The upcoming WWE 2K14 is shaping to be one of the most impressive and ambitious sports entertainment video games in history.
Creative director Cory Ledesma revealed the single player campaign for this year’s installment of the popular franchise would be centered on the rich history of WrestleMania. The milestone event will turn 30 when it emanates from New Orleans in 2014.
“This is an announcement all of our fans have been waiting for because it’s such an important part of the game and the mode itself ends up defining a large portion of the game’s roster,” Ledesma said during a conference call with Paul Triple H Levesque.
“…Our new single-player campaign is called ‘30 Years of WrestleMania.’ This will be a nostalgic journey spanning three decades that will allow players to relive the greatest moments and matches of WrestleMania history. It’s all of the unforgettable moments that have defined the greatness of what WrestleMania has become over the last 30 years.”
Gamers will have the opportunity to play in more than 45 matches, reliving some of the biggest showdowns in the most interactive way possible. Among them is the colossal battle between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant from WrestleMania III.
“That’s right. We just announced Hulk Hogan is in the game,” Ledesma said. “[There is also] WWE 2K14 cover superstar Dwayne The Rock Johnson versus Hulk Hogan billed as an ‘Icon vs. Icon’ match at WrestleMania and also WrestleMania 28’s much anticipated main event of The Rock versus John Cena. This is just a small sampling.”
Ledesma believes the game, which is the first published by 2K Sports, will have the greatest roster ever assembled in a WWE videogame. The official roster reveal occurs Saturday, Aug. 17 at WWE’s SummerSlam Axxess at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.
A close attention to detail was made to ensure all the unique presentation elements were recreated in each historic contest. Everything from the arena, tailored graphics and crowds to superstar ring attire and entrances replicate the matches as it happened.
Ledesma says the vintage screen effects during the 1980s and ‘90s will transform gamers back in time. WWE-produced video packages were made and placed before several bouts as a refresher to the storylines that led to the ‘Mania mat classics. Fans can also look for in-game cinematic cut scenes and historical in-game objectives to reproduce matches as they transpired, rewarding players with unlocked goodies.
Levesque is no stranger to creating history during his legendary career at the biggest spectacle in sports entertainment. WWE’s executive vice president of talent and live events says the company is extremely excited about the videogame concept of “30 years of WrestleMania.” He thinks WWE 2K14 will appeal to all ages, casual and hardcore fans alike.
“A lot of them may have watched all 30 years of WrestleMania as it grew from a closed circuit event to a pay-per-view event with 90,000 people watching at the historic Pontiac Silverdome between Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant, which you will be able to play in this game,” Levesque said, “to the global phenomenon it is today, stadiums every year and the global impact that WrestleMania has, and the long-lasting impact WrestleMania has for 30 years. As it has grown, WrestleMania has become the Super Bowl of WWE...It has become an event city after city all across the United States are coming in to bid just like they would a Super Bowl as to who is going to get WrestleMania. We are getting years ahead…
“It has become a cultural event that even if you are not a hardcore WWE fan, it becomes a cultural event that is water cooler talk, if that still exists. I guess that would be social media. It’s a must-see event for everyone. I think this game is going to represent the nostalgia of that, the excitement of that. I’m a real big believer in history and knowing where you came from is important to where you’re going to go. As WrestleMania continues to grow, I think it’s important to see where WrestleMania has been in seeing these iconic moments…”
Levesque, whose nickname is “The Game,” says they are excited about the superstar alum brought back in videogame form. These include “Macho Man” Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, who was recently announced as pre-order exclusive playable character.
“I’ll go out on a limb and say my match with the Ultimate Warrior might not make it into the greatest moment’s aspect of the greatest moments of WrestleMania history,” Levesque said of his encounter with the man from “Parts Unknown” at WrestleMania XII.
“Although it was a phenomenal moment for me, the opportunity for me to step into the ring with probably one of the greatest icons that there have ever been in this industry, the rest of it didn’t matter. The fact that I stepped in the ring with him on the biggest stage in the world at WrestleMania was all I needed to know at that time. It was moment that I will absolutely never forget. So for me, it is an absolutely incredible WrestleMania moment.”
Levesque has been credited with helping what may have been considered unheard of take place. He was a big part of securing Bruno Sammartino in the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Now the Ultimate Warrior has started working with the company on projects such as the videogame under his watch.
“For me I’m a real big believer in the history of our industry and of WWE,” Levesque said. “I come to this maybe differently. It’s a business, but also just every day I come into my office, and I’m a six-year-old kid on Saturday morning watching Saturday morning wrestling on my TV and thinking it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen. So to me, you look at a Hulk Hogan. You look at Ultimate Warrior, these are the guys I grew up watching, and they should be a part of this great business and WWE.
