http://wwe.thq.com/arnanderson

http://wwe.thq.com/rickysteamboat
http://wwe.thq.com/vader
http://wwe.thq.com/wweax
http://wwe.thq.com/smash
http://wwe.thq.com/eddieguerrero

and, though he doesn't have a page yet...

Randy "Macho Man" Savage!

holy shit, the demolition!

I miss the classic tag teams that had a consistent theme.

The Rockers, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, Demolition, Strike Force, the Brain Busters - the ones with members that aren't put into all sorts of singles matches. In fact, we rarely get to see them in singles matches unless it's related to a feud (either with another tag team or with each other).

Don't forget The Allied Powers, The Aussie Scumbags, and The Dark Lords...

no, it's perfectly fine to forget The Dark Lords.


I am really excited to see Demolition in a game, finally. I remember building them and the LOD way back on SD 2 many moons ago. . .

LOD is on it, too. So, let the feud resume.

I miss the days of tag teams that meant a shit and had a common theme, as well. What really goads me the most is that Vince has to realize by now that tag team wrestling can be really hot if pushed correctly. But, it seems as if he will go to his death bed refusing to believe that the tag team division was one of the things that added to the hotness of late nineties/early two thousands WWE.

I liked the stables with themes as well, particularly the ones from the time when DX/NoD/Hart Foundation/the group that has Savio Vega in it were feuding. But it's not as easy to handle storywise, compared to tag teams. It eventually devolved to just weekly beatdowns or rumbles and run ins.

Yeah, stables are a good thing but only when you have a few. NoD was the only decent thing to come out of the "Gang Wars" storyline with them, DOA, and Los Bauricquas (sp?) constantly having huge brawls. I'd say no more than three and, generally, not built around ethnic lines (Latino World Order excluded). One of the best stables, IMO, was the Dangerous Alliance in WCW during the early 90s.

the original DX with Rude and Chyna were also okay, in the sense that not all of them are active wrestlers so they're not able to constantly steamroll people. They can still have effective feuds with singles or tag teams, and if needed, can gang up and do beatdowns.

Compare it to the nWo, where the only way wrestlers can stand up to them is by forming their own stables or going Supa Saiyan +9000 like Goldberg and Crow Sting

Yeah, dX was a very well done stable even after HHH took it over following HBK/Austin at Wrestlemania. Though the formula changed, they kept the roles well defined (the leader, the tag team, the bulldyke, and the annoying guy). I tend to not include groups like dX and the Hart Foundation as part of the lame gang wars storyline. Even NoD gets a pass because they eventually got out of that shit and into a great feud with dX.

I guess what I'm saying is that I love stables but only stables with a real point and desire to dominate the wrestling scene or join together as faces to upend heel stable's dominance. I don't need stereotypical bikers and Puerto Ricans with no greate goal than to prove they aren't the worst stable on the show.

On an aside, I must say that Evolution really pissed me off in the X-Pac heat kinda way. Though it contained stars, I thought it was really devoid of a reason for needing to be, IMO.

Then, there is the Spirit Squad. Poor, stupid Spirit Squad.

part of the problem there is that tag teams are traditionally more of a staple in the southern territories than they were up north. Vince is from the tradition that doesn't consider tag teams all that important, which is a shame considering how deep their tag division was at one time.

yeah, stables have to be more than "let's just throw a bunch of random guys together and see what happens."

The Dangerous Alliance was probably the best "forgotten" stable of the more recent era.

The Stud Stable is probably the worst.

But I love The Dark Lords!

They were the 2nd greatest team of all time!

you're too kind, Paul.

yes, I agree though, Grimm & Evil were a better team!

HEY YOU!

Stud Stable was terrible. I grew up a huge WCW mark, but they did have so much crap in the early nineties. Remember the York Foundation? A goofy concept that became even goofier when they became glorified jobbers with a computer program.

I couldn't wait for the end of nWo. Every fucking Nitro ended with an nWo beatdown. Hell, was there ever a match in that time where an nWo match ever ended 'legally' with a pin or submission and not a massive run-in? nWo Red and Black was even worse.

I think the original DX and Four Horsemen are what a stable should be. Not too big and guys who actually are friends and have chemistry that makes them pop for the audience. Vince has done some good match-ups over the years, Jericho and Christian and APA are the most recent to come to mind. Mostly, he uses an approach equal to throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks.

oh, York Foundation sucked ass, too. "I'm a heel because I wear a suit and use my full name!"

but I still have to give the nod to worst to Stud Stable. two words: Bunkhouse Buck. also, Blacktop Bully, the evil truck driver! in a group that had at one time guys like Terry Funk and Arn Anderson, the prior two gimmicks destroyed any credibility. even Funk and Double A do their best to forget this period. although I liked Dusty's promo to Dustin on wanting to team with him that came out of this: "Arn Anderson is a walk behinder!"

