Sting has always been talked into resigning with the company, so unless he's actually willing to jump to the WWE for once (hey....they are PG now!), I'd fully expect him to remain with TNA for another year. The man moves merchandise like it's no one's business and the company HAS to love that.
- During a recent appearance on the Bubba The Love Sponge Show, everyone's favorite psycho, Kurt Angle, discussed the current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. During the interview, Angle claimed that he could defeat Lesnar in an MMA fight due to the fact that he beat Lesnar when he was "jacked up at 315" in their much talked about wrestling match before a WWE event years ago. Oh, you don't know the story? Well, Angle talked about it again here! The only problem is, he mentions that he took Lesnar down "eight to nine times" and that Lesnar couldn't do anything to him. Bubba mentioned that he has heard the same story from Gerald Brisco and Chris Jericho.....so perhaps it's true. However, in my opinion...if the two were to meet in an MMA fight, Lesnar would smash Angle's face in with one of his 5XL gloves. Angle would have LITTLE to NO chance against Lesnar in an MMA fight. I would gladly take that bet any day.
- Mick Foley and Jeremy Borash are reportedly working on doing a touring comedy routine together. You should go ahead and classify this as "the worst news ever." Borash is a lot of things...an ass kisser, annoying, ugly, etc. However, I find it hard to believe that humor is one of his strong points. Was that too harsh?
- The majority of the TNA employees happened to catch the huge women's MMA fight between Gina Carano and "Cyborg" Santos on Showtime a few weeks back. Jim Cornette mentioned that he loves watching MMA because it tends to give him new ideas for finishes. There was also talk of how the company would use Carano if they could ever convince her to come in. That would never happen in a million years seeing as Carano is the biggest name in women's MMA and this would be career suicide. However, after reading this news story I started thinking of women wrestlers who could succeed in MMA. You want to know who popped in my mind first? THIS THING.....
- Speaking of women wrestlers trying out MMA. Lisa "Victoria" Varon recently sat down with MMAJunkie.com and responded to comments made towards her by Randy Couture's ex-wife, Kim:
"Kim, I do walk around in the low 150s, but as a former bodybuilder and fitness competitor, know how to cut weight as good or better than most fighters. I cut to 119 for one show. I know I can get to 135, but frankly, you don't want me to. So Kim, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the heart you showed in your first pro fight (Couture got her jaw broke during the first punch of the fight, yet lasted all three rounds). Tremendous. And you may be a nice stepping stone for me if I choose to drop down t 135. But as for the veiled insults toward me, I find them cute. Because for us to meet up in the ring, you'd be bringing a knife to a gun fight."
And you all know what I'm going to say here.....
- In his recent blog, Jim Ross predicted that the November UFC show headlined by a UFC heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin would do over 1 million PPV buys. Apparently Ross thinks the world of Lesnar's drawing power. Carwin is a great opponent for Lesnar (he's 11-0 and has finished EVERY opponent in the first round), but the man has little to no drawing power amongst MMA fans. A million PPV buys would lay entirely on Brock's drawing power and is the man REALLY that popular? We shall find out soon.....
- Tickets for WrestleMania in Phoenix will go on sale November 7. Ticket prices will be $755, $255, $155, $100, $80, $60, $45, and $25. If any one would like to buy me a ticket....it would be much appreciated.
- And in "Wow, the UFC is way more popular than the WWE right now" news, it appears as though UFC 100 got more PPV buys than all 7 WWE PPV's of the first six months of this year COMBINED! That includes WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble. Wow, perhaps Lesnar really is a huge draw and I'm underestimating his power. In even scarier news for the WWE, it appears as though UFC 100 and UFC 101 combined will be get more PPV buys than EVERY WWE PPV THIS YEAR COMBINED! Why is this wrestling news? Because if the UFC keeps killing it in the PPV department, the WWE's buy rates will continue to drop significantly. It's the truth people.....
- Kane (who is now 42) recently shot down any rumors of a pending retirement during his interview with the Daily Star:
"I'm still having fun, an important part of the company, as long as I can be good at what I do, I'll keep doing it. It's very unique. There's nothing like being out there. It's my favorite part, having a match and knowing that I have been able to elicit certain responses from the crowd that I wanted to, then I've done my job and they've got their moneys worth. It's what I love to do. There aren't many other vocations where you get that instant gratification."
