Weird Games: WWE Crush Hour

[jamesyfx]

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) video games are nothing new. In fact, there's generally one per year (and let's face it, they aren't known for their quality) and they're all relatively similar.

Somebody at THQ must have been aware of this and wanted to do something slightly different with the licence back in the early 2000's.

Essentially, it is a wrestling game without any wrestling in it. Actually, it is an arena-based car combat game. Think Twisted Metal or Carmageddon. Maybe it was ahead of its time - if they threw a ball and goal areas into the game it could have been 2003's Rocket League (I'm kidding).

So, the story is that Vince McMahon (by 2022 he is now the retired, disgraced former owner of the WWE company - but back then he was seen in a more positive light as the angry but essential operator of the company) somehow takes over every single TV channel in the United States and is launching weird projects left right and centre - one of them is this car combat show which he calls Crush Hour.

The game features 32 wrestling stars of the time each with their own weird vehicles and weapons. Familiar faces such as The Rock, Kane, Stone Cold, The Undertaker etc feature and all have voice lines. The game even features commentary from a regular ringside commentator of the time, Jim Ross (known as JR). Such lines as "Triple H now has the Twisty Rockets" will never be heard again in any form of media ever.

The game is kinda straightforward - you just have to circle around the arena and come out in first. It's just really weird that it's out there. The idea that Vince McMahon would pit his greatest assets against each other in a literal battle to the death is super absurd. The wrestlers even have entrances like they would have in the ring.

But yeah, what a weird use of the WWE licence. I'm willing to bet that THQ just had a prototype of something and slapped it on there.