Well, here comes the pain.

Now officially confirmed as being in WWE12.

(Brock Lesnar that is, not me)

Videos on Youtube and IGN.

I'm actually very pleased he's in the game. I like Brock.

The model they have done is interesting, as its his old costume, but he has the chest tattoo that he didn't have until he was wrestling in Japan. Also, the size of the model looks closer to how big he was during his WWE run (and in this photo) as opposed to his lighter MMA weight he is now. I think they were going for Lesnar right at the end of his wrestling career.

Still, here comes the Pain!!

I can think of literally, an entire Santa list of wrestlers that deserved to be in the game far more than Brock.

But the best thing I can say about it is that I don't have to ever do anything with him after I unlock him (most probably by accident or for 100% completion), so even though I don't care for Lesnar being in, I can't really complain, as it doesn't impact the game for me. So, eh. It's ok.

I'll save my complaints for the fact that the shitty-ass custom music volume level glitch is still in this year. That's something worth complaining about.

Do you know the glitch is definitely in, or are you speculating based on internet rumour?

Talking of music, I noticed that the music at the end of the official video is a sort of jazzed up remix of Brock's WWE music. Makes me wonder if he will have that in the game? If so, I'm changing it back to the original theme.

I think Brock is utterly deserving of being in. Youngest undisputed WWE champion at the time, was booked to beat legends to win his titles, main evented major PPVs for the company and was booked as the biggest star in the business while he was there, amazing wrestling skills and power in the ring, legitimate tough guy with an amazing record in amateur wrestling, now is know to a wider audience through UFC where he won the Heavyweight title. I see nothing but good reasons for him to be in a WWE game.

If you think he should be excluded because he made a mistake and handled his leaving WWE badly in 2004, then look at the other guys who burnt bridges with the WWE but have made it back into games. Look at Randy Savage, look at Kevin Nash, look at Bret the Hitman Hart. All of them handled their business with the company at least as badly as Lesnar did.

Mjolnir wrote:

Do you know the glitch is definitely in, or are you speculating based on internet rumour?

Cory answered some dude via twitter. The question was asked if the sound glitches like the PS3 repeating musics in the middle of matches, and the 360 volume issues were still a problem.

Cory answered by saying the PS3 probably was fixed, the 360 still contains that volume issue.

And naw, I just thought he should be excluded primarily because I only aw him as the guy that was forcefed to the fans with the nickname "The Next Big Thing" since day one, and then, as far as I saw, failed to earn that distinction before doing what happened.

I recall a series of typical forced booked squash matches, a few bad PPV matches like the WM match, and an anti-climatic end to an anti-climatic career. It was basically the Sylvester Terkay story, if WWE ever had hopes for Terkay to begin with. Yet, Brock was always being adorned with automatic praise and pushed to the moon since the first time he walked down the ramp without earning it, I thought... and I never saw too much in him.

Even if it came down to Goldberg, though I am no fan of him being pushed in the same way, and exemplifying many of the same problems, Goldberg eventually had a career that earned at least some of his hype. I am no fan of his, but I would have felt more excited for him, even.

Maybe Lesnar was a good amateur, and a decent UFC fighter (for the amount of talent it takes to slapfight, anyway), but in WWE, I just thought he couldn't hang, and then had no patience to even see if he could, anyway.

I'm probably missing that spark of legitimacy that everyone else saw in him, but I can't say I ever witnessed it. To me, Brock felt like all talk, all build-up and never really proved it.

I admit, i'm biased, because it really feels like there must be something there with him, that I never witnessed, or that I really must have missed. That's not sarcasm, maybe I really missed that defining moment of his. *shrug*

And then, it's totally besides the point, but some truly awful stories about him at autograph events, didn't help endear him to me.

I'm not sure that Goldberg had that much of a better career. They built him up to be unbeatable then crushed him to satisfy big egos.

The reason I think they have included is very simple: he still has a massive following. People still talk about him in wrestling circles. And he will also bring the MMA fans to a wrestling game.

StarfirePrince wrote:

I'm not sure that Goldberg had that much of a better career. They built him up to be unbeatable then crushed him to satisfy big egos.