- The WWE is currently planning on releasing eight straight-to-video releases over the next three years. The current rumor right now is that they are considering Christian, John Morrison, The Miz, and Dolph Ziggler as possible leads in future movies. This is HORRIBLE NEWS! Am I the only one who wants to see Michael Cole play the lead actor in an action flick? That alone would be enough to sell me on the movie!
- The Black Pope/Elijah Burke recently appeared on the "Hit The Ropes" radio show. It's a fanastic interview and here are some excerpts courtesy of co-host Shane Howard:
On why he chose to go to TNA:
"I didn't want to be screwed around. I want to take what was said and I want both sides to be happy, and or thrilled...I want to be someplace where Pope is wanted and Pope can be used to the best of his ability. And at this time, TNA was that shining star for me."
On the veterans in TNA:
"We have our legends. What's cool about those guys is that they don't mind mixing it up with the young guys. They don't mind putting younger talent over. They don't mind working in such a way that cause them to try something different."
Burke also talks about the backstage environment in TNA as well as how he thought Cryme Tyme should have won the tag titles at SummerSlam. You can listen to the entire interview right here.
(Credit goes to The Wrestling Observer for the above news!)
Wrestling Top 10 Lists:
Top 10 Best Wrestling Video Games
Let's not make any mistake about it, we all LOVE wrestling video games. The sad truth is, most of them suck monkey balls. However, I have managed to track down 10 wrestling video games that are my own personal favorites, so if you are looking for a good rasslin' video game...then I highly recommend checking one of these out. Now, before the comments section BLOWS A GASKET. There are some games that are not ranked (the Fire Pro Wrestling series) mainly because I have just never played them. How can I honestly rank the Fire Pro games in my "Top 10 video games of all-time" list if I have never played them? I can't.....that would just make me a big fat liar and we all hate liars! So, enjoy the list!
This list IS IN a particular order......
10) WCW vs. The World
System: Sony Playstation
The Roster:
WCW: - Chris Benoit, The Unknown, Ultimo Dragon, Dean Malenko, Eddy Guerrero, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Masahiro Chono, Steven Regal, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner, Ric Flair
Dead or Alive: (Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling) - Blackheart (Tarzan Goto), Saladin (Genichiro Tenryu), David Harley (Sabu), Puchteca (Atsushi Onita), Habanero (Hayabusa), Kim Chee (Koji Kitao)
Independent Union: (Michinoku Pro) - Black Belt (Taka Michinoku), El Bolador (Hiroyoshi Tenzan), Black Ninja (Great Sasuke), Shaolin (Jinsei Shinzaki), Mukluk (Kensuke Sasaki)
NSW: (NJPW) - Abispa (Jushin Liger), The Turk (Dynamite Kid), Bad Blood (Great Muta), Overdose (Hawk), Bolt Jamison (Kensuke Sasaki), Mongol (Keiji Mutoh), Dakota (Hiroshi Hase), Mad Oahu (Riki Choshu), Dojo (Shinya Hashimoto)
Screenshots:
WCW vs. The World is by no means a "great" wrestling game. The gameplay is actually pretty bad but there is one saving grace in the whole thing. The fact that it was WCW VS. THE WORLD! While WCW couldn't actually trademark any of the "world" guys, the fact that they tried is good enough for me. Can you imagine if WWE did the same thing now a days? Like in the next Smackdown vs. RAW game they have a federation called something like "Old Japan Pro Wrestling" featuring tons of your favorite Japanese superstars with fake names. I don't know about you guys....but I'd love it!
9) WWE Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth!
System: Sony Playstation 2
The Roster:
Al Snow, Albert, Big Show, Big Valbowski, Billy, Billy Kidman, Booker T, Bradshaw, Brock Lesnar, Bubba Ray Dudley, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Christian, Chuck, DDP, D-Von, Eddie Guerrero, Edge, Faarooq, Goldust, Hardcore Holly, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Hurricane, Ivory, Jazz, Jeff Hardy, Kane, Kevin Nash, Kurt Angle, Lance Storm, Lita, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, Maven, Molly Holly, Randy Orton, Raven, Rhyno, Ric Flair, Rico, Rikishi, Rob Van Dam, The Rock, Scotty 2 Hotty, Shawn Michaels, Shawn Stasiak, Spike Dudley, Stacy Keibler, Stephanie McMahon, Steve Austin, Tajiri, Tazz, Test, Torrie Wilson, HHH, Trish Stratus, Undertaker, Vince McMahon, William Regal, X-Pac
Screenshots:
Smackdown "Shut Your Mouth" is ranked on this list for one reason and one reason only. I absolutely LOVED the season mode. I can't actually explain and it's something that has troubled me for some time now, but I loved the "feud" between McMahon and Flair as well as the addition of the nWo. I honestly must have played through "SYM's" career mode somewhere between 15-30 times. It probably wouldn't hold up to today's standards, but back in the day I had a blast playing this thing.
