Professional wrestling is a business full of twists, turns, and shocking changes in status. That’s true both of the in-ring product, and the behind-the-scenes drama.
As professional wrestling started to expand to other forms of entertainment, it inevitably collided with video games. And in the case of the WWE, they have seen their fair share of real-life drama affect a video game release in some fascinating ways.
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Wrestlers departing the company, tragedies, license issues; there’s no end to the amount of real-world incidents that have led to a WWE wrestler being cut from a game before launch. Sometimes, it’s mere months before a game comes out.
So, if you’ve ever wondered about which WWE wrestlers were left on the cutting room floor of your favorite game, we’ll run down all the most interesting ones.
7 Chris Benoit
Removed Following A Horrific Tragedy
Due to the horrific actions in the final days of his life, Chris Benoit was removed from anything related to WWE. SmackDown vs Raw 2008 was just months away from release, but anything that even came close to resembling Benoit was removed.
This included his moves, theme song; literally anything that could have connected to him. It was completely scorched Earth.
In terms of workers being cut from a game before launch, this is perhaps the most glaringly obvious one that you had to do. Even all these years later, the mere mention of his name conjures up memories of one of the darkest days in pro wrestling history.
6 Jeff Hardy
The Charismatic Enigma Was Deleted
Jeff Hardy has had his fair share of runs in nearly every major promotion. He has bounced between WWE, TNA, ROH, and AEW pretty consistently.
After appearing in the first two WWE SmackDown games, he was slated to be on the roster for Here Comes The Pain. But after multiple failures of drug tests, substance abuse issues, and bizarre backstage behavior, Hardy was released from his WWE contract.
Images and footage of Jeff Hardy in Here Comes The Pain have floated around the internet for years. It’s easily the greatest pro wrestling game of all time, and the lack of Jeff Hardy certainly hurts.
It’s especially painful when you realize that his brother Matt is in the game. No Hardy Boyz reunions in this one.
5 Jeff Jarrett
Cut From Two WWE Games
Jeff Jarrett flipped between WWE and WCW rather frequently in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In the late ’90s, Double J was slated to appear in two different WWE games.
Both In Your House and the first SmackDown game for PS1 had Jarrett on the roster. But after he departed the company for WCW twice, once in 1996 and the second in 1999, he was removed from both games.
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In a bizarre twist of fate, Jarret would appear in a WWE game and a WCW game that were released days apart. WWF WrestleMania 2000 and WCW Backstage Assault both featured Jarret and came out within days of each other.
Coincidentally, he would also be removed from WCW Nitro following his return to WWE, but that’s a story for another day.
4 Ultimate Warrior
Speak To Me Warriors
This 1990s pro wrestling icon was slated to appear in 2003’s Here Comes The Pain, even appearing in pre-release footage. It’s rather easy to find images and video of the evidence as well.
But when the Warrior slapped WWE with a lawsuit, threatening legal action, it didn’t take long for him to get removed. Believing that WWE was stealing his likeness, he hit them with a suit that would have had severe repercussions.
In the early 1990s, the man known as Jim Helwig legally changed his name to Warrior. By this measure, he believed WWE was infringing on his copyright.
Prior to his death in 2014, Warrior made peace with WWE and has appeared in numerous 2K games.
3 Big Show
Removed After Being Sent To Developmental
Big Show departed WCW for WWE in 1999, and it’s hard to believe now considering how long he’s been around, but he immediately became one of the company’s top young stars upon arriving.
He would win the WWE Championship within a year of his arrival. However, in late 2000, he was sent down to Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s developmental territory, due to poor in-ring work and some heat with top stars.
As a result, he was removed from WWF No Mercy. As odd as it was to have a game where Stevie Richards was involved in major storylines, nothing would stop WWF No Mercy from being one of the best wrestling games of all time.
2 Hulk Hogan
Whatcha Gonna Do When WWE Removes You, Brother?
After returning to WWE in 2002 as part of the new version of the New World Order, Hulk Hogan would become a crucial part of the product for the next year. As a result, WWE had big plans for him with the next SmackDown game.
Yuke’s had planned to have multiple versions of Hogan in the game. This included his NWO attire, classic ’80s look, and Mr. America.
But after a year on the road, as well as frustration with the creative direction, Hogan left the company in 2003. This was four months before Here Comes The Pain was set to launch.
Though Hogan’s moves and animations remained in the game, any version of him that was planned was scrapped.
1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Austin 3:16 Says You Just Got Cut From Day Of Reckoning
After being one of the biggest box-office attractions in wrestling history during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Stone Cold Steve Austin was facing some severe health issues. On the creative end, Austin spent most of 2002 feeling like he wasn’t being cast in the correct role.
His disappointment reached a fever pitch when he was asked to lose to Brock Lesnar, the company’s hottest young star, in a random TV match. Believing it was a waste of potential, Austin left the company and wouldn’t return until early 2003.
As a result, Austin was removed from WWE Day of Reckoning. Ironically, Brock Lesnar was also removed from the same game after he left the company following WrestleMania 20.
Austin’s moves and animations are still present, but he ultimately is not playable. It’s a shame that one of the best WWE games of all time doesn’t have one of its greatest stars, but that’s the nature of pro wrestling I suppose.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
