Legends of Wrestling II/Walkthrough

EXHIBITION
You can either take on a CPU controlled opponent or another human player in all sorts of game modes including single, tag, 3 way dance, 4 way dance, 6 man tag, 8 man tag, 6 or 8 way tag (3 or 4 different teams versus each other), ladder match, cage match, or battle royal. You can also control the referee. You can change the rules of the match such as DQ, countouts, and interference ON/OFF in the screen that asks: Ready to wrestle? In that screen, you can also turn on in-game cheats that you have unlocked and purchased. You can also make the tag matches Survivor Series elimination style matches from that screen as well. Finally, you can put your acquired titles on the line from that screen.

CAREER MODE
In the career mode, you take a wrestler through 5 different wrestling regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and Pacific.) In each region, you will have a specific storyline, and meet a different promoter. Once you win all of the titles in the U.S. regions, you go on to the World Region to win the World Title.

CREATE
This is where you can create a wrestler. I am not going to get into much detail here on that section of the game. You can either create a male or female wrestler. Unlike the original Legends of Wrestling you cannot clone or edit pre-existing wrestlers.

TOURNAMENT
You can schedule and compete in single, tag, or win the tag belts in a tag team title tournament.

SHOP
You can bet your earned green coins in the gambling mode to win red and blue coins from this screen. Once you have won some blue and green coins, you can buy and unlock wrestlers, arenas, clothing, abilities, cheats, and concept art.

THEATRE
From here, you can watch fantastic interviews with some of the in-game legends, or see the career ending FMVs of wrestlers in the game, as well as view all of your unlocked concept art.

OPTIONS
Self-explanatory here. You can change game options, turn on a custom playlist, edit the sounds settings, etc.

STANDING

 * : Move around the ring
 * : Change focus on different wrestlers
 * : Taunt/Finisher
 * ,  or,   or  : Strike
 * ,  or,   or  :  Ready attack move
 * : Grapple
 * : Block
 * : Call in tag partner or call for manager interference
 * : Pick up weapon
 * : Climb to top rope while in corner/ Exit to apron while near ropes
 * + : Exit to floor while near ropes
 * : Run

FRONT GRAPPLE

 * : Push opponent around the ring
 * : Finisher
 * : Vertical suplex ISP
 * : Scoop slam ISP
 * : Head between legs ISP
 * : Belly to belly ISP
 * : Spin opponent for rear grapple
 * : Irish Whip

REAR GRAPPLE

 * : Push opponent around the ring
 * : Finisher
 * : Gutwrench ISP
 * : Full nelson ISP
 * : Samoan Drop ISP
 * : Random pin
 * : Spin opponent for front grapple
 * : Irish Whip

WHILE HOLDING WEAPON

 * : Swing weapon
 * : Special weapon move (Varies by wrestler and weapon)
 * : Throw weapon
 * : Drop weapon
 * : Taunt

WHILE HOLDING LADDER

 * : Swing ladder
 * : Set up ladder (in-ring only)
 * : Throw ladder
 * : Drop ladder
 * : Taunt

ON TOP OF LADDER

 * , :  Taunt
 * and :  Turnbuckle attacks
 * : Reach for belt or duffle bag
 * : Climb down ladder

TOP ROPE

 * : Turnbuckle attack 1
 * : Turnbuckle attack 2
 * : Turnbuckle attack 3
 * : Taunt
 * : Taunt/Finisher
 * : Climb down
 * : Change focus on different wrestler

OPPONENT ON GROUND
X, X up or down, X left or right: Stomps Y, Y up or down, Y left or right (Near head): attack move Y, Y up or down, Y left or right (Near legs): attack move B (by head): Rear chinlock ISP B (by legs): Holding legs ISP A: Pick up opponent A plus direction: Roll opponent over
 * : Taunt/Finisher

CAGE MATCH
Right thumbstick: Change focus to attack the cage door Left Trigger: Climb cage

ON CAGE WALL
Left thumbstick: Move around cage wall X, A, B, or Y: Jump off and attack from cage wall or swat at opponent also on wall Left trigger: Hop down from cage

ON TOP OF CAGE
D-Pad, A: Taunt X: Somersault senton Y: Splash B: Double axe handle Left thumbstick down: Climb over and out of cage (Only when cage door is broken off hinges)