8) WWE Day of Reckoning 2
System: Nintendo GameCube
The Roster:
Randy Orton, HHH, Batista, Chris Jericho, Christian, Edge, Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, Shelton Benjamin, Eugene, Kane, Tajiri, Ric Flair, William Regal, Hurricane, Muhammad Hassan, Kurt Angle, John Cena, Undertaker, JBL, Carlito Caribbean Cool, Booker T, Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam, Eddie Guerrero, Big Show, Heidenreich, Rene Dupree, Kenzo Suzuki, Chavo Guerrero, Orlando Jordan, Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler, Torrie Wilson, Snitsky, Maven, Chris Masters, Paul London, Christy Hemme
Screenshots:
Tons of people expected the "Day of Reckoning" series to be the next "No Mercy". Hell, the WWE was returning to a Nintendo platformer for the first time since then...so who didn't believe that? However, what we got was FAR from "No Mercy." But still, I enjoyed the "DoR" series on the GameCube and since I only wanted to rank one of the games, I decided to rank the second one based on the fact that it had SNITSKY......
7) WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2007
System: Sony Playstation 2, Sony Playstation Portable, Xbox360
The Roster:
HHH, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Shelton Benjamin, Big Show. Rob Van Dam, Edge, Kane, Carlito, Ric Flair, Viscera, Snitsky, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Johnny Nitro, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, Matt Hardy, Ken Kennedy, JBL, Gregory Helms, Joey Mercury, William Regal, Mark Henry, Hardcore Holly, Kid Kash, Super Crazy, Psicosis, Vito, Paul Burchill, Great Khali, Daivari, Chavo Guerrero, Bobby Lashley, Trish Stratus, Lita, Torrie Wilson, Mickie James, Candice Michelle, Melina, Jillian Hall, The Rock, Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, Mankind, Cactus Jack, Dude Love, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Bam Bam Bigelow, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, Dusty Rhodes, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Eddie Guerrero, Bret Hart, Shane McMahon, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Tazz
Screenshots:
There's an easy explanation as to why this game is ranked here. It was the first of the "Smackdown" series to be released on the Xbox system. Seeing as I'm more of an Xbox fan than a Sony fan (I worked at Game Crazy for 2 years and the #'s of PS2's brought in for repairs was stupid, of course Microsoft now has their "red ring of doom" which has got me a few times) I was absolutely ecstatic to finally get the chance to play a SvR game on the 360. It was great times indeed....!
6) WWE Wrestlefest
System: Your local arcade
The Roster:
Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, Earthquake, Ted DiBiase, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Big Bossman, Sgt. Slaughter, Smash, Crush, Hawk, Animal
Screenshots:
This story won't mean anything to anyone else, but when I was a kid and I would head to the local arcades (or Godfather's Pizza) there was always ONE game that I would scour the room for. That one game was none other than "the greatest wrestling arcade game ever". You got it....WWF WrestleFest! It's actually quite a shame that this game was never released on any platform as it was just downright awesome. It only had two modes (battle royal and tag team mode), but the actual gameplay was fun as hell! I'm such a fan of this game that I have constantly tried to download it on different computers over the years with NO LUCK. So if you have this game on your computer, you should know that I'm very jealous of you....but that's about where the jealousy ends.
5) Extreme Warfare Revenge
System: PC
The Roster:
Anyone you'd like considering you can edit anything.......
Screenshots:
Eh, you don't wanna see them.......
Extreme Warfare Revenge (EWR) is responsible for wrestling nerds all over the world losing their girlfriends (LOL @ wrestling nerds having girlfriends) and families. Why? Because the game was not only exciting and original...but it was so fun that it would take up all your spare time. For those of you who don't know about EWR (seriously...those people exist?), the game is a simulation game that puts you in the shoes of a wrestling booker. Seriously, you control EVERYTHING. You want Evan Bourne to get 16 straight wins over HHH? DONE! Have you always dreamed of what it would be like if Sting joined the WWE? DONE! Have you ever wanted to resurrect and murder Chris Benoit? DON....well....nevermind. I guess you can't do everything. But still, the game is money and it's free and it's fun as hell. Check it out!
