THQ Superstar Challenge - Article on Gamespy

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

I didn't know if I should put this in Video Games or here, so I just went with here. So far, it's a great article. And, of course, Stevie's in the interview, which is how I found out about the article, from his site.

 

http://gamespy.com/articles/april03/wrestl...nia/index.shtml

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

I've seen the IGN one. They have interviews with a lot of people. Victoria is amusing, and I know you in particular, Yuna, would like the interview with Shannon Moore and Steven:

 

Richards: You know what's weird. You never speak with that southern accent except on camera.

Moore: Yeah, I know... Uh...

Richards: That girl over there said I had a sexy voice because of this implant in my throat.

Moore: I was thinkin' it was kinda sexy too man, I mean a little bit later I was just wonderin' if we could...

*Richards puts his hand over the camera, laughter*

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

Damn you, it sounded so real, and I was even believing it, except the end.

 

Is the IGN article different than the on Gamespy?

[Guest chirs3]

Could you cut and paste it here, Yuna? Clicking the link kills my computer, for some reason.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Allow me to more or less rip most the IGN article. The parody slash moment really is real, I'll link to it and other vids when I'm done uploading:

 

The first round was a wash, with avid gamers like Shelton Benjamin and Rosey whipping their opponents rather easily. While D-Von and Bubba Ray Dudley competed for almost twenty minutes before D-Von managed to eek out a victory. Nidia and Victoria were pretty close competitors as well (with Nidia taking the win), and Sean O' Haire and Maven fell to Shannon Moore and Steven Richards respectively. One of the more heated bouts of the night was between the Hurricane and rapper-extraordinaire John Cena, which ultimately saw the Green Lantern take the win. The final first round match-up pitted Christian against Kanyon, and you know how the saying goes: "Whose better than Kanyon? Nobody!"

 

Round two was a lot more competitive, with Benjamin overtaking Rosey in another tough battle and Nidia defeating D-Von because of outside interference from Sean O' Haire. On the other side of the bracket Steven Richards absolutely destroyed Shannon Moore, and The Hurricane went toe-to-toe with Kanyon before earning himself a W. During the hubbub, we managed to grab a couple of interviews with the superstars.

 

The Semi-Finals proved extremely interesting on several points. The first was that Stephen Richards continued his dominance by defeating the emerald hero Hurricane in a highly contested match. The second was Tough Enough winner and all-around nice girl Nidia, pulling PS2 Editor Jeremy Dunham up on stage with her to compete against her opponent Shelton Benjamin. A pre-planned run-in devised before the match between Nidia and Dunham, the run-in proved successful when Jeremy's Brock Lesnar F-5'd Shelton's Kane several times. In short, Benjamin got owned.

 

Note: Jonathan Coachman, who was emceeing the event, forced Nidia to replay her match against Benjamin, who ended up with the win. Heartless? Maybe.

 

The final match of the evening saw Shelton Benjamin take on Stephen Richards battle back and forth for the championship. It was a heated contest with plenty of back and forth moments akin to that of an actual wrestling match. When all was said and done though, Benjamin upset the favorite and took home the gold. For his efforts Shelton received $2500 for a charity of his choice, while Stephen was allowed $1500.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

[Almost all their names provide a link to a pic....there's some great pics there, by the way]

 

[page 1]

 

THQ Superstar Challenge

(Or When Wrestlers Geek Out)

16 WWE superstars and divas duke it out at WrestleMania XIX on the PlayStation 2.

By Raymond "PsyLanceStorm" Padilla | April. 2, 2003

 

In the days leading up to WrestleMania XIX, the WWE held its "Fan Axxess" event. The festivities were an opportunity for wrestling fans to meet WWE superstars and divas, get some autographs, snap some photos, and buy some gear. One of the more interesting events at Axxess was the "THQ Superstar Challenge" -- a tournament wherein 16 grapplers competed in THQ's WWE Smackdown. The stars had a great time and the winners netted donations to their favorite charities. Here's a rundown of the tournament, oodles of pictures, and some interviews I conducted backstage.

 

The Brawl for it All

The 16 participants were mostly mid-card talents, as you can see from the draw. The two exceptions were the Dudley Boyz. Booker T was supposed to participate in the event -- which would have given the tourney a main-event star -- but he heard I was coming. Book and I have a history together; when he was in jail he was my ... (rhymes with "christen itch"). I guess the fear still lingers. Anyway, some of the wrestlers were really skilled gamers, while others were just there for the fans. Everyone was enthusiastic and had a good time (except maybe Sean O'Haire, who was a really sore loser).