“This is what it is. Vince McMahon had a vision of one global brand that encompasses it all, and I think he succeeded in that vision. They should be a part of it and participate in it. As time goes on, people have their reasons as to why they are here or not here, day-to-day. Everything falls into where it does I guess, but I look at it from a bigger picture.
“Is there not some way we can work together because at the end of the day this is all about the WWE Universe, our fans and what they want and what they want to see. I think they want these people to be a part of it. They want to remember their childhood and remember the past. This is not the only way for them to watch back but participate in it and be a part of it. With this videogame franchise, to me, that is just huge.”
It has been years since Warrior has been associated with a WWE-related production. Levesque thinks the colorful performer was excited about coming back into the fold.
“A lot of water passed under the bridge,” Levesque said. “A lot of time goes by, and I think everybody realizes, ‘What are we doing?’ Everybody grows and everybody becomes different people. I think it happened on all sides. We just decided it was the right time. Him jumping into this videogame I think is a tremendous step forward.
“We are working on a continued relationship. Obviously, this is a great partnership with Warrior, who is one of the most well-known and iconic brands in WWE history. We are excited to have him in this game and that the WWE Universe will be able to play that character and be the Ultimate Warrior. How cool is that? I think he is excited about it, and I look forward to the future in working together in making everything exciting for the fans or our fans.”
source: miamiherald.com
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August 12, 2013
Cory Ledesma, Triple H reveal ‘30 Years of WrestleMania’ with WWE 2K14 video game project
August 9, 2013
WWE Scores 20 Million Viewers
WWE amassed 20 million viewers during the past week across all of its action-packed, drama-filled programming including: SmackDown® on Friday, August 2 on Syfy; WrestleMania® 29: The World Television Premiere on Saturday, August 3 on NBC; Total Divas™ on Sunday, August 4 on E! Entertainment Television; Raw® on Monday, August 5 on USA Network; and Main Event™ on Wednesday, August 7 on ION Television.
Key highlights include:
Friday Night SmackDown – Friday, August 2 on Syfy
• SmackDown was the most watched program on cable among all Males
WrestleMania 29: The World Television Premiere – Saturday, August 3 on NBC
• WrestleMania 29: The World Television Premiere ranked #1 with A18-34, M18-34, M18-49 and K2-11
• The television special was up +39% with A18-49 from the prior 4-weeks in the time period on NBC and generated more than 3 million unique Viewers
Total Divas – Sunday, August 4 on E! Entertainment Television
• In its second week, Total Divas built week-to-week viewership in key demos including P18-49 (+4%), W18-49 (+5%), Viewers (+14%) and HH (+13%)
• The telecast ranked as the most-watched unscripted series for the time period among P18-34 (557), W18-34 (367), and M18-34 (189) on all of cable
• The episode paced above prior 4-week averages by double-digit percentages across key targets including P18-49 (+42%) and Viewers (+48%)
Monday Night Raw – Monday, August 5 on USA Network
• Raw generated 8 million unique Viewers
• The show was watched by more M18-34 than every other program on broadcast TV
WWE Main Event – Wednesday, August 7 on ION Television
• Main Event was the most watched program on ION across all demos
• The program was watched by more Viewers than every program on The CW, AMC, Spike TV or Bravo
August 8, 2013
Why DirecTV has dropped TNA's "One Night Only" PPV events
DirecTV dropped the recent "TNA One Night Only: TNA 10 Reunion" PPV special that debuted on 8/2. According to a report by Dave Meltzer, the decision was made "last minute" by DirecTV to drop the show and all going forward.
To have all the shows completely pulled going forward by DirecTV indicates a low number of purchases for the events that started airing back in April.
source: wrestling observer newsletter
August 7, 2013
Sheamus Suffers Injury
MRI results indicate that Sheamus has suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder and will require surgery, scheduled for next week. As a result, The Celtic Warrior is expected to be sidelined for four to six months, WWE.com has learned.
The injury occurred during the Money in the Bank All-Stars Ladder Match and was further aggravated over the following weeks. During that intense match, Sheamus was thrown off the top rope and sent crashing through a ladder at ringside, landing hard on his left leg and left shoulder.
"My mindset heading into Money in the Bank was to risk everything to get that WWE Title contract,” Sheamus told WWE.com. “That night I went out there putting it all on the line.”
While it seemed as though his leg had taken the brunt of the impact, swelling to twice the size of his uninjured right leg, The Celtic Warrior soon found out that his battle scars from that night ran deep.
During WWE’s tour of South Africa, Sheamus’ leg started to heal, but he discovered his range of motion limited in his shoulder and he experienced sharp pains radiating down his arm, he said. During a pre-Raw workout, Sheamus felt another sharp pain in his shoulder and notified WWE medical staff.
“We performed a specialized MRI with a dye inserted to highlight the structures within the shoulder joint," said WWE ringside physician Dr. Chris Amann. "Doctor Samson and I both reviewed the film, and it appears that Sheamus has a cartilage [SLAP] tear.”
