I first saw the ad in the November 1983 issue of Inside Wrestling, with Nick Bockwinkel and Wahoo McDaniel on the cover. I was mesmerized. I have been a wrestling fan since I was five years old and now you are promising me live action of real-life matches in my own home? With my favorites - Backlund, Snuka, Andre, Studd? I don't think wrestling fans of today understand. In 1983, there was no wrestling video games or action figures. The closest you got to live action was recreating what you saw on TV with your buddies in the backyard. I bought the magazine, took the ad to my dad, and asked him to get it for me. He said he would.
It never came.
In 1987, I saw the ad for the Promoter's Dream edition. I was 12 and saved up a little bit of money. I bought it. And waited. And waited. During the wait, I drafted my roster and set up tournaments to crown my first champ. This time, it came on the day before Thanksgiving. I played it straight for 4 days. I still remember my winners - Randy Savage won the World Title, defeating Ric Flair in the finals. The Fantastics took apart the Hart Foundation and captured the tag belts.
I have played this game religiously since I purchased it. I still love cards and dice although PWS works for me due to its amazing ability to capture match results and stats electronically rather than by hand, is a life-saver for replays. The game has traveled with me and been in my life longer than anything else. I can consider it a best friend. I open the box filled with heroes and villains performing to the best of their abilities with my imagination the only limitation.
I love the current product but I will always proudly be an old-school wrestling fan, meaning heroes stand for honor and justice and all that is right; heels cheat and the most important thing is being a champion. Because of this, I do want a wrestling game that plays like the wrestling I grew up with.
There are other wrestling games on the market. I have played most of them, so I am not going to disparage them at all. All have their pluses and minuses, but why this works, is not only the nostalgia, but the design. It feels like wrestling and you never know who is going to win.
Remember back in 1985 when you watched wrestling with the suspension of disbelief? When Hulk Hogan wrestled Nikolai Volkoff on Saturday Night's Main Event? The big Russian had the Hulkster on the mat, standing over him, and you hoped the Hulkster would come back, but you thought that maybe Volkoff had him? That is the feeling you get here. Many matches are played out like this - when you book them, you really have no clue who wins, and it feels like you are watching a card from the wrestling you grew up with.
The tagline remains the hook: All the action of live matches, right in your own home! See you in the ring.