4) WWE WrestleMania 2000
System: Nintendo 64
The Roster:
Al Snow, Big Boss Man, Big Show. Blue Meanie, Bradshaw, Brian Christopher, Chaz, Chris Jericho, Christian, Chyna, Debra, D'Lo Brown, Droz, Edge, Faarooq, Gangrel, Gerald Brisco, Godfather, Hardcore Holly, Ivory, Jacqueline, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Kane, Ken Shamrock, Mankind, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, Meat, Michael Hayes, Mideon, Mr. Ass, Pat Patterson, Prince Albert, Road Dogg, The Rock, Scott Taylor, Shane McMahon, Steve Austin, Steve Blackman, Terri Runnels, Test, Thrasher, Tori, HHH, Undertaker, Val Venis, Vince McMahon, Viscera, X-Pac
Screenshots:
I can remember the day this game was released like it was yesterday. For years I had played the WCW N64 titles just PRAYING that the WWE would finally release one. Well, the day finally came and needless to say....I WAS JACKED! I seriously drove 15+ miles before I finally found this son of a bitch. When I finally got home and sat down to play it, I was in love! I actually skipped school the next day in order to try and make Jeff Hardy (back when the Hardy Boyz were the shit!) world champion. One of the only complaints about the game is, it's not the best WWE/N64 game ever released. Oh no....that game comes much later!
3) WCW/nWo Revenge
System: Nintendo 64
The Roster:
Hulk Hogan, The Giant, Brian Adams, Scott Hall, Scott Norton, Buff Bagwell, Eric Bischoff, Scott Steiner, Curt Hennig, Kevin Nash, Sting, Lex Luger, Randy Savage, Konnan, Raven, Lodi, Scotty Riggs, Sick Boy, Reese, Kidman, Roddy Piper, Diamond Dallas Page, Goldberg, Bret Hart, Chris Benoit, Rick Steiner, Fit Finlay, Booker T, Saturn, Disco Inferno, Jim Neidhart, British Bulldog, Glacier, Meng, Van Hammer, Kanyon/Mortis, Yuji Nagata, Larry Zybsko, The Barbarian, La Parka, Stevie Ray, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Psychosis, Rey Mysterio Jr, Dean Malenko, Juventud Guerrera, Ultimo Dragon, Chavo Guerrero, Alex Wright
Screenshots:
This game and Wrestlemania 2000 are pretty close for me, however there was one key factor that gave "WCW/nWo Revenge" the edge over WrestleMania 2000. That factor? Quite simply, the roster for "Revenge" is AWESOME! Just look at those names! Not too mention, the game had Raven and his entire flock as well! Easily the best WCW video game ever made......
2) WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain!
System: Sony Playstation 2
The Roster:
A-Train, Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Goldust, Kane, Lita, Rhyno, Rob Van Dam, Scott Steiner, Stacy Keibler, Tajiri, Trish Stratus, Victoria, Batista, Bubba Ray Dudley, Chris Jericho, Edge, Hurricane, Kevin Nash, Matt Hardy, Ric Flair, The Rock, Sean O'Haire, Stephanie McMahon, Test, Ultimo Dragon, Vince McMahon, Big Show, Charlie Haas, Christian, Eric Bischoff, Jazz, Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, Rico, Rodney Mack, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Torrie Wilson, Undertaker, Booker T, Chavo Guerrero, D-Von Dudley, Goldberg, John Cena, Lance Storm, Rey Mysterio, Rikishi, Sable, Shelton Benjamin, Steven Richards, HHH, Val Venis, Animal, Iron Sheik, Sgt. Slaughter, George Steele, Jimmy Snuka, Ted DiBiase, Hawk, Nikolai Volkoff, Hillbilly Jim, Roddy Piper
Screenshots:
Smackdown "Here Comes The Pain" is easily my favorite game of the "Smackdown" brand. It had great gameplay, good modes, a great roster, and of course WWE LEGENDS! Now, you have to remember. This was back when all we had was the horrible crap known as the "Legends of Wrestling" series. To get actual WWE legends on an actual WWE game was amazing at the time! Not only that....but the game also had a dose of ULTIMO F'N DRAGON~! I don't care what anyone says....give me "Here Comes The Pain" over any other wrestling game on the Playstation 2.