The reason I think they have included is very simple: he still has a massive following. People still talk about him in wrestling circles. And he will also bring the MMA fans to a wrestling game.

I agree. As I mention, Goldberg wasn't much better and suffers the same problem in my eyes. To me, he's ever so slightly better, but not by very much. And only due to longevity. Not because he ever did anything that ever elevated him to that next level particularly. At least he stuck with it.


I also agree with the second thought, more or less. The thing is, THQ also publishes a yearly UFC simulation title. I think it's just a clear cross promotion to tie their two titles together, and try to get fans of one game into the other game, and vice versa, to boost sales a bit.

Brock is certainly a money maker for this game. But the most financially smart is not the most deserving.

If they had their pick of anyone though, I would have much rather had Kurt Angle. Now there's someone worth it.

Similar background, similar method of leaving the WWE (the betrayal of working immediately for TNA while promising Vince he was hanging it up), but yet Kurt made something of himself in WWE, earned it and lived up to it.

Personally, though, I'd give a lot to unlock that other fella in the picture. Give him a slapping...never was a big Jim Ross fan!

i just now started actually thinking about Kurt.

He had to have been THQ's first pick, if TNA had been willing to negotiate for the likeness, or WWE had been willing to accept it. Had to have been the first choice, all things considered.

Both are so similar in the first place, except Kurt had a vastly superior career. Brock feels like the Bronze medal here. Metaphor intended.

As I saidon Facebook, Angle being in the game was never going to happen, and I doubt anyone at THQ would have even given it a moment's thought. While he's working for TNA, he may as well be on Mars.

Besides which, as I also explained, Kurt Angle's stock has been MASSIVELY devalued in the last couple of years due to his alcohol and drug related problems. Several DUI arrests and convictions, several drug related arrests, domestic violence issues, he failed the drug test to compete in the Ultimate fighter series, the list goes on. And all this is without Angle looking like he will fall apart any minute as his body gives up on him. Angle is a drug-charged timebomb.

From a business perspective - because lets face it, the game is a business product and not a wrestling fan wet dream wishlist - it makes massively more sense for the WWE and THQ to sign Brock Lesnar to the game than it would to sign Angle at this point.

As for Brock being deserving, I seriously think you are massively undervaluing Brock's career in the WWE. Yes he was given a monster push from day one, but there is a very good reason for that - the man was a absolute monster! Just because someone was given an immediate push doesn't mean someone who wasn't is more deserving. The whole point of being "The Next Big Thing" is that you are new. But his amateur record and those couple of early matches were enough to get the angle over.

There is no way I will ever agree with a statement that Brock couldn't hang with the WWE crew. Frankly, that's absurd. He had every bit as much technical wrestling skill as the best of them, he was incredibly fast and agile for a man his size, he was massively powerful (F5ing the Big Show takes some doing) and he worked very very well. Brock may not have had a long WWE (like I said, I won't argue that Angle did more) but while he was there he had some excellent PPVs matches and wonderful moments along the way. Matches with Undertaker, Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, all of them were very good and very competitive matches. I really enjoyed watching Lesnar work while he was in WWE.

You say you may have missed the spark other people see. I think you are completely right.

By contrast, I can't think of more than 2 or 3 Bill Goldberg matches that were worth the price of admission. With the possible exception of his world title match with DDP they were all incredibly formulaic. Plus, we all know WCW utterly ruined Goldberg. I think I'd rather have been Lesnar and got out while the getting was good.

Plus, lets not forget that Brock then had a successful career in Japan, winning major titles out there.

As for the stuff about autograph signings, well its possible for anyone to have a bad day. However, as I say, I have met him at two events, and at both he was gracious, charming, genuinely appreciative of people being there, and took as much time as people wanted.

You may not personally like Lesnar, but to state he doesn't deserve to be in the game is a bit thin IMO.

I like Brock Lesnar. I'd happily play as him in WWE12.

Just watched his full entrance video on YouTube. Very nice. The music is correct, he does the stalk back and forth before the jogging on the spot, and the pyro when he jumps on the ring apron looks excellent.

All good stuff.