OTHER MOVES
To do special moves: Your special meter needs to be full. The position your opponent needs to be in varies by the wrestler. In the wrestler selection screen, the finisher of the wrestler as well as the position they need to be in is listed. For instance, to do King Kong Bundy's avalanche finisher, the victim needs to be stuck in the turnbuckles. You then run towards the turnbuckles and press the D-Pad when you are close to the corner. To do Hulk Hogan's leg drop finisher, the victim needs to be laying on the mat. You run towards them and hit the D-Pad. To do Bret Hart's sharpshooter finisher, the victim needs to be laying on their back. You need to go their legs and press B to do the holding legs ISP. While you are holding their legs, you press the D-Pad to apply the sharpshooter. To do Bam Bam Bigelow's Greeting from Asbury Park, you need to grapple, and then press Y to go to the scoop slam ISP. You then press to do the finisher, etc.

To throw your opponent over the top rope: Grapple and push them against ropes, and then press and hold plus the direction towards the ropes. Also works if your back is against the ropes.

To run and slide out of the ring. Run with the R trigger, and then hold down as you approach the ropes.

To get weapon: Press black button while out of ring near ring apron

Double team: There are 4 kinds of double teams:  double team facing opponent, double team facing opponent's back, sandwich double team (one person in front, one in back), and corner double team. To do any double team, both wrestlers need to grapple at the victim at the same time. Double teams vary per match, and are not assigned to a specific wrestler. What that means is that The Road Warriors will not always do the Doomsday Device as their corner double team.

To go into a crouch after being knocked down, you need to hold the R trigger. NOTE: You need to hold R immediately after being knocked down or you will not come up in a crouch.

FROM THE CROUCH

 * : Attacks
 * : Rolls away
 * : Grapples
 * : Blocks

LIST OF WRESTLERS
The following wrestlers are available immediately:
 * Andre The Giant
 * Bam Bam Bigelow
 * Baron Von Raschke
 * Bob Backlund
 * Bret "Hitman" Hart
 * Brian Pillman
 * Cowboy Bob Orton
 * Don Muraco
 * Dory Funk, Jr.
 * Dr. Death Steve Williams
 * Dynamite Kid
 * Eddie Guerrero
 * George "The Animal" Steele
 * Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
 * Hacksaw Jim Duggan
 * Harley Race
 * "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert
 * Hulk Hogan
 * Iron Sheik
 * Ivan Koloff
 * Ivan Putski
 * Jerry "The King" Lawler
 * Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
 * Kerry Von Erich
 * Kevin Von Erich
 * Michael Von Erich
 * David Von Erich
 * Fritz Von Erich
 * Koko B. Ware
 * Mil Mascaras
 * Mr. U.S.A Tony Atlas
 * "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff
 * Nikolai Volkoff
 * One Man Gang
 * Road Warrior Hawk
 * Road Warrior Animal
 * Rick Martel
 * Rick Steiner
 * Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
 * Ricky Morton
 * Robert Gibson
 * Rocky Johnson
 * Rowdy Roddy Piper
 * Sabu
 * Scott Steiner
 * The Sheik
 * Sid Vicious
 * "Superstar" Billy Graham
 * Ted DiBiase
 * Terry Funk
 * Tito Santana

The following wrestlers are available to be purchased immediately from the Shop section:
 * Killer Kowalski
 * Nasty Boy Brian Knobs
 * Nasty Boy Jerry Sags
 * King Kong Bundy
 * Abdullah The Butcher
 * Mr. Fuji
 * Jimmy Hart
 * Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
 * Captain Lou Albano
 * The Grand Wizard

The following wrestlers are available to be purchased after defeating them in Career mode:
 * Andy Kaufman (Defeat with Jerry Lawler in "The Comic Wrestler" storyline)
 * Big John Studd (Defeat with anyone in the Pacific region storylines except "Sensationalized Violence)

The following wrestlers are available to be purchased after defeating Career mode with a specific wrestler:
 * Owen Hart (Defeat Career mode with Bret Hart)
 * British Bulldog (Defeat Career mode with Dynamite Kid)
 * Bruno Sammartino (Defeat Career mode with Hulk Hogan)

The following promoters are playable after you defeat their region in Career Mode:
 * Tony "The Boss" Pavarotti (Northeast region)
 * Scotty MacDougal (Midwest)
 * Belle Jackson (Southeast)
 * Tex McGraw (Southwest)
 * Randall Schmandall (Pacific)
 * Hiro Natsume (World region)

MEET THE JOBBERS
In each career region, there are 5 different jobbers. You cannot control the jobbers. The lone exception is the storyline "Promoter's Nephew" in the southwest region. Each jobber seems to have the exact same moveset, and all wrestle pretty much the same. All the jobbers have a powerbomb for a finisher.

