How the WWF Wrestlemania game was created: 17 interesting facts about the game (15 photos)

Today we will dive into a nostalgic ice hole and pull out from the depths of memory one of the craziest and most memorable wrestling games - "WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game", which, I am sure, many played on the "Sega mega drive 2" console.





Almost "Mortal Kombat"

Let's start with the most important thing: this game was developed by none other than the legendary company "Midway" - the same one that gave us "Mortal Kombat", "NBA Jam" and other arcade masterpieces.

The studio decided to make a new realistic fighting game about wrestling without blood, but with a bunch of features and humor.

Live wrestlers in the frame

As in MK, all the characters in the game were played by live actors, or more precisely, real WWF wrestlers. Their movements were filmed on video, after which the frames were digitized and inserted into the game. Therefore, we get the most lively animation - albeit angular, but charismatic to the point of impossibility.



Nightwolf - developer

One of the main developers of the game was Sal Divita, who not only was involved in the development of the Mortal Kombat series of games, but also hid Nightwolf in the third part of the game.





Who is Doink?

You probably remember all these great titans of wrestling: The Undertaker, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Bam Bam Bigelow, Yokozuna, and then suddenly the clown Doink. It would seem, what is he doing here? But he was the first to be added to the game. The creators were bribed by the absurdity of the image.



By the way, Doink was portrayed by different people at different times, but in the game his movements were “given life” by wrestler Matt Borne, who at that time was performing as a clown.

The most docile wrestler

Working with Shawn Michaels (real name Michael Shawn Hickenbottom) went like clockwork. He was the only wrestler who clearly followed all the instructions, despite his apparent sloppiness. Even if the scene didn’t work out, he didn’t argue, didn’t freak out, but calmly did everything over again until he achieved the perfect take.



Unlike his stage image, in life he turned out to be a true professional.

Bret Hart: both a wrestler and a sound engineer

Bret Hart not only participated in the filming, but also helped with the sound. Yes, that same "The Hitman" really helped with the sound. He got into the process completely - he approached the work as a true creator. Respect to him for that.



Yokozuna and the Treadmill

Yokozuna, aka Rodney Anoa'i, weighed over 250 kilograms, so recording his movements was not an easy task. They solved the problem in an unconventional way: they brought a treadmill to the studio. And only in this way were they able to film the necessary animations.



Yokozuna is not Japanese!

According to legend, Yokozuna was a Japanese sumo wrestler, but in fact he is an American of Samoan descent. So the mask of a Japanese warrior is nothing more than a stage image.

"Do a somersault!"

One day, Sal Divita (one of the game developers) asked Yokozuna to do a somersault. Yokozuna was offended by this suggestion, so he suggested that Sal do a somersault himself.



Sal decided to show his professionalism, especially since he played Nightwolf in the game "Mortal Kombat 3". In the end, he did a somersault so badly that he almost broke his neck.

However, this whole heated argument ended on a peaceful note. Yokozuna and Undertaker invited Sal to a bar. After that, Sal did not remember anything, and he woke up somewhere on the street near a garbage dump.

Where is the purple one?

Many people remember Undertaker in the game by his purple colors, which stand out against his black robes. But then fans saw Undertaker in robes with red flowers, which surprised them a little.



As it turned out, he deliberately wore clothes with red or gray colors, since all the movements were filmed against a blue screen (chroma key). And since purple is close to blue, removing the background could cause some problems. It was much easier to repaint the red and gray colors in purple after digitalization.

Where are the Steiner brothers?

At first, the Steiner Brothers were planned to be in the game. But they left the WWF for WCW, which is why they were cut. But Lex Luger, who also changed camps, was left for some reason.



Another one who didn't make it to the game was Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect), who simply didn't show up for the filming. That's how it happens. And in vain. He could have immortalized himself in the game.

Who's Gone Forever

Of the 8 wrestlers featured in the game, four have already left this world:

Matt Bourne (Doink) - died in 2013 due to an overdose of a banned drug.

Scott Hall (Razor Ramon) - died in 2022 due to heart problems.

Yokozuna - died in 2000 at the age of only 34 due to pulmonary edema, which is not surprising given his weight.

Bam Bam Bigelow - died in 2007 due to an overdose of a banned drug.



Combo

The game has a combo system, that is, a continuous series of attacks. The most powerful combo in the game is Bam Bam Bigelow - as many as 23 hits! The Undertaker is second with 19 hits. The combos of the other participants are a little more modest, but no less interesting.

Commentators

In the game, you can also see real WWF commentators, including Mr. McMahon himself.



No Fatality

Sal Divita and his colleagues wanted to add fatalities to the game - just like in MK. Imagine: Doink knocking out teeth with a giant hammer, or Undertaker summoning ghostly hands from under the ring. But one of the developers (Vince McMahon) said: "No!" He wanted the game to be playable by children, and the "Fatality" system could increase the age rating.



Nevertheless, some semblance of fatality can still be seen in the game. The Undertaker, for example, can push his opponent into a coffin at the end of the fight.

Weapons

Despite the fact that this game is a fighting game with an emphasis on punches and kicks, the developers decided to give the characters weapons for fun. For example, Shawn Michaels can hit the enemy with a bat, Doink with a hammer, and the Undertaker can powerfully hit him with a tombstone.



Bam Bam Bigelow in the movies

If you've seen the movie "Major Payne", then you probably remember that biker who was hired by the cadets to beat up the cruel officer. But in the end, the biker got it himself.

So, the role of this biker was played by Scott Charles Bigelow himself - aka Bam Bam Bigelow.



Which character did you like to play as?