Wrestler appearances in other video games

[Shadow Master]

While browsing the Google Play Store today, I discovered a new Wrestling title that is currently for sale:



Yes, we finally have an official English version of Kairosoft's Pro-Wrestler Story.

[faulknasty]

Oct 19, 2024 2:37:09 GMT Shadow Master said:

While browsing the Google Play Store today, I discovered a new Wrestling title that is currently for sale:



Yes, we finally have an official English version of Kairosoft's Pro-Wrestler Story.

Oh hell yeah kairosoft I can't wait to try this one

Watched the trailer. It looks like it is the kairosoft sport management formula. a fun enough spin on it I will definitely get it at some point.

[Shadow Master]

What if I told you there exists a 3D Stardom gaming experience that costs $15,000.00 (yes, fifteen thousand dollars)? Would
you believe me? Read on....


Back in 2019, Fire Pro World released their first DLC based on Wrestlers from the Joshi promotion Wonder Ring Stardom.



At the retail price of $26.99, not everyone was happy about the sticker price. Let alone the second round of Stardom DLC
that would be released the following year.

Yet, if you thought $26 bucks was steep, wait until you get acquainted with my next submission:



Stardom 3D Figuavatar


In April of 2023, a Japanese company called SOFTBANK began selling NFT's based on the Stardom roster. The series 'Figuavatar' is a portmanteau

of the words 'figua' (the Japanese pronunciation for figure) and 'avatar'.

There were 29 Wrestlers available for sale. Each 'figure' was a fully-rendered depiction of their real-life counterpart. Players who purchased an avatar
would unlock specialized content (pictures/videos) as an added bonus.

....I know where everyone's mind is going, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case here.



Players who purchased a Stardom NFT 3D figure would also receive the Stardom ring as a bonus.





When you think about it, having a spare ring for one avatar is a genius business idea. What good is a ring and one avatar if you don't have a second (or fifth) avatar
to do battle with?

The cost for each avatar is $550.

That's not a typo ...five-hundred and fifty bucks a piece. Only 50 of each Joshi figure were released, too; so to purchase all 29 Wrestlers at $550 a piece, it would
cost the player $15,000.

And even then, fifteen grand still isn't going to unlock everything in your Stardom 3D Figuavatar experience. No sir. Then you have to buy the ladies' individual moves:



Each move is limited to an edition of just 30 units. There are two price tiers. Common moves start at $50; whereas more iconic moves go for $100
a piece.

Here's a promotional video made for the Stardom 3D Figuavatar NFT's:




So, if you ever wanted a modern 3D Wrestling title featuring the Stardom ladies: it was available. You just needed to be rich enough to play it.

As much as I find these prices absolutely ludicrous, they are unfortunately par for the course in the world of Pro-Wrestling NFT's. SOFTBANK
wasn't the first, nor the last developer to charge absurd premiums for exclusive Wrestlers (I'm looking at you Blockchain Brawlers).

In the end, it all comes down to just how fervent Wrestling fans really are. These levels of greed wouldn't exist if today's customers didn't
support these digital products to begin with.

[faulknasty]

Oct 19, 2024 12:55:56 GMT Shadow Master said:

What if I told you there exists a 3D Stardom gaming experience that costs $15,000.00 (yes, fifteen thousand dollars)? Would
you believe me? Read on....


Back in 2019, Fire Pro World released their first DLC based on Wrestlers from the Joshi promotion Wonder Ring Stardom.



At the retail price of $26.99, not everyone was happy about the sticker price. Let alone the second round of Stardom DLC
that would be released the following year.

Yet, if you thought $26 bucks was steep, wait until you get acquainted with my next submission:



Stardom 3D Figuavatar


In April of 2023, a Japanese company called SOFTBANK began selling NFT's based on the Stardom roster. The series 'Figuavatar' is a portmanteau

of the words 'figua' (the Japanese pronunciation for figure) and 'avatar'.

There were 29 Wrestlers available for sale. Each 'figure' was a fully-rendered depiction of their real-life counterpart. Players who purchased an avatar
would unlock specialized content (pictures/videos) as an added bonus.

....I know where everyone's mind is going, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case here.



Players who purchased a Stardom NFT 3D figure would also receive the Stardom ring as a bonus.





When you think about it, having a spare ring for one avatar is a genius business idea. What good is a ring and one avatar if you don't have a second (or fifth) avatar
to do battle with?

The cost for each avatar is $550.

That's not a typo ...five-hundred and fifty bucks a piece. Only 50 of each Joshi figure were released, too; so to purchase all 29 Wrestlers at $550 a piece, it would
cost the player $15,000.