NORTHEAST REGION JOBBERS

 * Sam Phillips: 5'11" 160 pounds from Providence, RI.  Skinny guy with a Jerry Lawler beard and wears black tights.
 * Slick Reed: 5'8" 170 pounds from Parts Unknown.  Slick is a skinny black guy with red and black tights like Rick Martel from his AWA days.
 * Ted Finnegan: 6' 2" 210 pounds from Newark, DE.  Ted wears flannel shorts and a black tank top.
 * Perry Jones: 6'1" 240 pounds from Pittsburgh, PA.  He is a fat guy with a black singlet.
 * Tim Ball: 6'1" 190 pounds from Boston, MA.  Skinny guy with black jeans and no shirt.

SOUTHEAST REGION JOBBERS

 * Christian Reed: 5'11" 265 pounds from Charleston, WV.  Fat guy with a hairy chest and blue jeans.
 * TJ Smith: 6'1" 290 pounds from Birmingham, AL.  Fat guy with long sideburns.
 * Jack Hall: 6' 0" 185 pounds from Brandon, FL.  Bald headed wrestler with black tights and white stripe.
 * Frankie Garcia: 5'9" 210 pounds from Baton Rouge, LA.  Fat black guy with purple and yellow tights.
 * Leo Duran: 5'9" 175 pounds from Nashville, TN  Scrawny guy with red singlet.

MIDWEST REGION JOBBERS

 * Chris Andersen: 5'10" 220 pounds from Minneapolis, MN Muscular blond guy with shiny wet singlet.
 * Mark Hyatt: 5'9" 150 pounds from Boise, ID Wears black pants with no shirt or shoes.
 * Arnold Martin: 6' 1" 290 pounds from Sioux Falls, SD  Arnold is a fat black guy with gold trunks.
 * Ronny Davis: 6'3" 260 pounds from Kansas City, MO.  Fat bald guy with gold singlet.
 * Patrick Weichert: 6'3" 210 pounds from Chicago, IL  Skinny white guy with gray hair and purple trunks.

SOUTHWEST REGION JOBBERS

 * Mike Clayton: 6'0" 225 pounds from San Antonio, TX.  Big muscular guy with blond hair.
 * Brad Asay: 5'8" 300 pounds from Santa Fe, NM.  Big fat white guy with black singlet.
 * Chris Fasy: 6' 2" 230 pounds from Salt Lake City, UT.  Chris is a muscular guy with green shorts.
 * Chris Burchard: 5'10" 240 pounds from Denver, CO.  Wears green jeans, hairy chest, and has long "Rico" sideburns.
 * Bubba Jones: 6'2" 280 pounds from Dallas, TX.  Huge fat guy with a bald head and black tights.

PACIFIC REGION JOBBERS

 * Cole Dunford: 6'0" 310 pounds from Portland, OR. Fat guy with a one strap singlet.
 * Vlad Williams: 6'3" 220 pounds from Spokane, WA.  Vlad has red hair and wears black tights.
 * John Calhoun: 6' 1" 195 pounds from Los Angeles, CA.  Skinny guy with pink tights.
 * Gary Meints: 6'4" 200 pounds from Seattle, WA.  He wears red tights and looks a lot like Jerry Flynn.
 * Tommy Wells: 5'11" 275 pounds from San Francisco, CA.  Tommy is hairy all over and wears green tights.

