No wrestling game would be complete without fun unlockable content, but we’re still trying to understand why these five characters were made playable in WWE games…
1. Fred Durst (WWF SmackDown: Just Bring It!)
By 2001, the World Wrestling Federation had defeated World Championship Wrestling in the “Monday Night Wars.” Hotter than ever, the WWF released the official video game WWF SmackDown: Just Bring It, which fell to much fanfare from gamers. Of course, there are several wrestlers in the game which gamers will need to unlock to play as, including Spike Dudley, Rhyno, and Tajiri.
Included in this list of unlockable names, however, is Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, with whom players can compete as to take on the company’s biggest superstars. To unlock Durst, you need to defeat 15 wrestlers in Slobberknocker Mode while playing as The Undertaker.
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Including Durst in the game isn’t completely random. At the time, The Undertaker was using the Limp Bizkit song “Rollin'” as his entrance music. This even led to the band performing the song live at Wrestlemania, although Durst didn’t actually step foot in the ring. The decision to add Durst to the game was never explained by THQ, but it’s possibly a result of the contract negotiations between Limp Bizkit and WWE for the rights to use the song.
Strangely, Durst would return as an unlockable character a year later in the Xbox game WWF Raw. The backward ballcap-wearing musician would be featured as a fighter once again in the video game adaptation of Fight Club. Oddly enough, however, the closest Durst ever came to a wrestling match in real life was when Shaggy 2 Dope of the Insane Clown Posse attempted to dropkick him during a live concert.
2. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (WWF War Zone)
It’s been well over a decade since the final title in the franchise, but the Turok: Dinosaur Hunter video games used to be a thing. The first title was released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64 and was one of the most talked-about games on the console at the time. With a sequel in the works and the character rising in popularity with gamers, Acclaim made the call to have Turok developed as a wrestler in another game they were publishing called WWF War Zone.
For whatever reason, the developers chose not to include Turok in the final release of the game. However, a playable version of the character was left behind in the game’s files. Using a GameShark, players would be able to enter a code to unlock all of the hidden content, including the titular dinosaur hunter. You can then pit Turok: Dinosaur Hunter against Goldust in a wrestling ring, which is undoubtedly the dream fight all of us always wanted to see.
Turok would later show up in multiple video game sequels of his own, along with a reboot in 2008. Still, some gamers might consider his hidden appearance in WWF War Zone to be the character’s most entertaining outing.
3. Head (WWF Attitude)
The follow-up to WWF War Zone would have a rather strange unlockable character of its own. If there’s something to be happy about, however, it’s that this one actually comes from within the world of wrestling.
In 1999, Al Snow was one of the most bizarre personalities in the WWF. With the words “help me” written backward on his forehead, it was clear Snow was a complete nutcase. He carried around a mannequin head with him, which he treated as if it were an actual person. The head’s name was simply “Head,” much to the delight of the teenagers in the audience, who got a kick out of the sexual innuendo.
Because Head is only real in Snow’s mind, including her as a playable character in a wrestling game doesn’t make much sense, but as you’ve already surmised, that’s exactly what happened in WWF Attitude.
Several wrestlers are available to be unlocked in the game after completing certain challenges, such as Chyna, Test, Marc Mero, and Jerry “The King” Lawler. The Undertaker’s manager, Paul Bearer, can also be unlocked, but that’s still not nearly as strange as the inclusion of Head. In the game, Head consists of her familiar mannequin head, along with two floating hands and black wrestling boots. The rest of her body is completely invisible.
It might be humorous, but should it really be the top prize?
4. Ho (WWF No Mercy)
Some consider WWF No Mercy on the Nintendo 64 to be the greatest wrestling game of all time. Even so, not everything about the classic title is perfect. This includes featuring “Ho” as an unlockable character whose different outfits represented four separate prostitutes. You’re reading that right – you can play as a wrestling hooker in an officially-licensed game.
If you weren’t watching wrestling in the late ’90s, let’s take a minute to explain how this came about. At the time, pro wrestling was geared more towards adults, featuring characters like a wrestling pimp called The Godfather. Wearing flashy colors like the most stereotypical pimp you ever saw, The Godfather would typically be escorted to the ring by prostitutes he’d lovingly refer to as his “Ho Train.” Needless to say, this kind of thing would never fly in WWE today, with the product toning down mature content such as this.
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Sure, there are a few other odd inclusions here for hidden playable characters. I’m not sure anybody was dying to play as referee Earl Hebner, commentator Jim Ross, or CEO Linda McMahon. Still, none seem quite as ridiculous as Ho, who can be purchased for $500,000 of in-game currency. This, by far, makes her the most difficult of the hidden characters to unlock because this was the one THQ presumed players would be most excited for.
5. The Terminator (WWE 2K16)
These days, WWE’s biggest stars are brought to life in stunning detail in the long-running 2K video game series. The games now boast rosters bigger than we could have ever imagined in years past. Virtually every active wrestler in the company can be controlled in these games, with countless legends from the past included as unlockables as well. For the most part, they all make sense, but WWE2K16 had the rather strange inclusion of a classic action movie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
As part of a pre-order exclusive, players could have the T-800 as a playable character in the game. With multiple outfits available, this includes both versions of the character as depicted in The Terminator and its sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. With the likeness of Schwarzenegger, the wrestling Terminator even comes to the ring to the iconic theme music from the Terminator movies.
While it may not make much sense, this is admittedly pretty awesome to see. One can’t argue with the results. Of course, as a pre-order only, you can only play as the T-800 if you happen to purchase the game before its release. Otherwise, watching game footage of the character in action is the best way to enjoy it.