And even then, fifteen grand still isn't going to unlock everything in your Stardom 3D Figuavatar experience. No sir. Then you have to buy the ladies' individual moves:



Each move is limited to an edition of just 30 units. There are two price tiers. Common moves start at $50; whereas more iconic moves go for $100
a piece.

Here's a promotional video made for the Stardom 3D Figuavatar NFT's:




So, if you ever wanted a modern 3D Wrestling title featuring the Stardom ladies: it was available. You just needed to be rich enough to play it.

As much as I find these prices absolutely ludicrous, they are unfortunately par for the course in the world of Pro-Wrestling NFT's. SOFTBANK
wasn't the first, nor the last developer to charge absurd premiums for exclusive Wrestlers (I'm looking at you Blockchain Brawlers).

In the end, it all comes down to just how fervent Wrestling fans really are. These levels of greed wouldn't exist if today's customers didn't
support these digital products to begin with.

That's because NFTs have always been scams and that's why the market crashed hard.

[Shadow Master]

Limousine ridin', jet flyin', Princess stealin', son-of-a-koopa!

Ric Flair appears in a fan-created parody of Super Mario Bros. on the NES!



Check out the meme here:
www.instagram.com/nocontextflairmemes/reel/DA38ac8OhSP/

The sprite that was used to create Ric Flair is a redrawn Ultimate Warrior from the Rare's NES title WWF WrestleMania Challenge.

[Shadow Master]

Since most of us are glued to our phones over consoles these days, it's easy to see why companies would try their hand at merging the
world of Pro-Wrestling with NFT's. They're the trendy new digital doohickey that's taking up cyberspace. Add in a collectible nature to
these 'drops', along with the potential to resell them at a higher cost, and a digital marketplace is born.

Like videogames, NFT's are a digital experience. One that has been endorsed by New Japan, Stardom, WWE, and also...



NJPW legend Masahiro Chono.

On May 20th, 2022, Masahiro Chono was the first Wrestler added to NFT Pro Wrestling; a joint venture between Tokyo Sports,
ARISTRIST (Masahiro Chono's personal clothing label), and Shin Takarajima.




From Tokyo Sport's press release:

"Tokyo Sports, which has been covering professional wrestling and martial arts for many years, will release a series of digital art NFTs of
professional wrestlers, one after another, based on its own treasured photos and famous scenes. In addition, as part of our efforts to
distribute pro-wrestling and pro-wrestler content in various fields by making full use of the Metaverse, the first special offer will be
“Let's step into the ring as Mr. Chono in the Metaverse! The first special offer will be a stuffed avatar of Mr. Chono, which can be used
in the Metaverse, as a gift for all NFT purchasers."

[Shadow Master]

This morning, I have discovered one of the earliest Japanese Wrestling games from 1984! One of which, most of you may never have
seen before.


The Field Pro-Wrestling
Known in Japan as "リングの上は大さわぎ"

The Field Pro-Wrestling was released only in Japan on the FM-7 home computer system. Field Pro-Wrestling was developed by
Oh! FM; a Japanese gaming magazine that specialized in covering the FM computer series.



The cover features illustrations of a Japanese and an American Wrestler. With the Japanese Wrestler performing an Enzuigiri,
my first guess over likenesses would be Antonio Inoki vs Hulk Hogan.



Which wasn't far off from the cover SEGA produced with Champion Pro-Wrestle Special (the home computer port of arcade grappling title Appoooh!,
which was released a year later in 1985).



In The Field Pro-Wrestling, players assume the role of the 'Jumbo Brothers'; a Japanese tag team named after 'The Ace of All Japan' Jumbo Tsuruta.
The Jumbo Brothers must square off with the dastardly masked tag team: the 'Crush Brothers'; whom I feel are based on the Strong Machines.

In 1984, the Strong Machines tag team were first established in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. That same year, Super Strong Machine had his first match
against Antonio Inoki. In reality, The Strong Machines tag team wouldn't begin Wrestling in rival promotion All Japan until 1986. 

I also thought the duo could be the Gaspar Brothers; but they wouldn't make their debut in New Japan until 1988.

While he is a clone sprite, the second member of the Jumbo Brothers could very well be Antonio Inoki. Inoki's signature Enzuigiri finisher is one of the
nine moves featured in the game.




The referee is based on All Japan Pro-Wrestling ref Jo Higuchi. There is also a lone cameraman at ringside filming the action.




Jo's sprite reminds me of the tribal warriors in the Master System classic Safari Hunt.