1) WWE No Mercy
System: Nintendo 64
The Roster:
Albert, Steve Blackman, Kurt Angle, Bradshaw, Steve Austin, D'Lo Brown. Chris Benoit, Big Bossman, British Bulldog, Bull Buchanan, Christian, Chyna, Road Dogg, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Edge, Faarooq, Godfather, Eddie Guerrero, Billy Gunn, HHH, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Mark Henry, Hardcore Holly, Crash Holly, Scotty 2 Hotty, Chris Jericho. Kane, Mankind, Dean Malenko, Taka Michinoku, Rikishi, Steven Richards, Essa Rios, The Rock, Perry Saturn, Al Snow, Tazz, Test, Undertaker, Val Venis, Viscera, X-Pac, The Kat, Stephanie McMahon, Ivory, Lita, Terri Runnels, Tori, Trish Stratus, Andre The Giant, Cactus Jack, Shawn Michaels, Ken Shamrock, Mae Young, Mick Foley, Earl Hebner, Jim Ross, Ho's, Linda McMahon, Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon
Screenshots:
BEST.WRESTLING.GAME.EVER! Do I honestly need to say anything else? Thousands of people before me have classified this as the "best wrestling game of our time" and I'm going to follow the pack. Just imagine WrestleMania 2000 with a better roster and better gameplay. That my friends....is WWE No Mercy! You know what's really sad? The fact that this game was made almost 10 years ago and wrestling video games have declined in gameplay. What the hell is going on with that anyways? GET YOUR ACTS TOGETHER THQ~!!! For those of you who don't think No Mercy is the greatest video game of all-time......
.....change your minds quickly otherwise A-Train eats the baby.
YouTube! Find Of The Week!
It's FAMILY GUY vs. WWF wrestlers!......
And that's it for me this week. Remember, don't be a stranger to 411! Bookmark the site and visit it countless times a day. Hell, be brave and make it your homepage! Trust me, it will make you a better person......
See you next Saturday back in the Squared Circle! Until then, you can find me on MySpace or Facebook! .
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there are far better pictures to compare rey mysterio's body, those dont show a very significant difference.
Posted By: Guest#3027 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 12:10 AM
I have never played WCW/NWO revenge(I didnt have a N64) but I already see one problem if you roster is right:No Ric Flair? What the hell? But I will say this, being able to play as La Parka almost makes up for it. Now all we need is El Dandy, because as Bret Hart would say "Who are you to doubt El Dandy?"
Posted By: JWestmoreland (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 12:32 AM
WTF? No Fire Pro?
Posted By: LittleE (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 12:38 AM
In the two Rey Mysterio pics shown above; other than the oil and WWE pic having better quality, I don't see a huge size difference. I really dont. The pics were taken almost a decade apart. Are you saying someone can't legitimately put on ten pounds of muscle in a decade?
For the record I am not a fan of Rey Rey. The offense he has to use is ludicrous to make him look legit against WWE type wrestlers, and he may use the juice. I just dont think the pics used prove that point.
Posted By: Guest#4268 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 12:47 AM
I mark for No Mercy and still play it to this day, success.
Posted By: Brad (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 12:47 AM
I think Mysterio got busted for Pain Killers, not roids
Posted By: Guest#5278 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:02 AM
90% of UFC fans are too intoxicated to know whats going on.
Posted By: CM Punk (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:05 AM
Glad the UFC fans are wasting all of the money they get from their minimum wage jobs to watch Ultimate Fighting.
Posted By: Guest#8302 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:06 AM
You can find a MAME Rom of Wrestlefest and it's predecessor Superstars pretty easy, and they're awesome!!
Posted By: jayzhoughton (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:23 AM
WCW/NWO Revenge was amazing! and totally agree that HCtP was the best of the ones in that line, including the SvR games. That game maybe wasn't as deep as control as the newer ones, but there hasn't been a decent story mode season since that (or am I confusing Smackdown SYM! with it maybe? they were both good).
Posted By: Guest#7078 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:37 AM
How could you forget two (2) of the best wrestling video games ever...
Warzone! (No I'm just kidding that game was bad)
No. Smackdown 2! : Know You're Role for PS1 was one of the best games ever!
The CAW mode was just fuckin' awesome, the story mode was fun (repetative yes, but fun).
Also,
How can you forget Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 for PS2? Again the CAW mode was fantastic, GM Mode was a fuckin blast, uncharted territory for wrestling games, the roster was impecable...
Create a Title mode was freakin sweet.
