wrestling / Columns

The Professional 3 5.20.13 Top 3 Non-WCW Wrestlers in WCW/nWo Revenge

May 20, 2013 | Posted by Jon Harder

Welcome everyone to another edition of the Professional 3 on 411wrestling.com! I’m Jon Harder and another P3 is on the docket. So much excitement, I know, but a crazy idea has taken over the realm of my psyche for this week’s edition. I am already laying the blame for Nintendo 64. There is a reason. I will get to it in a moment.

Before I do, however, check out this week’s Hardway Podcast exclusively on TheJonHarder.com. I have an interview with Florida independent standout Aaron Epic. It’s a solid interview that highlights Beyond Wrestling, Resistance Pro, and even a little Billy Corgan talk. Also, this coming Saturday in Deptford, NJ, I will be managing my charge Leon St. Giovanni in a one-on-one battle against CZW’s Devon Moore at On Point Wrestling. If you are in the area, please come check out the show and enjoy some great wrestling. More importantly, enjoy a win for Professionalism.

Lastly, follow me on Twitter @TheJonHarder and let me know what you have thought of the columns thus far by simply using the #Professional3 hashtag when writing to me. I love feedback, so bring it on and let me know what your opinions are of the P3.

Now, as I alluded to in the opening paragraph, the Nintendo 64 has really taken control of my life over the past week. Digging deep into the boxes of yesteryear, I found my old console and a bundle of my old games. From Mario Tennis and Super Smash Bros to Goldeneye and BLUES BROTHERS 2000 (Yes, especially that piece of crap), the N64 and I have had a great reunion. However, it wasn’t until I made the challenge to plug in THIS game, that my column became crystal clear for this week.

WCW/nWo Revenge was a perfect example of a great game hitting at the perfect time. At a time where the Monday Night Wars were hot, when pro wrestling was its peak, this video game set the tone for all that was great about the Nintendo 64 wrestling games. It was easy to control, simple to play, and more importantly, a downright treat to explore. You could fight in multiple venues, utilize weapons, and even compete in 40-man battle royals. Every wrestler had a unique move set to one another. Hell, even with a select few, you could do striking combinations with them.

Any game that is easy to control is a good game for me. Unlike the crazy combination button mashing in WWF War Zone and Attitude, Revenge and its predecessor, WCW vs nWo: World Tour, were simple to understand and grasp. It did not take a rocket scientist to learn how to play the THQ/AKI based video game. Most importantly, this game showed how LOADED the roster World Championship Wrestling possessed in 1998.

Whether it be the high-flying Cruiserweights, the pure technicians, the two separate New World Order entities (Hollywood and Wolfpäc), or even Raven’s Flock, WCW was packed to the gills with talent. Also, with the customs menu where you could change the attire of all the wrestlers, it was off to the races for me. Trust me, the placing of Hollywood Hogan’s attire onto Goldberg and renaming him “Holly Berg” still maintains the greatest character never unleashed onto the world of wrestling. Yet, somehow, the guys I mostly leaned towards using were NOT WCW talent. They were the infamous characters exclusively created for Revenge, and most of all, my go-to-guys.

The creators of WCW/nWo Revenge created two separate rosters of guys for the fictional rosters of EWF (Empire Wrestling Federation) and DAW (Dead or Alive Wrestling). Apparently, the original Japanese wrestlers were created for the game, but due to copyright issues and THQ getting cold feet on using the real counterparts without an agreement, the selected wrestlers from All Japan Pro Wrestling and FMW were switched around to be completely fictional. Yet, these guys, to me, were the cooler guys to utilize in the game. For some reason, taking these wrestlers and having them win WCW championships were fun as a 14 year old Jon. And yet, as an older gentleman now, I STILL think they are awesome. Just the pure concept of something different always drove me to use these characters.