The Field Pro-Wrestling was modeled after Technos Japan's 1983 Japanese arcade title 'The Big Pro-Wrestling' (later renamed Tag Team Pro-Wrestling
outside of Japan). The opening credits of Field Pro-Wrestling mention: "with permission from Technos Japan" as a nod to this.

According to the November 1984 issue of FM magazine, producer Jun Amanai stated that he initially wanted to call the game 'Pro-Wrestling Madness',
but changed his mind after wondering how Hudson Soft would react to this.



The attract screen displays move names and their associated points and damage stats. The nine moves in The Field Pro-Wrestling are:

1. Headlock
2. Western Jab (I think this is supposed to be Terry Funk's signature 'Texas Jab')
3. Dropkick
4. Bodyslam
5. Enzuigiri (Inoki's signature technique)
6. Piledriver
7. Western Lariat (Stan Hansen's signature technique)
8. Brainbuster
9. German Suplex

There's also power up moves that come in the form of:

Onigiri (Japanese rice cakes) - which boosts player(s) stamina by 5 points, and
Akican (translation 'empty can') - which reduces player(s) stamina by 5 points.



The use of onigiri may be inspired by Jumbo Tsuruta's early sponsorship of the popular treat.

You can watch The Field Pro-Wrestling in action here:




There's also a chance that the Crush Brothers could be based on Mil Mascaras and Dos Caras.



In Big Pro-Wrestling, the masked opponent was originally inspired by Mil Mascaras.



Super Strong Machine wouldn't appear for another two years under the Famicom and NES ports of Tag Team Pro-Wrestling in 1986; and even
then, Mil Mascaras is still a recurring character in this version as well.

Much like Field's source material, there are only two tag teams in Field Pro-Wrestling. Player(s) face the Crush Brothers infinitely until losing.

Finding this rarity makes me want to dive deeper into Japanese home computer consoles. Who knows what else exists out there...

[Shadow Master]

This next article could very well be the holy grail of unreleased Pro-Wrestling video games.


Super Strong Warriors
Known in Japan as スーパーストロングウォリアーズ　



Super Strong Warriors was promoted as the first arcade game created on Jaleco's Mega System 32 hardware.




The same year, Jaleco released Tuff Enuff/Dead Dance on the SNES/Super Famicom in 1993. The Wrestlers of the game Vortz and Gajet are

based on Hulk Hogan and Super Strong Machine. With these likenesses in mind, I believe the title Super Strong Warriors may have

been inspired by Super Strong Machine name-wise.

Magazine articles and advertisements were featured in Japanese gaming magazines at the time. Though, I can only see seven Wrestlers
from the ad itself.

Super Strong Warriors was said to combine wrestling with a 'KO system' (kind of like Saturday Night Slam Masters), in a 3D environment.



From left to right:

1st Wrestler - A guy in red kung-fu pants with white socks and shoes. His bowl cut and martial arts mannerisms are a dead-ringer for Bruce Lee.

2nd Wrestler - The token American Wrestler. His pseudo-mohawk and colourful makeup is reminiscent of Surfer era Sting and The Road Warriors.

3rd Wrestler - A towering Japanese Wrestler covered in gold?! It's Giant Baba wearing Antonio Inoki's red fight towel.

4th Wrestler - A large, heavy-set Wrestler from a South Asian/Middle Eastern background. With his large frame, sideburns and flame attack, this
                     competitor is based on Tiger Jeet Singh.

5th Wrestler - A masked Mexican Luchador. This Wrestler is most-likely based on Mil Mascaras.

6th Wrestler - The token female Wrestler. She wears a cat mask. Could be the first gender-crossed Tiger Mask reference. There's also the slim
                     chance she may be based on Cat Woman from the Batman universe.

7th Wrestler - An evil Wrestler with fangs and glowing red-eyes. You're probably thinking this competitor is based on Street Fighter's Akuma.
                     In actuality, Akuma wouldn't make his debut in the Street Fighter series for another year.
                    
                     Jaleco's previous release Tuff Enuff/Dead Dance featured characters that were inspired by the Fist Of The North Star/Hokuto no Ken
                     anime (which in turn, was inspired by Bruce Lee and Mad Max films). This boss character could be a reference to North Star antagonist
                     Raoh; much the same as Tuff Enuff/Dead Dance's final boss Jade was also inspired by Raoh.



Graphically, the character sprites look like they use pre-rendered 3D graphics (much the same as Donkey Kong Country or Star Fox on
Nintendo's 16-bit consoles).

