March 11th, WWE 2k22 hits Playstation, X-Box, and PC (March 8th if you Pre-ordered) and this marks the THIRD (!!!) time I’ve been included in the playable roster! I’m not shy to talk about my humble upbringing in wrestling. I used to fight convicted felons in front of a modest crowd in the not-so-most-glamorous venues around, for barely enough money to scrape by, and through some miracle, and lots of hard work, I managed to make my way to WWE to tangle with the best in the world on the biggest stage there is. But this… to be IN the game, will always be the most surreal part of the journey to me.
I was very fortunate to have grown up with the original NES in my house. I have vivid memories of my parents teaching me how to play Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Adventure Island II, Thrilla’s Surfari for you purists, you name it. I was hooked. I love video games. We couldn’t afford new ones all the time, so whenever I was able to get a new game it was a huge event.
If we were lucky, trips to Blockbuster to try out the latest cartridges were the ultimate night out in my house. I would wander the aisle in Toys-R-Us and look in total want at the tickets on the shelves with whatever game was written on it because all the inventory was behind glass. I almost never got to grab a ticket, but I knew occasionally at holidays I’d get a new game to play. Or if I did really well on my report card then I might be able to acquire the new Zelda or Mario games that just released.
I had a subscription to Nintendo Power magazine and would read every article. I would crawl through the coupon books and department store catalogs in the junk mail to check out that last page full of Video Games and Consoles and imagine which purchases I would snag up if I had the means to do it. I acquired Prima’s Official Strategy Guides so I didn’t miss out on certain easter eggs and Game Genie code books so I could use the Hammer Bros’ power up on any level I wanted.
While kids today are silenced on road trips by iPhones and Tablets I had a Game Boy with a giant magnifying glass and a little ass flashlight built in so I could play at night time on the ride home from wherever my parents took us that day.
In middle school I would pull all-nighters at my friend’s house to play Halo on local LAN multiplayer when it first came out. I would go to my classmate’s house after school to play WWF No Mercy and learn about his ECW Create-A-Wrestlers. In high school we would sneak out during lunch to sit in the English Teacher’s room and play Super Smash Bros. because some kid brought his GameCube in that day. In college I one time, not proudly, cut my one class on Tuesdays mostly because the heater broke in our dorm room, we could see our breath, so I would wrap myself in a blanket, drink coffee all day, and play Fable on X-Box until it was time for bed.
I managed to save most of the games I’d collected over the years, even my NES ones from when I was very young. I have them up in my guest room now in my home and can still play them when I’m feeling nostalgic. Video Games have been a constant enjoyment for me, just like most of my peers, just like so many other kids growing up around the world.
That said, I am so PUMPED to be in WWE 2K22! Below is a sneak peak at my entrance as well as a sick vertical suplex and the return of the Joker Plex!