NORTHEAST STORYLINES

 * 1) Fixed Match = Promoter "The Boss" wants you to throw a match for him. The storyline will change whether or not you choose to throw the match.
 * 2) Injured Opponent = In your first match, you wrestle a mid-carder.  After you beat him, the promoter tells you that he was injured in the match.  He then interferes throughout the rest of your career in the promotion.
 * 3) Vindictive Opponent = You face a mid-carder in the first match, and after you beat him, he interferes throughout the rest of your career in the promotion.
 * 4) Daughter's Crush = The promoter's daughter has a crush on you. The promoter wants you to do well so you do not disappoint his daughter. She ends up falling for the pizza delivery boy.
 * 5) Disappearing Jobbers = Inferring to his mob ties, "The Boss" states that there has been a problem in the promotion with jobbers "disappearing" after the kept on losing matches. The Boss wants to make sure that you do well or else you may disappear.
 * 6) Bundy vs. Pillman = King Kong Bundy and Brian Pillman have a feud in the region.  Depending on whether your a babyface or heel, one of those 2 wrestlers join you in your corner.
 * 7) The Animal = The storyline revolves around George "The Animal" Steele.
 * 8) Albano in Charge = Captain Lou Albano manages a group of wrestlers that are causing problems for the promoter.
 * 9) Former Friends = The promoter tells you that he has friends in the prior region you just competed, and those friends were pals with the champion you defeated. The friends want the promoter to make life rough for you.
 * 10) Critical Promoter = The promoter advises that he is not impressed with your former accomplishments, and gives you tough matches in the region.

SOUTHEAST STORYLINES

 * 1) Hitting on Promoter = You are making eyes at the promoter, and she does not like it. She constantly tells you to keep your mind on wrestling.
 * 2) Amorous Promoter = Direct opposite of the first storyline.  The promoter is hitting on you.
 * 3) The Comic Wrestler = The storyline revolves around the historic Andy Kaufman/Jerry Lawler feud.  This storyline is specific for Jerry Lawler.
 * 4)  Pilfered Gear = The promoter wants you to steal Jerry Lawler's crown and robe as a favor.  When you do, Lawler causes problems.
 * 5) Rock N' Roll Express = The storyline revolves around the Rock N' Roll Express.  Lots of tag matches in this storyline.  You also have to win the singles title too.
 * 6) Jimmy Hart in Charge = Jimmy Hart manages a group of wrestlers that are causing problems for the promoter.
 * 7) Mr. Wonderful = The promoter advises that a tag team from another promotion has come in the region and taken the belts.  She assigns a partner to team up with Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff to take the titles back.  This storyline is specific for Paul Orndorff.
 * 8) Unimpressed Promoter = The promoter advises that he is not impressed with your former accomplishments, and gives you tough matches in the region. Storyline ends with a battle royal.
 * 9) Vindictive Former Champ = The wrestler from the previous promotion you just competed in comes to this region and causes problems

MIDWEST STORYLINES
champion of the region. beat him, he interferes throughout the rest of your career in the promotion. When you start winning matches, he sends his wrestlers to interfere in your matches. Lots of tag matches in this storyline. You also have to win the singles title too. storyline ends with a battle royal. of wrestlers that are causing problems for the promoter. to the Midwest Region. Scotty tells you that you should compete in tag team competition against The Road Warriors. Basically the same as storyline Road Warriors #1. promoter wants you to do well. Eventually, the promoter's kid takes down your poster and puts up posters of a pop singer.
 * 1) 1 Knock off the Old Champ = The promoter wants you to defeat the longtime
 * 1) 2 Vindictive Rival = You face a mid-carder in the first match, and after you
 * 1) 3 Desperate Manager = The manager in the region has control of the region.
 * 1) 4 Gambling Promoter = The promoter gambles, and puts money on you to win.
 * 2) 5 The Road Warriors 1 = The storyline revolves around The Road Warriors.
 * 1) 6 Wrestling's Richest Man = The storyline revolves around Ted Dibiase.  The
 * 1) 7 One Man Gang Warfare = The storyline revolves around The One Man Gang.
 * 2) 8 The Posse = Cowboy Bob Orton is the champion, and he also manages a group
 * 1) 9 Road Warriors #2 = After winning a title in a different promotion, you go
 * 1) 10 Promoter's Kid = You are the promoter's son's favorite wrestler.  The
 * 1) 11 The Baron = The storyline revolves around Baron Von Raschke.