 

The first round had few surprises. Avid gamers Shelton Benjamin from Team Angle and "Dancing" Stevie Richards dominated their sides of the draw. Real-life superhero Hurricane and Tough Enough alumni Nidia also had strong showings. The longest first-round match was between the two Dudley brothers; at over 15 minutes long, their match featured several momentum changes, but when the smoke cleared, D-Von emerged the victor. The most comical match was between the diminutive Rey Mysterio (pronounced "Raymond Stereo") against the gargantuan Rosey from Three-Minute Warning. Rey brought his son to play for him, but Rosey complained to the referee and made Rey play it out like a man. Rosey proceeded to squash him like a little boy.

 

Between rounds, the superstars and divas joked around backstage. John Sena started a freestyle rap session and was quickly joined by D-Von and Hurricane. WWE women's champion (at the time) Victoria showed that she's as sensitive as she is psycho, congratulating Nidia with a heartfelt hug. But when it was time to get back to the action, the superstars got their game on.

 

Benjamin and Stevie breezed their way through the quarterfinals, which also went as expected. Eventually it came down to Benjamin and Nidia in one semifinal and Richards and Hurricane in the other. Nidia knew she was no match for Benjamin's three I's (intensity, intelligence, and integrity) so she had journalist Jeremy Dunham come in to play for her. Dunham made quick work of Benjamin, hitting F-5 after F-5 before putting him away. Luckily, the officials would not let the integrity of the tournament be shattered by a lowly game journo. Armed only with her gaming skills, Nidia was no match for Benjamin.

 

The other semi pitted Richards against Hurricane. On paper, Richards has more skill and experience than Hurricane, but you can never underestimate the power of a superhero. Unfortunately, the Hurricane's "Hurra Powers" were more than a Dual Shock 2 could handle. Richards' normal human reflexes were too much for the super man.

 

The finals were a true test of gaming skill. Richards and Benjamin pushed each other to new levels of gaming. In the end, the younger Benjamin was too much for Richards. Using a wide variety of Kane's power moves, the Team Angle member got the 1-2-3. The winner received $2,500 for his charity, while the loser received $1,500. Really though, everybody won. The fans had a good time, the superstars had a blast, and I got to scare off Booker T one more time. Can you dig it, sucka!?!

 

[Page 2]

 

Catching Up With Coach

 

Jonathan "Coach" Coachman is one of the WWE personalities that you won't see in the ring. As one of the company's best commentators and interviewers, Coach helps add excitement to any WWE event he's a part of. I got to catch up with Coach after the first round of competition to get his thoughts on the tournament and his pick to win it all.

 

GameSpy: How is calling the action on the PS2 different than calling the action in the ring?

 

Coach: This is a lot different, because you have to refocus what your focus is. In the ring you're talking about a match and you're talking about a live show. Here we're talking about a competition between 16 of our best superstars. It's a lot different and in some ways it's more exciting because you never know who's going to make it on and who's not going to make it on.

 

GameSpy: Some of the superstars seem to be a bit out of their element. Who do you think made the best adjustment to gaming?

 

Coach: Well, we have a lot of guys that like to play videogames that, quite frankly, aren't very good. Shelton Benjamin is very good. I think he's going to win it. Steven Richards is very good -- he has a chance to win it. A lot of the other guys love to play, but they're just not any good.

GameSpy: Speaking of Stevie, I heard he's been making a lot of noise about not being in the games.

Coach: Yeah he does. He makes a lot of noise. We always tell him, "Maybe if you wouldn't play so much, you might actually get in the games." [Laughs] He'll get in the games eventually though. He'd love it. He's very good. Booker's really good too. He just couldn't be here tonight.

 

GameSpy: So, what's your final prediction for the tournament?

 

Coach: It'll be either Steven Richards or Shelton Benjamin… I'll go with Shelton Benjamin.

 

Steven Richards is All About The Game

 

Steven Richards is hardcore. Whether you're talking about his long run as Raven's flunky in ECW, his mission against fun in Right to Censor, or his latest role cavorting with Victoria, he gives it his all. What you probably didn't know about "Dancing Stevie" is that he's a hard-core gamer too. He told me who the most hard-core gamer in the WWE is, as well as how he envisions himself in a non-wrestling videogame.

 

GameSpy: Stevie, you looked really good out there. Are you the most hard-core gamer in the WWE?