In the spirit of this column, I will now take the time to mention my three favorites within the realm of WCW/nWo Revenge. Without further adieu, I present…

THE PROFESSIONAL 3: Jon’s Favorite non-WCW Wrestlers in WCW/nWo Revenge

1) AKI MAN

The most memorable of these characters. Supposedly developed in the likeness of the late, great Misawa, AKI Man looked anything BUT Misawa. Dressed in a full body-suit where the mask was attached to the suit, AKI Man’s style was legit to say the least. Mixing strikes with high flying ability, AKI Man was fun to use. He made a cool noise when he won his matches and his double dragon-screw leg whips were especially fun to utilize. Also doubling as THQ Man, AKI Man took his successes from Revenge and was the only one that moved over to the WWF franchise when AKI/THQ signed on with the World Wrestling Federation in 1999, as he was the “crash test dummy” for all create-a-wrestlers when it came to developing a move set for WWF No Mercy in 2000. AKI Man was a legend in the N64 boom of wrestling games and more importantly, he did so with a mask that had NO EYES. What a marvel.

2) HAN ZO MON

Based off Hayabusa, the likeness of Han Zo Mon was seen in WCW vs nWo: World Tour as Hannibal. However, unlike World Tour, Han Zo Mon had free range to fly and demonstrate his high-flying abilities at will. Han Zo Mon also demonstrated the Stardust Press for the first time in any American wrestling video game. Bottom line, Han Zo Mon was a cult favorite of my friends during our times playing Revenge. If you are a fan of cruiserweights, Han Zo Mon is a great one to use against the Mysterios and Juvis. Just my personal preference.

3) DR. FRANK

Should this even be a choice? Dr. Von Frankenstein’s greatest creation in a wrestling game is INGENIOUS!!! The monster of the EWF made a huge impact within WCW/nWo Revenge by simply being Frankenstein. Obviously based off the Mary Shelley novel (or Herman Munster, personally), Dr. Frank was a very unique creature. With his wrestling style based off the legendary Jumbo Tsuruta, Dr. Frank made his prescience felt. I never had as much fun as utilizing the Giant Swing as I had with Dr. Frank. It just looked like he was having a lot of fun. Dr. Frank was so simple, yet a great creation for the game.

WCW/nWo Revenge was an incredible wrestling that set the tone for future generations on how games were developed, played, and enjoyed. WCW has been hated for a LOT of things, but this game was not one of them. By far, it is the most influential wrestling game in history.

Now, although my P3 topics are completed, I have decided to at least attempt to tackle one man who is a major secret catch in Revenge that was never supposed to make the final cut. In my opinion, this is a topic that NEEDS a legitimate answer and I’m out for truth. Let’s see how this goes…

BONUS DISCUSSION: WRATH

If anyone remembers, in the original WCW vs nWo: World Tour video game for Nintendo 64, Wrath was one of the hidden characters that could be unlocked after winning the DOA league challenge. However, in Revenge, Wrath was not a part of the original roster for the game. It was determined through the maker of the original game, Wrath was going to be included. But due to either a last second switch or to reasons unbeknownst to fans, he was taken out. Yet, the coding of Wrath was still within the Revenge game. So via a Game Shark, which was the ultimate cheat code aid for all video game nerds, and specific codes entered through the Game Shark, Wrath could be injected into WCW/nWo Revenge. I like to call him the ULTIMATE hidden character. He was given Sting’s gear, and had some glitches on certain maneuvers (i.e. his front grapple special the Spinning Uranage having no crowd response whenever he delivered it), but Wrath was awesome within the game. He was my WCW champion on numerous occasions…until the game reset and I had to take hours out of my day to get the Game Shark to work to do it ALL over again.

Who were your favorite custom characters in Revenge? Even more so, who were your favorites to use IN Revenge? EVEN MORE SO THAN THAT, what’s your opinion on Wrath being hidden within Revenge? Tweet me @TheJonHarder with your responses. Thanks for reading the P3 and see you next week!!!

Jon Harder