SOUTHWEST STORYLINES
The promoter's nephew is just starting to be a wrestler. The promoter wants you to take him under your wing. You compete in a lot of tag matches with Bubba as your tag team partner. You finally get to control a jobber. If you lose a match, the promoter punishes you with tough matches. matches and go right into matches against the mid-carders. The champion is demanding that you face tougher competition. revenge. plugged in with the healthy member of the team. Von Erich is the champion. Other members of the family interfere during the matches. on about how tough Terry Funk is. The storyline ends with a cage match for the title. After beating him, both Terry and Dory Funk Jr. interfere later on in the region. group of wrestlers that are causing problems for the promoter. (#10) Family Feud  1 = Centers around the Funk/Von Erich feud. This storyline is specific for The Von Erichs. fire a lot of wrestlers. When you finally win matches, the crowds increase, and Tex is able to hire back everyone else he fired. with your former accomplishments, and gives you tough matches in the region. (#14) Family Feud  2 = Centers around the Funk/Von Erich feud. This storyline is specific for The Funks.
 * 1) 1 Promoter's Nephew = This is probably my favorite storyline in the game.
 * 1) 2 Manipulative Champion = You start this region out skipping the jobber
 * 1) 3 The Champ's Girl = You hit on the champion's girlfriend, and he wants
 * 1) 4 Fill-In Tag Team = Tex has a tag team with an injured partner, so you get
 * 1) 5 Protective Champ
 * 2) 6 The Von Erichs = The storyline revolves around The Von Erich family.  Fritz
 * 1) 7 Tough as Nails = The storyline revolves around Terry Funk.  Tex goes on and
 * 1) 8 Beat Down = The champ is Terry Funk.  You start out by facing Dory Funk Jr.
 * 1) 9 Superstar = Superstar Billy Graham is the champion, and he also manages a
 * 1) 11 Cutbacks = There are tough financial times in the promotion, and Tex had to
 * 1) 12 Unimpressed Promoter**  =  The promoter advises that he is not impressed
 * 1) 13 The Man of a 1,000 Masks = The storyline revolves around Mil Mascaras.

PACIFIC STORYLINES
plugged in with the healthy member of the team. interfere in your matches. the region. Whoever wins the title match gets the movie role. NOTE: This is the only storyline that Big John Studd can compete in, although it is not specifically made for him you in tough matches. feud. It gets back to The Dragon, and he causes problems in the promotion. you have to win a body slam match before you get a title shot.
 * 1) 1 Rival Tag Team = Randall has a tag team with an injured partner, so you get
 * 1) 2 Coalition of Wrestlers = There is a group of wrestlers who constantly
 * 1) 3 Movie Star = Randall has a movie part open to either you or the champion of
 * 1) 4 Sensationalized Violence = The promoter wants bloody, violent matches.
 * 1) 5 Promoter's Girl = You hit on the promoter's girlfriend, and he schedules
 * 1) 6 Martial Arts Master = The storyline revolves around Ricky Steamboat.
 * 2) 7 Snuka vs. Muraco = Snuka and Muraco are feuding.  You get involved in the
 * 1) 8 Gimmick Envy = You are heard talking bad about Ricky Steamboat's gimmick.
 * 1) 9 Big John Studd = The storyline revolves around Big John Studd.  Of course,
 * 1) 10 Rock and a Hard Place = The storyline revolves around Don Muraco.
 * 2) 12 Killer Champion = The storyline revolves around Killer Kowalski.

WORLD REGION STORYLINES
regions invade the world region and cause you problems match, there is a 30 man royal rumble battle royal that you have to win to get a title shot Region. Hiro Natsume schedules you in exciting matches to draw big crowds. with a battle royal. Sheik is always accompanied by Nikolai Volkoff, and halfway through, you face Volkoff and Sheik in a tag team match.
 * 1) 1 Enemies from the Past = A bunch of wrestlers that you faced in previous
 * 1) 2 World Class Battle Royal = When you finally work your way up to a title
 * 1) 3 Rival Promotion = There is a rival promotion competing against the World
 * 1) 4 Superfly = The storyline revolves around Jimmy Snuka.  The storyline ends
 * 1) 5 The Iron Sheik The storyline revolves around The Iron Sheik.  The Iron
 * 1) 6 Hulkamania = The storyline revolves around Hulk Hogan.
 * 2) 7 Andre the Giant = The storyline revolves around Andre the Giant
 * 3) 8 The Best There Is = The storyline revolves around Bret Hart.
 * 4) 9 The Red Champ = The storyline revolves around Nikolai Volkoff.