 

Steven Richards: The most hard-core gamer in the history of my gaming experience is Kane. Every game he plays, he finishes. He just finished Splinter Cell and Hitman 2. He's playing a ton of Ghost Recon. We play a lot of that together when we're on the road. We get our Xboxes hooked up with a System Link and play lots of Ghost Recon. We play NFL 2K3. We play NBA Live. Any sports game or two-player game, we play together.

 

GameSpy: Since Kane isn't playing, you think you can win the tournament?

 

Steven Richards: I know I can. I don't want to jinx myself and say I'll win it though. I mean, next to wrestling, videogames are probably my number one passion.

 

GameSpy: Coach is going with Shelton Benjamin though. He thinks he has your number.

 

Steven Richards: Yeah, he does have my number. And he can call me any time he wants to learn how to play games.

 

GameSpy: You've been making a lot of noise about not being in the game.

 

Steven Richards: Yes I have! I should be in every game! Not just wrestling games either.

 

GameSpy: So you think you should be in the next Ghost Recon?

 

Steven Richards: Yeah, but Kane would be the real star. I'd just be the support man. He'd go in there and raise hell. I'd be the sniper and pick guys off.

 

And a Hero Comes Along

 

It's not every day that you get to meet a real-life superhero, but that's just what I did when I caught up with The Hurricane. The WWE's resident superman is known for his high-flying style and hilarious antics. Whether he's telling The Rock how he could beat up The Scorpion King or leaping into the ring in a single bound, Hurricane is always entertaining. Unfortunately his powers were a detriment when it comes to games and he told me why.

 

GameSpy: Hurricane, Richards beat you up pretty good out there. What's up wid dat?!?

 

Hurricane: Well, this was one of those rare times when my Hurra powers were a detriment. My Hurra reflexes are so fast that the controller couldn't keep up with me I guess.

 

GameSpy: Is there a controller that can keep up with you?

 

Hurricane: Oh man, I'm talking about Star Trek type of stuff before a gamepad can handle my Hurra powers.

 

GameSpy: You look pretty rad in the game. How do you like seeing yourself on there?

 

Hurricane: It's fantastic. It's really great. I feel really honored to be in the game and it's one of my favorite accomplishments outside the ring.

 

GameSpy: You get to play much yourself?

 

Hurricane: I play a little bit on the road, but I get a lot in at home. I'm really into fighting games. I love the new Mortal Kombat and I can't wait for Soul Calibur II. Lately I've been playing a lot of role-playing games though. Someone just gave me a copy of Vexx. I didn't really like it, so I called him and said, "What's up wid dat?!?"

 

GameSpy: Every hero should have a super-hero game. What would yours be like?

 

Hurricane: Oh man! There should definitely be a Hurra game. It would be me fighting all sorts of crimes. And maybe even beating up criminals before they commit the crimes. It would be like that Tom Cruise movie, except he don't have Hurra powers so mine would be better.

 

[Last page]

 

D-Von! Get the Gamepad!!!

 

The Dudley Boyz are known as some of the toughest competitors in the WWE. Even though they've earned that rep by impaling people through tables and knocking people out with their 3-D finisher, they've beat up on each other as much as their opponents. I spoke with D-Von Dudley after his lengthy match with his brother Bubba Dudley.

 

GameSpy: You and Bubba have had tons of fights over the years. How was it fighting him in a videogame?

 

D-Von Dudley: Oh it was great. It's not different than what I've been used to over the years. I beat him in the end obviously, so it was no different than what I did when we were little kids -- beat his ass. It was cool.

 

GameSpy: You guys had the marathon match going on. What took so long?

 

D-Von Dudley: You know something, I give Bubba a lot of credit for someone that has never played a videogame before. He really did what he had to do. He was hitting the right buttons at the right time. I've played the game before so it was a little frustrating, but at the end I got serious. I had to prove who was best.

 

GameSpy: Were you toying with him at all? Making sure your brother felt good about himself?

 

D-Von Dudley: You could say I was toying him. I was just playing around. I wanted him to stay up there just a little bit longer to make the people think that I didn't know how to play. But then I had to get serious and beat his ass. Nidia is going to get her ass kicked in the next round.

 

GameSpy: Does Spike [the runt of the Dudley litter] play games too?

 

D-Von Dudley: Spike doesn't play videogames. He spends all his time in the gym to keep that great physique.

 

One Dangerous Diva

 

When you see her on TV, Victoria is an absolute psycho. She terrorizes the other women in the WWE with her frighteningly intimidating persona as well as her impressive arsenal of maneuvers. That said, she was an absolute sweetheart when I met her backstage. I confess that this interview wasn't the greatest since I was so smitten with Victoria.