Just sayin....
Posted By: J-X Boxer (The Smug One) (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:38 AM
No love for Wrestlemania Challenge on NES? Okay...by most standards the game is bad, but it was still the best wrestling game on the old NES system.
And I totally agree with you on the Smackdown: SYM career mode. I always said, if they could combine Smackdown's storymode with THQ AKI Engine, they would have had the PERFECT wrestling game.
Posted By: MydniteSon (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:50 AM
yeah playing like la parka you cant top that man.
WCW had better games than the wwe
Posted By: wcw (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:50 AM
no fire pro wrestling love at all? pfft this list sucks ass
Posted By: really (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 02:47 AM
I am just glad that WWE finally began putting Bret Hart into it's games because I sure was getting sick of making him every time a new game came out. I also think that No Mercy and 2000 should have their positions switched because the gameplay kinda lagged when you competed in a ladder match. Nonetheless, any of these games are better than the schlock that UFC tries to pass of as games.
Posted By: Squid Vicious (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 02:53 AM
I understand that a lot of wrestlers don't have the spare time (or energy) to hit the gym REAL hard and steroids are a great easy way to improve your look (which is what WWE is all about in the first place),
=================================
While on the one hand, I think you're right about Mysterio's roiding being obvious, on the other hand ... you clearly don't understand how steroids work, so you probably shouldn't be writing about them. Steroids help your muscles recover faster. They do not "grow muscle without working out as much." The only way that steroids will help you get bigger than a natural body is *if you work out more.* You shouldn't imply that people on steroids are "taking it easy." Just the contrary, they are giving their bodies the hormones necesary to cope with more exercise than they could handle otherwise. Better recovery = all the sooner that muscle can be exercised again. People who get huge on steroids do so because they work HARD. (and take steroids.)
Posted By: MDK (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 03:31 AM
Phenomenal list of video games. Spot on with the top 6 spots in that order. Blew my mind you actually mentioned EWR. Great stuff.
Posted By: Mark (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 04:14 AM
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO shoulda remained untold
Posted By: Freeman (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 06:17 AM
i just wish wwe wellness suspensions were covered by the mainstream media like espn. the reason being it would dispel the myth many ignorant sports fans have about roid users. you dont have look like batista or mark macgwire to be on the juice. size isnt a factor.
Posted By: rey (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 07:42 AM
I have wrestlefest, WWF Superstars and Wrestlemania on Arcade original PCB and Wrestlefest rules!!!
I also have Royal Rumble on de Naomi system. :-)
Yes I know im a nerd with big toys!
Posted By: Leeloo (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 08:14 AM
Considering that you can get fire pro for the ps2 for less than 20 bucks right now I recommend you try it. Based on your list it would rank 2nd or 1st easily.
Posted By: jushin53 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 09:23 AM
Damn I had forgoten that they put Raven on the cover of that game...
Posted By: Tom Z (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 09:42 AM
The greatest wrestling video game in history is the Royal Rumble for Super Nintendo. Great game play and way better than all that crap you spewed up there. But then again you worked in a game store while I was banging my wife so maybe your right. But to not include that or the old NWA game for NES is bad comedy. You are a disapointment to wrestling fans and men alike(since video games obviously over rode girls in your life) or its just that your now getting done puberty and N64 is the only "old" system you know with the exception of the arcade game that had dust on it when you found it.
Posted By: jhateman (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 09:54 AM
WWF Wrestlefest? Man I missed that game! I think the original Wrestlemania for the Nintendo was the best (just kidding)! I would also put an honorable mention for Saturday Night Slammasters for the Super Nintendo.
Great list Dustin!
Posted By: Orlando (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 10:58 AM
I agree with most of the list, especially "SmackDown!: Here come the Pain" and "No Mercy". Now, for those complaining about the lack of Fire Pro (which is a great series with their massive rosters of real guys and gals and great movesets) on the list: he stated that he never played those games (you don't rate stuff you haven't played yourself if you want to be completely honest), although there will be two Fire Pro games coming out in the near future (a classic collection on the Wii, and a new game for the PS3/XBox360) that he may consider.
I'll state what I consider to be the WORST wrestling game ever: The Simpsons Wrestling. You have all the bad problems:
1. Shovelware? Check.
2. Plot not written by the people who wrote the show? Check.
3. Very bad cartoony graphics? Check!
4. Movesets that don't incorporate actual... you know, wrestling? Check!!
And, finally... the bane of not only wrestling games, but all fighting genre games...