I'd forgot about that Dusty promo. Probably, it was because I wanted to block out anything that may relate to the Blacktop Bully and his match with Dustin on the back of a semi. Poor Repo Man. That was fucking stupid. I concede your point.

Another bad one was the Desperados. They were originally pushed as looking for Stan Hansen to lead them to glory. Hansen smartly left for Japan and they became jobbers. Still, those promos of them on the search for Hansen are Gooker Award worthy.

yeah, I don't think they ever made it past those few promos, did they?

I don't think so. Probably for the best, though. Those were some terrible years for WCW despite the fact that they had some great workers. I think it was around that time that they totally pissed away the awesomeness of the Cactus Jack/Vader feud by doing the institution/amnesia angle while he was recovering from a concussion. The work around the angle was great. But, damn, they really killed a lot of the interest.

yeah, it was around that period. every time they'd get something good going, they'd kill it off somehow. despite this, they had guys going out and busting their asses every night putting on great matches: aside from Vader and Foley you had, Rick Rude (imo, Rude was the best in the bis from 92-94), Barry Windham, Paul Orndorff, Steve Austin, Arn, Bobby Eaton, Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes, Sting, Flair, and other guys who came and went like Funk, Doc & Gordy, etc.

not to mention guys who were nobodies that later on became big business during the boom period: Hall, Nash, DDP, RVD, Raven, etc.

Let's not forget Norman the Lunatic and Johnny B. Badd...

terrible gimmicks, but Badd and DDP did eventually put on some good matches for the TV title.

I always wanted to punch Big Josh. Literally.

he had an axe handle with no axe! that's crazy!

Hillbilly J.R. loved him, which made it even worse...

P.N. News, the Rapmaster!

I like how his finishing move was actually falling off of the top rope...not jumping, falling.

Bill Kasmaier for the trifecta!

No Skyscrapers 2.0?

And, a young nobody called Terra Ryzing.

I think what was quite possibly the worst of that era was the Sting and Vader feud. Some great matches surrounded by some of the dumbest storylines that have ever existed. Remember the mini-movies? Cheatum, the one-eyed midget?

Here is the "classic" White Castle of Fear mini-movie:


The other two were from Blast at the Beach and Halloweed Havoc (though, that was Sting versus Jake the Snake:

oh, I remember these vividly. that midget got around, didn't he? terrible promos, but the matches. . .particularly the Vader/Sting strap match at Superbrawl, were usually good. in fact, most of the matches on that particular Superbrawl (number 3, I think) were good.

X-Play just gave this game 5 out of 5. They say it's a complete rework of the THQ system, has better storylines that the real WWE, and allows you to even create finishing moves. Mastering the Counter feature seems to be the necessary ability to win the game.

And, it has Arn Anderson!!!

Does it have Chris Benoit and the Woman? I wanted to pit one against the other in a Sudden Death match.

</too soon>

I think you have to build them yourself. . .

If you want to go by reviews...

http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/632403-wwe-12/index.html

Not even 76%.

From everything that I've read, it's two steps forward, two steps back. Same half-assed effort from THQ.

Wow, you really do have a hard-on to put this game down, don't you? "Not even 76%." It's three one-hundredth's of a percentage point from it. I get it. You don't like this game. You don't need to go to Wanky extremes to try and put it down.

OK, doc. Go out and buy this year's "overhaul" and tell us how the minor tweaks and roster update makes this one the bestest EVAR.

Funny how you got all wound up over one review giving the game a 5/5, but you get defensive over a site that uses multiple reviews to give John Madden 12 WWE 12 "three one-hundredth's of a percentage point from a 76%"

http://www.game-over.com/reviews/xbox360/WWE_12.html

It's only 40 percentage points from a 100, doc!

The reviewer must really have it in for the game!

Who's getting worked up? I thought it was interesting that I saw a review for a game Iggy mentioned get a good rating on a TV show. You, on the other hand, try and dog out the game at every turn. I was making fun of your own link having the game at a 75% favorable rating while you were trying to make it sound like it didn't make an important benchmark. Have fun staying in rex mode over this game, JLA.

Probably posted about WWE 12 two or three times. You follow me very closely, so feel free to give me an exact number, but I don't see how I'm dogging "the game at every turn".

About that 75% "favorable rating" (easy there, G-man). Earning what amounts to a "C" is only making an "important benchmark" if you were in Lothar's graduating class.

Don't get me wrong, I'm confident the game is as every bit as mediocre as your responses here, and THQ's latest offerings.

You'll loooove this one, doc. Don't let me spoil it for you.

http://www.ugo.com/games/wwe-12-review

A: C (wait for it)...+


C+!

THQ hit that important benchmark and then some!

Signed,

thedoctor

Two responses for my every one. Yeah, you're not worked up over this.

You hit your usual benchmark for the thread.