 

GameSpy: Victoria, how did you enjoy the action in the game compared to the action in the ring?

 

Victoria: I'm definitely better off the computer than on. I know how to check email and that's it. But it was fun. I had a good time. I definitely want to play it again. That little bit probably made an addict out of me.

 

GameSpy: It looks like the little girl got the better of you though.

 

Victoria: Yeah, for once she did well… and I just didn't have enough, but what can you do? My big mistake was playing as Trish. That probably jinxed me. Next time I'll play as Shawn Michaels and super kick my way to victory.

 

GameSpy: How would you like to see yourself in a videogame?

 

Victoria: I'd want them to really capture my character. How intense and ferocious she is. It would be great if they could get all the outfits I've put together too. I've put a lot of hard work into those. Of course, they'd have to include all my moves. I think I'm tough, so I hope they'd make me tough in a game. And not too psycho!

 

GameSpy: You think they could capture the impact of the widow's peak in a videogame?

 

Victoria: Oh yeah! After seeing all the finishers in the game, I'm amazed at what they can do. Though nothing could be as devastating as the widow's peak in real life.

 

Grapplin' Rosey

 

Rosey from Three-Minute Warning was the largest and most intimidating participant in the tournament. The sight of him playing a game with 5'3" Rey Mysterio was pretty damn funny. But as scary and daunting as he is in the ring, he was a very soft-spoken guy backstage.

 

GameSpy: You just beat up a little guy in a videogame.

 

Rosey: That's wrestling. That's what I get paid to do. Besides, most guys are little compared to me.

 

GameSpy: In the ring I'd bet you'd squash Rey in less than three minutes, but it took you a little while in the videogame. What was going on out there?

 

Rosey: I don't know man. Rey slipped the pad to his son and let his son play for him. He's so tiny that I didn't notice at first. I caught him and told the ref, so he had to play. Then I laid the beat down on him.

 

GameSpy: Yeah, those little guys always cheat, eh?

 

Rosey: Yeah, you can never trust those little guys. They all cheat! [Laughs] No man, Rey's a good guy. He's a great wrestler and a great competitor.

 

GameSpy: Do you play any games on the road?

 

Rosey: Not so much, but I always play with my stepson at home. We were just playing Onimusha. We play the "James Bond" games. Sometimes I have to tone it down and play "Tom & Jerry" though.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

Can you provide a link to the article, Jobber? I went to IGN, but I didn't see it [of course, I'm prolly just tired].

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

It's for paying customers only, as are the videos, which is why I have to upload them to my own space.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

Damn IGN...

 

I'll say it in advance: THANKS!!

[Guest chirs3]

GameSpy: Coach is going with Shelton Benjamin though. He thinks he has your number.

 

Steven Richards: Yeah, he does have my number. And he can call me any time he wants to learn how to play games.

 

Ha!

 

Thanks for the articles, guys.

[Guest creativename]

Coach: Yeah he does. He makes a lot of noise. We always tell him, "Maybe if you wouldn't play so much, you might actually get in the games." [Laughs] He'll get in the games eventually though. He'd love it. He's very good. Booker's really good too. He just couldn't be here tonight.

So...that Ross Report making comments about how some wresters should be watching tapes like Nowinsinki and HHH instead of playing video games probably was about Booker, as many speculated.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Video Recap. These files are pretty darn big so not everyone of them has a download link:

 

Rey Mysterio basically had nothing to say except that he got beat and he really doesn't play video games that much, but he does play with a cousin and has a PS2 with GTA3.

 

Victoria: Gives a pretty good interview, kind of in character but not doing the psycho twisted stuff. Also doesn't play video games, as though anyone ever thought she would.

 

Shannon Moore & Steven Richards: Mostly general tomfoolery

 

Be back with Hurricane and Cena when my poor modem can cool down.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

Whoah....that lil transcript wasn't fake! Okay...I'll shut up now.

 

Want me to make you a banner of anything, Jobber? Cause, ya know, I'm in your debt and all

 

The power of the beard! :lol:

[Guest fazzle]

Kane is a big gamer? Never would have guessed that.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

You must not watch Byte This, then. Well...neither do I. But, anyway, on the Byte This with Stevie, he put Kane over as a big gamer. Something about Kane beat him at some-game-that-I-forget-the-name-to, so Stevie had to say he was a good gamer.

[Guest TheArchiteck]

Hah, thats real?

Pretty cool.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

Be back with Hurricane and Cena when my poor modem can cool down.

*waits impatiently*