According to a Jaleco employee, Super Strong Warriors was placed into storage and still remains unreleased to this day. In it's place
Jaleco redeveloped Super Strong Warriors as Best Bout Boxing in 1994, but by this point, the entire roster of Super Strong Warriors
was scrapped.

31 years later, no rom dump has ever surfaced for Super Strong Warriors. To me, this is the holy grail of Wrestling titles...


                     

[Shadow Master]

Jaleco appears once again on this list with a number of Pro-Wrestler and pop culture references.


Arm Champs II

Arm Champs II is the 1992 sequel to Jaleco's original arm wrestling simulator. Stylistically, Tte Arm Champs series was inspired by
Nintendo's 1985 similar arcade Wrestling title Arm Wrestling; an America-only release with several characters lifted from the Nintendo
classic Punch-Out!

Unlike Arm Wrestling, Arm Champs II had Western and Japanese arcade releases.






The first opponent is the lone woman of the game. Sexy Russian Bodybuilder Trixie.



I'm definitely picking up American Gladiators vibes with Trixie's design. Gladiators was a popular television series
which ran from 1989 - 1996.




Chang is a Chinese street performer. Is that Beijing Opera-inspired makeup Chang is wearing, or are those markings meant
to resemble Abdullah The Butcher's famous head scars?

Some Japanese players believe Chang's design is closer to Ramen Man from the Kinnikuman series. There may be some
Killer Khan thrown in, but that's just reaching on my part.




Known as the 'prince of planet amusement' Atlas is an intergalactic superhero character reminiscent of masked wonders such
as The Flash.

I tried looking through Jaleco's catalog of games, yet couldn't find a reference from any other Jaleco titles. I also looked to see
if there was some sort of obscure reference to an amusement park in Japan with Atlas' connection, yet also came up with nothing.



It should be noted that each character's place of origins is meant to be misleading. Turk, the retired soldier hailing from
Egypt is based on late Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein.

The name 'Turk' is based on the word Turkmen. During his regime, Hussein famously ordered the removal of thousands of
Iraqi Turkmen from Iraq in exchange for Arabs.



Up next is an American boxer and ex Champion based out of New York City. I'm going with an easy assumption here and guess
that Duke is based on Mike Tyson.



Billed from England, The Rock is a nod to Road Warrior Hawk, Animal and Jaleco's first Hulk Hogan-inspired knockoff
(there's three that I can think of across three separate Jaleco games ...giving Fire Pro a run for their money for most
Hogan look-alikes).

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson wouldn't make his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia for another four years.

The Rock's taunts include sticking out his tongue (like Hawk) and also...




Breathing fire like Tiger Jeet Singh!

A year later, Hogan's last WWF TV appearance came at King of The Ring, where a Japanese photographer (Harvey
Wippleman) shot a fireball in Hogan's face, costing him the WWF title (special thanks to Ring The Damn Bell for the info).



Goliath is a bodybuilder from France. My guess is Goliath is based on famed Austrian bodybuilder-turned movie star
Arnold Schwarzenegger.



The creepy smile and muscular physique also brings to mind memories of the musclebound Cho Aniki series.
The first Cho Aniki game was released the same year in 1992.



Billed as the strongest Sumo Wrestler, Shibayama is a tough one. Folks outside of Japan say Shibayama is based on Yokozuna,
who made his WWF debut the same year. There's also a theory that Shibayama is inspired by Street Fighter's E. Honda.

Personally speaking here, I don't see either influence. Moreover, Nintendo's Arm Wrestling had a sumo character of their own
named Kabuki. Shibayama may be a nod to Nintendo's Kabuki.



The final opponent is American Robo Arm Wrestler Specks. Specks is based on Robocop.

[Shadow Master]

Jaleco are certainly giving the Fire Pro-Wrestling series a run for their money when it comes to Wrestler likenesses.


Best Bout Boxing

Released in arcades in 1994, Best Bout Boxing was one of the earliest titles to implement Jaleco's Mega System 32
arcade hardware.

Best Bout Boxing was also a redesigned version of Jaleco's unreleased fighter Super Strong Warriors. Though, the
entire Warriors roster has been scrapped, Best Bout Boxing still contains entirely-new Pro-Wrestler references.





Australian boxer Biff Vulgue (which may be the word 'vulgar' mistranslated) is based on Abdullah The Butcher. Even before the
match begins, Biff is already bloody.



Next to Biff is Jose Hum Dinger. Hum Dinger is one of the tallest boxers in the game, which makes me think of Willie 'Bear Killer' Williams.
Yet, I think Jose may be closer to Tiger Jeet Singh; Abdullah's rival and later-tag team partner in All Japan Pro-Wrestling.