A quick note about storylines. If a storyline is about a specific wrestler, it will be blocked out when you are taking that specific wrestler through career mode. For instance, when controlling Baron Von Raschke, storyline #11 "The Baron" in the midwest, will be blocked out. Additionally, when controlling a female created wrestler or the Promoter Belle in career mode, all of the storylines involving romances will also be blocked out. Sorry guys, no lesbian storylines.

HELP IN CAREER MODE
The point behind the career mode is to gain 100% popularity with the crowd in the region. Along the way, you may be asked to do different things by the promoter, like winning the tag team title or throwing a match when the promoter is betting against you. You raise your popularity bar by the way you perform in the ring during your matches. In your matches, you can earn percentage points in the following ways: Win Match 3-Way Dance 4-Way Dance Ladder Match Cage Match Battle Royal Counters or Reversals (3 times) 40% less damage spread Turnbuckle (3 times) Damage Bonus  (3 times) Fight on Apron Attack outside Ring Ref Bump Linked ISP (2 times) Move Variety Finisher Bleeding Weapons Minimum High Spots Taunt (3 times) 2 on 1 moves (3 moves) Break up Pinfall/Submission Tag minimum Eliminate Opponent (2 times)

You can lose points in the following ways:

Lose match A.I. Pins opponent Never Call in partner Never distract ref Stalling Repetitive moves Not enough tags Not enough ISP Not making minimum high spots No matter how much your final match percentage is, the maximum you can raise your region popularity is 17% in the U.S. regions, and 12% in the World region.

So that means even if your end match percentage is 146%, your region popularity will only raise 17% at a time. If your end match percentage is around 85%, your region popularity may only raise 13%. While competing in the career mode, a helpful hint is to let one of your first 2 matches against the jobbers not gain 100%. You will only advance to the next cut scene with a region popularity total of 34%. If you have not reached 34% after your first 2 jobber matches, you will face another jobber, which is an easier match than the other more well-known wrestlers.

You can also change your upcoming opponent in most situations. For instance, if your next scheduled match in career mode is a 4 way dance, and you do not like 4 way dances, you can press "B" to exit career mode. Make sure that you save your career. Go back into career mode, and your next opponent probably has changed. It should be noted that key points in the storyline cannot be changed. If you have to win a battle royal to get a title shot, your next match will always be a battle royal; there is nothing you can do about it.

Personally, I always liked 3 way dances. That way, you can exit the ring and grab a weapon. You can taunt 3 times, and you will get percentage points for each time you taunt. While the other 2 wrestlers are going at it, you can go to the top rope and dive off. If you hit both of them, you will get turnbuckle points for each wrestler. You can also gain points for double team moves. Finally, you receive big percentage points when you break up a pinfall or submission.

A note about tag team storylines. When you have a storyline like "The Rock N' Roll Express" or "Promoter's Nephew," and you reach a critical part of the storyline like a title match, make sure that the wrestler you control gets the pin, and not your partner. If your partner gets the win, the promoter will act like you lost the match. In a similar aspect, if your partner gets pinned in any tag match, you will not lose the percentage points like if your character was pinned.

A way to speed up the career mode is to turn off the introductions before each match. You can cut almost a minute off each match. To make you not lose your mind hearing the same songs over and over, make your own playlist for the background music in the game.

BATTLE ROYAL STRATEGIES
Battle royals are tough. This is probably the best way I have found to win them. First off, stay in the center of the ring. Concentrate on one wrestler, and let the other 2 wrestlers fight as long as they want. You can only eliminate a wrestler when he loses about 1/4th of his health bar. After you get past your first opponent, start to taunt. By the time your original opponent makes it to the dressing room and the next opponent comes out, you should be close to having your special. If you do have your special, punch the new opponent as soon as he comes in to make him groggy. Now, hit your special. This will take off more than enough to eliminate him. Pick him up, and toss him out of the ring and eliminate him. Continue to taunt while staying away from the other 2 wrestlers in the ring. Continue this strategy until you win the battle royal.

If you really want to be cheap, if a wrestler pins you, don't press anything to kick out. Unless you are in the northern lights suplex, you will not lose energy. You can let the other wrestlers in the ring fight it out until the very end.