5. Unbalanced character strengths? Chec-adiddly-eck! (you see, you can overwhelm ALL characters if you are Ned Flanders and incorporate his "Death from Above" attack)
Posted By: John (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 10:59 AM
What the hell? Rey looks the EXACT same in those two pictures. Surely if you wanted to stir the proverbial shit and accuse Rey of being on steroids you could have found two pictures in which Rey looks, ya know, remotely different in size?
By the way, why would you instantly think it was steroids and not pain killers? Last I checked, he wrestles over 200 days a year. God forbid anybody eats right, hits the gym hard and gains muscle the right way now-a-days.
Posted By: Gozzo (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 11:02 AM
I liked WCW vs NWO world tour the best. Great game. Any game on the N64 was gold.
Posted By: Jboy1307 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Fire Pro Returns is #1 in my book otherwise a great list.
Posted By: jcmmnx (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 11:57 AM
"Stop trying to look out for what's best for your career right now and start looking at how it's going to affect your health in the future."
They're stuck in an unfortunate Catch 22 when Vince McMahon's WWE clearly pushes size first and foremost. And Rey's obviously drawn the short end of the stick to start with and, I'm only theorizing here, he prolly feels that it doesn't matter how over he is with the fans because if Vince doesn't like his body he's going nowhere.
The Day of Reckoning games gave you the ability to pull Angle's straps down when it was Olympic Slam time. That alone warrants its inclusion.
But, yes, No Mercy is hands down the greatest wrestling game ever. Simple things like throwing a guy to the floor and ramming him between the guard rail and the apron just felt REAL. An incredible experience and it remains so some nine years later.
"WTF? No Fire Pro?"
Do people read before posting? Ever?
Posted By: neverAcquiesce (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 12:07 PM
WTF? No Fire Pro?
Posted By: LittleE (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 12:38 AM
For real, I remember my friends and I would get our Playstation chipped so we can play Fire Pro. If you don't know what Fire Pro is it basically had all the Japan wrestlers mixed with WWFm, WCW, & ECW. Game fuckin' ruled. I will say this is a damn good list though
Posted By: theBZA (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 12:46 PM
No Mercy is the best.
Posted By: MBD (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 01:54 PM
How could you forget wrestling simulator TNM7? I booked matches and created wrestlers/move. TNM7 is one of the classics in wrestling sims. If it wasn't for TNM there wouldn't be Extreme Warfare.
Posted By: Guest#1840 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 02:16 PM
Thanks for putting up that link.
No Mercy, WM2000, and Revenge were awesome games. Good times, good times.
Posted By: Shane (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 03:33 PM
Revenge is one my favorite games. So many weapons and wrestlers to choose from. The cruiserweights were always fun. As was playing multiple people in a battle royal type match.
Posted By: Kyle (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 04:20 PM
The Cam'ron song does have a "Wooo!" in the chorus (and a Ric Flair namedrop), but otherwise has little or nothing to do with the Nature Boy. It's a hot song though, and the mixtape is worth checking out.
Posted By: Tom (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 05:13 PM
If you're looking for wrestling-related rap songs, search YouTube for "Swaggasaurus" by The TradeMark Experience. You'll see numerous wrestling tributes in the video, including the Ric Flair strut, Razor Ramon's taunt, and the Buff Bagwell dance (just to name a few)
Posted By: Tom (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 05:14 PM
Great list, I remember playing WCW vs the World for pushups with my brother and breaking games and controllers when I'd lose (although I did get buff that year)Bear Breath (RIP Gary Albright) Overdose and Akira were my faves. All of the N64 games are the BEST EVER, I still play them to this day and I even bought the japanese versions (Virtua Pro 1&2 which shoulda been on the list) when they dropped. Might have to fire up the ol '64 right now
Posted By: Guest#5163 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 06:57 PM
MAT MANIA hands down
Posted By: gshavel (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 07:54 PM
Regarding Mysterio, 30 Days isn't a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if Mysterio actually beat Ziggler AGAIN and then have Ziggler "injure" Mysterio and force Rey to relinquish the title or just have it off tv for 30 days. For as good as the Rey/Ziggler feud has been, there has really been no personal element to the feud so if they wanted to, creative could certainly go in that direction and feasibly stretch it out for another couple months. There is still mileage in the feud.
Posted By: Guest#4186 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 08:01 PM
"Glad the UFC fans are wasting all of the money they get from their minimum wage jobs to watch Ultimate Fighting."