As a result, Sheamus will undergo arthroscopic surgery next week to fix the tear, which doctors hope will offer him the best chance of recovery and the best outlook for a normally functioning shoulder.
"I’ve never in my whole life had to have surgery,” Sheamus said. “I’ve always worked through pain. For the first time in four years, I’m going to be out of action.”
He continued, “To say I’m devastated would be a serious understatement, but I’m determined to take this time to go home to Ireland to see my family, to see my friends, learn a different language, read a lot of books, and come back bigger, stronger and better than ever.”
Intent to stay positive through his injuries, Sheamus emphatically said, “I’m determined to be a champion again, and when I come back I am going to rock this place like it’s never been rocked before!”
source: wwe.com
Mexico’s Female Professional Wrestlers Do It for the Love
At this point lucha libre, Mexico’s version of professional wrestling, is famous the world over—the superheroesque masks, the muscled men preening and acting out storylines in the ring, the acrobatic aerial maneuvers. But what’s not as well-known is that the sport isn’t exclusive to dudes. Luchadoras, masked female competitors, are becoming more and more prominent in Mexico, and not just as sexy sideshows. Journalist Marta Franco followed a handful of these women through Mexico City's pro wrestling scene and used the material she gathered to create her graduate-school thesis, "Las Luchadoras," a series of videos that documents and celebrates these women’s role in lucha libre as well as their difficulties acheiving the same recognition as men.
Mexican women have been invovled in pro wrestling since the 1940s, but they were barred from competing in the county's capital until 1986. At first, many entered the ring as eye candy (they were there to "blow kisses and show off" to the crowd, one luchadora told Marta) rather than actual competitors. It's only recently that the sport has allowed women to fight men. Yet there’s still widespread discrimination despite the efforts of luchadoras and their fans. I recently sat down with Marta in San Francisco to talk about her project and what place women occupy in lucha libre...More?
source: vice.com
August 6, 2013
Details on WWE SummerSlam Axxess Sessions
WWE released the following schedule information for next week's AXXESS sessions in Los Angeles as part of Summerslam 2013 weekend:
General Admission Tickets - $25*
General Admission sessions
Saturday, August 17 — 11 a.m.
The Miz, Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter, Antonio Cesaro, Curtis Axel, Paul Heyman, The Wyatt Family, Mick Foley, Damien Sandow, Jerry “the King” Lawler, and more!
Saturday, August 17 — 4 p.m.
Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango, Summer Rae, Booker T, The Bellas, AJ, Big E, Zack Ryder, R-Truth, The Funkadactyls and more!
Sunday, August 18 — 11 a.m.
Rob Van Dam, Christian, The Usos, Kaitlyn, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Brodus Clay, Zack Ryder, Justin Gabriel, Tensai, Rosa, Tamina, and more!
Limited VIP Tickets - $95*
VIP Tickets include:
- (1) 8x10 glossy photo of the appearing Superstar
- (1) Autograph and professional photo with the appearing VIP Superstar
- Exclusive VIP line at the event entrance
VIP sessions
Saturday, August 17
Session 1
Meet WWE Superstars The Shield 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Sheamus 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Session 2
Meet WWE Superstar Ryback 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Big Show 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Randy Orton 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Kane 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 18
Meet WWE Superstar Mark Henry 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Limited Premium VIP Tickets - $150*
Premium VIP Tickets include:
- (1) SummerSlam Axxess Premium VIP commemorative ticket
- (1) Special matted Premium VIP Superstar photo
- (1) Autograph and professional photo with the appearing Premium VIP Superstar
- Exclusive VIP line at the event entrance
Premium VIP sessions
Saturday, August 17
Session 1
Meet WWE Superstar John Cena 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Session 2
Meet WWE Superstar Triple H 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Meet WWE Superstar CM Punk 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
WWE Studios, Lionsgate Scare Up ‘See No Evil’ Sequel
WWE Studios is bringing “See No Evil” back to life, producing a sequel with Lionsgate to the horror film that will again star wrestler Kane as a psychopath that goes on a killing spree.
“See No Evil” was the first film that WWE produced through its film division, and went on to earn $19 million worldwide when it was released in 2006 — its biggest hit until this year’s Halle Berry thriller “The Call,” which generated $52 million to date.
Production on “See No Evil 2″ will start in the fall, with identical twin helmers the Soska Sisters Jen and Sylvia (“American Mary”) set to direct. They are also among the directors that will contribute to the anthology series “ABCs of Death 2.”
Kane will return as the reclusive madman Jacob Goodnight, who rises from the dead in the city morgue after his killing spree at the Blackwell hotel and goes after a group of medical students who fight to survive. Nathan Brookes and Bobby Lee Darby are co-writing the script...More?
source: variety.com
