7 Times A Wrestler Was Removed From A WWE Game Before Launch

Skilled wrestling is a enterprise filled with twists, turns, and surprising adjustments in standing. That is true each of the in-ring product, and the behind-the-scenes drama.

As skilled wrestling began to broaden to different types of leisure, it inevitably collided with video games. And within the case of the WWE, they’ve seen their fair proportion of real-life drama have an effect on a online game launch in some fascinating methods.

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Wrestlers departing the corporate, tragedies, license points; there isn’t any finish to the quantity of real-world incidents which have led to a WWE wrestler being minimize from a sport earlier than launch. Generally, it is mere months earlier than a sport comes out.

So, if you happen to’ve ever questioned about which WWE wrestlers have been left on the slicing room flooring of your favourite sport, we’ll run down all essentially the most fascinating ones.

7

Chris Benoit

Eliminated Following A Horrific Tragedy

As a result of horrific actions within the ultimate days of his life, Chris Benoit was faraway from something associated to WWE. SmackDown vs Uncooked 2008 was simply months away from launch, however something that even got here near resembling Benoit was eliminated.

This included his strikes, theme music; actually something that would have linked to him. It was utterly scorched Earth.

By way of staff being minimize from a sport earlier than launch, that is maybe essentially the most manifestly apparent one that you simply needed to do. Even all these years later, the mere point out of his identify conjures up reminiscences of one of many darkest days in professional wrestling historical past.

6

Jeff Hardy

The Charismatic Enigma Was Deleted

Jeff Hardy has had his fair proportion of runs in practically each main promotion. He has bounced between WWE, TNA, ROH, and AEW fairly constantly.

After showing within the first two WWE SmackDown video games, he was slated to be on the roster for Right here Comes The Ache. However after a number of failures of drug checks, substance abuse points, and weird backstage habits, Hardy was launched from his WWE contract.

Photographs and photographs of Jeff Hardy in Right here Comes The Ache have floated across the web for years. It is simply the best professional wrestling sport of all time, and the dearth of Jeff Hardy actually hurts.

It is particularly painful if you notice that his brother Matt is within the sport. No Hardy Boyz reunions on this one.

5

Jeff Jarrett

Minimize From Two WWE Video games

Jeff Jarrett flipped between WWE and WCW reasonably often within the late Nineties and early 2000s. Within the late ’90s, Double J was slated to seem in two completely different WWE video games.

Each In Your Home and the first SmackDown game for PS1 had Jarrett on the roster. However after he departed the corporate for WCW twice, as soon as in 1996 and the second in 1999, he was faraway from each video games.

A split image featuring Fire Pro Wrestling World (left), WWE 2K14 (middle) and Saturday Night Slam Masters (right).

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In a weird coincidence, Jarret would seem in a WWE sport and a WCW sport that have been launched days aside. WWF WrestleMania 2000 and WCW Backstage Assault each featured Jarret and got here out inside days of one another.

Coincidentally, he would even be faraway from WCW Nitro following his return to WWE, however that is a narrative for one more day.

4

Final Warrior

Communicate To Me Warriors

This Nineties professional wrestling icon was slated to seem in 2003’s Here Comes The Pain, even showing in pre-release footage. It is reasonably simple to seek out photographs and video of the proof as effectively.

However when the Warrior slapped WWE with a lawsuit, threatening authorized motion, it did not take lengthy for him to get eliminated. Believing that WWE was stealing his likeness, he hit them with a swimsuit that might have had extreme repercussions.

Within the early Nineties, the person often known as Jim Helwig legally modified his identify to Warrior. By this measure, he believed WWE was infringing on his copyright.

Previous to his loss of life in 2014, Warrior made peace with WWE and has appeared in quite a few 2K video games.

3

Massive Present

Eliminated After Being Despatched To Developmental

Massive Present departed WCW for WWE in 1999, and it is onerous to imagine now contemplating how lengthy he is been round, however he instantly turned one of many firm’s high younger stars upon arriving.

He would win the WWE Championship inside a yr of his arrival. Nevertheless, in late 2000, he was despatched all the way down to Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s developmental territory, as a result of poor in-ring work and a few warmth with high stars.

Because of this, he was faraway from WWF No Mercy. As odd because it was to have a sport the place Stevie Richards was concerned in main storylines, nothing would cease WWF No Mercy from being top-of-the-line wrestling video games of all time.

2

Hulk Hogan

Whatcha Gonna Do When WWE Removes You, Brother?

After returning to WWE in 2002 as a part of the brand new model of the New World Order, Hulk Hogan would develop into a vital a part of the product for the subsequent yr. Because of this, WWE had massive plans for him with the subsequent SmackDown sport.

Yuke’s had deliberate to have a number of variations of Hogan within the sport. This included his NWO apparel, traditional ’80s look, and Mr. America.

However after a yr on the highway, in addition to frustration with the artistic course, Hogan left the corporate in 2003. This was 4 months earlier than Right here Comes The Ache was set to launch.

Although Hogan’s strikes and animations remained within the sport, any model of him that was deliberate was scrapped.

1

Stone Chilly Steve Austin

Austin 3:16 Says You Simply Received Minimize From Day Of Reckoning

After being one of many largest box-office sights in wrestling historical past through the late Nineties and early 2000s, Stone Chilly Steve Austin was dealing with some extreme well being points. On the artistic finish, Austin spent most of 2002 feeling like he wasn’t being forged within the appropriate function.

His disappointment reached a fever pitch when he was requested to lose to Brock Lesnar, the corporate’s hottest younger star, in a random TV match. Believing it was a waste of potential, Austin left the corporate and would not return till early 2003.

Because of this, Austin was faraway from WWE Day of Reckoning. Sarcastically, Brock Lesnar was additionally faraway from the identical sport after he left the corporate following WrestleMania 20.

Austin’s strikes and animations are nonetheless current, however he finally isn’t playable. It is a disgrace that one of many best WWE games of all time does not have one in every of its biggest stars, however that is the character of professional wrestling I suppose.