Despite the golden era of British wrestling ending when World of Sport was cancelled in 1988, some legends of the ring have appeared in modern video games.
We’re not just talking about the usual players. Obviously, British Bulldog has appeared in numerous WWE video games.
Finlay was a constant presence in the WWE and WCW games since his debut in “WCW vs the World”. William Regal is in seemingly every game nowadays!
However, the likes of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks are absent from most modern games.
Most. But not all.
There was one game that featured a host of British legends. This was Legends of Wrestling II, which featured some of the biggest stars in wrestling history.
The game was independent from the WWE, and contained legends like Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, The Iron Sheik and Owen Hart, to name but a few.
However, the European (PAL) copy of the game included our exclusive characters. All of these wrestlers starred in the classic ITV series “World of Sport”.
They are considered legends of wrestling in the United Kingdom. These five British wrestling icons in Legends of Wrestling 2 are:
Big Daddy
In his sole video game appearance, Big Daddy was the biggest British name included in Legends of Wrestling II. He wore his trademark singlet, hat and Union Jack cape when walking to the ring.
Sadly, the developers couldn’t get the money together to pay for “We shall not be moved” for his entrance music.
The gameplay was nothing like he actually wrestled, because having a two-minute match where he does no moves and just falls on his opponent wouldn’t make for a good game.
However, it is interesting to see how Big Daddy would fit in with some modern stars and American legends (spoilers: he wouldn’t).
Giant Haystacks
The former WCW star is next on the list, as Big Daddy gets his iconic rival to fight with.
The six foot eleven, forty stone Giant Haystacks makes his sole wrestling video game appearance in Legends of Wrestling 2. He plays very similar to Big Daddy, given their massive size and immobility in real life.
Luckily, his inclusion means you can finally recreate the cancelled Hulk Hogan vs Giant Haystacks match that was planned, but ultimately cancelled, to take place in WCW in 1995.
Mick McManus
Arguably the greatest heel Britain has ever seen, Mick McManus is a happy surprise to be included in the PAL version of Legends of Wrestling 2.
His jet black hair (unnaturally so) and short stature made him the instantly recognisable, but his heel work made him unforgettable to the ITV wrestling viewers every week.
A reported audience of 20 million people tuned in to watch his first clash with Jackie Pallo in 1962, so he will have many fans excited to see him in the game finally.
Kendo Nagasaki
One of the biggest legends of British wrestling has to be the iconic Kendo Nagaski. The mysterious masked man from the Orient wowed fans on World of Sport, and has gone down as one of Britain’s greatest ever heels.
He enters the ring with some spooky music that sounds like it came from Banjo-Kazooie. His technical wizardry is faithfully recreated in the game, so fans of Kendo Nagaski will love seeing him in a video game, finally.
Dynamite Kid
Tom Billington, better known as the Dynamite Kid, never appeared in a WWE video game.
He did appear in seven different games though, including all three entries into the Legends of Wrestling series.
While he was not exclusive to the PAL version of the game, it is worth noting him as a British legend who was included in the roster.
