I don’t remember how old I was when I first discovered professional wrestling. What I do remember are the sights, the sounds, and the larger-than-life mountains of muscle and testosterone that were Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, Mr. Perfect, The Hart Foundation, etc
I consider myself lucky that I was born and grew up in an era when pro wrestling WAS pro wrestling. If I was an adolescent these days, pro wrestling wouldn’t be my passion, because wrestling today is mostly unwatchable. But I grew up when Hulkamania was running wild, when The Rock was forcing you to smell what he was cookin’, when Jerry Lawler still referred to breasts as “puppies.” This was a time when wrestlers actually played characters and were entertaining. Are there any gimmicks these days outside of Undertaker? If there are, you can probably count them on one hand. I get it Randy Orton, you’re tattooed and you’re angry. I get it Batista, you’re tattooed and you’re angry. I get it CM Punk, you’re tattooed and you’re angry (not to mention boring as hell).
Does anybody remember the 80s and 90s? On one Monday night, you could see a dead guy (Undertaker), a deranged psychopath (Mankind), and a gold-painted narcissistic metro sexual (Goldust), and then you could turn the channel and see The Crow (Sting), a human bull (Psicosis), and a skeleton (La Parka). Pro wrestling, my friend, does not get better than that. On one channel you would have Stone Cold Steve Austin chugging beers and giving a Stone Cold Stunner to Vince McMahon, and on the other you would see Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko putting on a wrestling clinic.
So what I’d like to do is discuss some of the wrestling games that captured and reeled me in as a child, a teenager, and an adult. I can’t cover every wrestling game, so I’ll just go over the ones I played the most. I didn‘t go back and play any of them because I want this to be pure nostalgia, although I did read up on some of them just so I could make sure I had my facts straight. But before I begin, perhaps I should show you some of my credentials.
My first step towards fulfilling a lifelong dream began on March 7th, 2004. This was my first day of wrestling training with TNA wrestler Shark Boy. It was a fifteen week course, three days a week, three hours a day. I couldn’t describe to you in words how sore I was after the first week, but I couldn’t have been more excited for the next training session. I loved every bump, every punch, every body slam. After graduating from the “Shark Tank,” I had my first real match on August 9th, 2004, one week after my 19th birthday. That was the day I began my career with the Northern Wrestling Federation under the tutelage of former WWE referee Roger Ruffen at the Bonekrusher’s National Pro Wrestling Training Center in Cincinnati. This is the same company where TNA stars Abyss, “Wildcat” Chris Harris, New Japan star Karl “Machine Gun” Anderson, and WWE Diva Jillian Hall all began their careers.
I’ve had the pleasure of sharing the ring with a decent amount of “names” in the wrestling business: Tatanka, Abyss, Al Snow, Billy Gunn, Kevin Thorn, and the best talent in the Midwest. I’ve been in Street Fights, Ladder Matches, Cage Matches, and just about any match you can think of. I’ve wrestled in front of 10,000 people at an anime convention in Toronto, and at the other end of the spectrum, I’ve wrestled in front of 12 people in West Liberty, Kentucky.
Me wrestling one of my all time favorites: Tatanka
I think being in the pro wrestling industry for over five years, and being a gamer for over twenty will help me to provide a unique perspective on these games. So, without further ado, let’s get this show on the road…
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