And the majority of the people attending wrestling shows aren't earning minimum wage or on some form of welfare? You picked the wrong place to make a comment like that.
Posted By: Guest#9217 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 08:38 PM
Gotta agree with the list -- including EWR, I liked it so much that I paid Ryland $35 for the '04 and '07 editions each, though I MIGHT be crazy. Not TOO crazy though, because there were definite improvements.
Posted By: MadmanJack (Registered) on August 29, 2009 at 09:34 PM
Am I the only one who gets hard thinking of Awesome Kong?
Posted By: The Dutch (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 10:37 PM
Gotta agree with the list -- including EWR, I liked it so much that I paid Ryland $35 for the '04 and '07 editions each, though I MIGHT be crazy. Not TOO crazy though, because there were definite improvements.
Posted By: MadmanJack (Registered) on August 29, 2009 at 09:34 PM
EWR is free, you payed for TEW.
Posted By: Guest#7619 (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 10:54 PM
I still think those N64 games were overrated.
Glad you mentioned WCW vs The World over the other WCW games .. Nitro/Thunder backstage assault
Posted By: K. Bett (Guest) on August 30, 2009 at 02:32 AM
La Parka was my WCW champion on that game forever.
and I'm thrilled to see EWR included, and Wrestlefest (still LOVE that game) too!
Do yourself a favor and pick up a Fire Pro game (gba version, ps2 version are Both great) they are amazing. if you invest the time to rename and make the roster "real" will get you the best simulation game ever. pretty much anybody can wrestle anybody. and it can be pretty realistic. its great to just plug in two guy who you'd love to see lock up and there you go.
Posted By: educated savage (Guest) on August 30, 2009 at 01:16 PM
The greatest wrestling video game in history is the Royal Rumble for Super Nintendo. Great game play and way better than all that crap you spewed up there. But then again you worked in a game store while I was banging my wife so maybe your right. But to not include that or the old NWA game for NES is bad comedy. You are a disapointment to wrestling fans and men alike(since video games obviously over rode girls in your life) or its just that your now getting done puberty and N64 is the only "old" system you know with the exception of the arcade game that had dust on it when you found it.
Posted By: jhateman (Guest) on August 29, 2009 at 09:54 AM
--------------------------------
I always find it funny when IWC guys need to insult people with different opinions they comment on how much they get laid rather than care about this stuff. No one cares that you bang your wife dude, if you weren't I'd say there's something wrong there.
Posted By: dvs (Guest) on August 30, 2009 at 04:03 PM
What the hell? no Smackdown 2? Okay, so it had long lading times, but it has the best season mode of ny of the games, IMHO. I liked the anking system there too, so I could give anyone a push, and if my CAWS were in a PPV, I didn't have to worry about some lame popularity level or have 'boring' chants.
Posted By: CC Fanboy (Guest) on August 30, 2009 at 05:49 PM
What.. no Bop N' Wrestle? No Micro League Wrestling? No Tag-Team Wrestling??? Come on!!!
Posted By: GovernmentCheese (Guest) on August 30, 2009 at 08:10 PM
I see Borash got bashed in the article so I guess the WWE marks are angry at him.
Posted By: Heh (Guest) on August 30, 2009 at 08:35 PM
I totally disagree with your #1 pick as wwf Smackdown 2: Know your role, should be #1 I remember spending countless hours on that video game pwning my friends. The character creation was awesome and the game had hella moves. That's and I remember the best part of the game was the TLC match being able to stack tables ontop of each other and then trying to get your opponent to the top so your buddy could do a 450 splash onto him off of a ladder I really do think that was the greatest wresting video game. We used to set up a ladder inside the ring, and then throw a downed opponent into the annoucers table so we could just outta the ring onto his ass such fun memories.
Posted By: FUdge (Guest) on August 30, 2009 at 08:50 PM
actually, i see bryan danielson doing just fine in wwe due to the ROH stigma. that the fans will FORCE the push of the American Dragon. He'll end up getting a pop like CM Punk first did..and like Evan Bourne did.. it'll be too impossible to just ignore it and bury the guy
Posted By: sdmcc (Guest) on August 31, 2009 at 12:11 AM
The horrid 4-wrestlers-on-the-screen slowdown in No Mercy puts it behind WM2000, in my opinion.
Posted By: Steve307 (Guest) on August 31, 2009 at 12:42 AM
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