Every Japanese boxing simulator needs a Japanese fighter as the poster boy. The folks over at Retrovania vgjunk had this to say about Jyoji:

"I suspect the developers may have been slightly influenced by superior boxing manga Hajime no Ippo when designing Jyoji: not only does he share
a first name with Jyoji Morikawa, creator of Hajime no Ippo, (and it's not a particularly common name either, being a Japanese approximation of
"George",) but his special move is also called the "Gazelle Punch", which is also the name of a trademark punch belonging to Hajime no Ippo's
main character."



Originally, I though Jyoji was a nod to Joe Higashi from the Fatal Fury series. Much the same here, I think Kim was inspired by Kim Kaphan,
who made his debut in Fatal Fury 2 from 1992.



Thai boxer Thamalatt's body tattoos and mohawk may remind players of The Road Warriors, but I feel Thamalatt is closer to
Adon as he first appeared in the original Street Fighter.



Similarly-coloured hair and a darker character portrait. Adon wouldn't make his return to the Street Fighter series until Street Fighter Alpha
/Zero a year later in 1995.



Grute Smith is based on Mike Tyson.



Carold Fist is a tough one.



A similar-looking fighter appeared the same year in Astral Bout 2. The character 'Gregory "Lucky" Hawk' was said to be based on
British fighter Lee Hasdell.

The final unplayable opponent is Draef Varona, who is based on Ivan Drago.

[Shadow Master]

The recently-released Hard Time III is another MDickie game that we can add to the list of titles that features plenty of Pro-Wrestler references.

Along with a cast of officers, inmates and civilians based on Pro-Wrestlers, there's also Wrestling-related Easter Eggs sprinkled around
Hard Time III's open world, Grand Theft Auto-esque environment.



At the back of the plane level, there is a sign referencing Ric Flair's antics on the infamous 'Plane Ride from Hell'.

[Shadow Master]

Vintage artwork for Nintendo's Arm Wrestling from 1985.

In Nintendo lore, the mystery masked man 'Mask X' is the in-game alter ego of Punch-Out! character
Bald Bull.



Though, Mask's actual look is based on Dick 'The Destroyer' Beyer.



 

The art itself looks like it was inspired by Macho Man Randy Savage and 'first lady of Wrestling', the lovely Miss Elizabeth.

The WWF was in full-swing, Hulkamania was running wild, and WWF references in other properties had to be kept to a minimum.

As much as The Destroyer was a household name in Japan, by the time the WWF had become a global phenomenon, 'the sensational
and intelligent' Destroyer had become relegated to that of a former champion from yesteryear. One who's greatest matches
(especially high profile ones grossing the most televised views) took place overseas.

[Shadow Master]

Another Wrestling Easter Egg spotted in MDickie's recently-released Hard Time III.

In the police station level, there is a wanted poster for Cactus Jack!

[Melonbread]

Love this ... that's a very interesting find re: the FM7 game リングの上は大さわぎ.

I asked ChatGPT to translate the name and it gave me:

The phrase リングの上は大さわぎ (Ringu no ue wa oosawagi) translates to: "It's a big commotion in the ring!"

Found this flyer / advert on Twitter:



ChatGPT translates this as:

Experience the thrill of the arcade game "The Big Pro Wrestling" on the FM-7!

To all the professional wrestling fans across the country, we're pleased to introduce this game. The FM-7 version is designed to bring the excitement of matchups like "Jumbo Brothers" versus "Crazy Brothers" right to your fingertips. It’s a sibling rivalry on a global stage, with wrestling moves to enjoy.

Inside the ring, you can perform moves like German Suplexes, Western Lariats, Drop Kicks, and Pile Drivers with ease. As you continue with these techniques, your opponents will be hurled through the air, giving you a sense of overwhelming power!

Enjoy the dynamic action right on your keyboard!

The Big Pro Wrestling (C) TECHNOS JAPAN CORP. This game is based on the arcade game The Big Pro Wrestling produced by Technos Japan Corporation and has been modified for FM-7.


PS - sounds like this game was originally published (presumably as an "Type your own code" program?) in Oh!FM magazine in Japan.  Sounds like it was submitted to the magazine by amateur programmer Jun Amanai (who would later go on to work for (or maybe found?) Tengen), before agreement was reached with Technos Japan for a commercial release.

[Staubhold]

Oct 27, 2024 18:59:28 GMT Shadow Master said:

Grute Smith is based on Mike Tyson.

Since we have Ivan Drago in there, I think Gruth Smith is more based on Apollo Creed...

SPOILER: Click to show