CAGE MATCH STRATEGIES
The easiest way to win cage matches is to climb the side of the cage and jump off with either an axe handle or moonsault. You can keep doing this repeatedly, and the CPU will get hit approximately 85% of the time. Do not attack the cage door until the opponent is completely drained of energy. Once they are out of energy, any move applied to them will make them groggy. That is when you can attack the cage door. For what it is worth, the fastest way to break down the cage door is to change your focus to the door, and then press "B" to shake it. Once the cage door is off its hinges and the opponent is out of energy, one strike will make your opponent groggy and you can escape out the opening by pressing L.

LADDER MATCH STRATEGIES
The strategy to winning the ladder match is similar to the cage match. First drain your opponent of all their energy. Do not go get the ladder until the very end. Once they are drained of all their energy, you can go get the ladder. Hit your opponent with the ladder. Set it up in the middle of the ring. Now, pick up the fallen opponent and toss them out of the ring. Now climb the ladder and press B to reach for the belt. Sometimes there is a glitch where the opponent cannot climb into the ring once you are reaching for the belt. It does not happen all of the time, but I have seen it numerous times.

TAG MATCH STRATEGIES
I love the tag team matches. They are a lot of fun. The best way to win them is to use your double team moves. Either tag your opponent in with the A button or call them in the ring with White button. Now, go bump the referee so the ref's count stops. With the referee down, you and your partner can double team as much as you want. When the ref gets up, run into them again to allow you to continue to double team. If you did not know, you cannot call your opponent in the ring if the word "Cheat" does not appear under your names. However, you can still double team after a legal tag. Keep bumping that referee.

To avoid being double teamed when your opponent makes a tag, try this. Simply exit the ring. Both wrestlers will follow you out. When you roll back in, only the legal man can enter for the opposite team. If that is too cheap for you, you can grapple the illegal man and throw him over the top rope, and he cannot reenter at that time, either.

HELP PLAYING THE GAMBLING GAME
I hate gambling. However, if you want to unlock any of the hidden wrestlers or arenas, you have to do it. The best way to win your bets is to only gamble 1 green coin at a time. Place it in the first square, in the upper left. Concentrate on that square alone while the cursor bounces around. As soon as the cursor stops on your square, stop the cursor. You will find that you will be successful about 85% of the time using this method.

CHEATS/HELPFUL HINTS
Unfortunately, there are no known cheats to allow you to unlock all of the characters without gambling or going through career mode. Listed below are a couple of things that will help you get through the game quicker and enjoy it more:

Northern Lights Suplex glitch
There is a glitch with the northern lights suplex. If you hold them down for the pinfall when executing the move, you continue to drain their energy and your spirit bar grows as well. You can quickly drain your opponent's energy this way, and build your spirit bar just as fast.

Big John Studd unlimited green coins trick
Take any wrestler besides Big John Studd through career mode in the Pacific region. Choose any storyline besides "Sensationalized Violence." Once you reach the bodyslam match with Big John Studd, save right before you start the match. Now compete and win the bodyslam match. After you win the bodyslam match, you will be awarded with 35 green coins. You can then quit the match, and exit career mode. When you are asked to save career mode, choose "NO." Reenter career mode and win the bodyslam match again, to get +35 more green coins. Exit career mode without saving again. You can keep doing this as many times as you want. Before you turn off your Xbox, make sure you go into the options menu from the title screen, and save from there. Go into Shop mode and you will notice that you have lots of green coins.

Fast way to defeat career mode
First off pick a wrestler with the northern lights suplex and a submission hold for a finisher. Bret Hart and Rick Martel are 2 examples. In career mode, use the northern lights suplex, and make sure you hold them down for the pin. After you hit the move 3 times, you will be very close to getting your special. Exit the ring and grab a weapon. Do your taunt 3 times. You will get points each time for every taunt. By now you will have your special. Unless your opponent is in the red: DO NOT DO YOUR SPECIAL. Instead, strike them and get them groggy. Use this time to work on your linked ISP moves. Hit at least 1 in the match (and get the points for it) so you don't get deducted for "Not enough ISPs" at the end of the match.

When your flashing spirit meter ends without you using it, your spirit bar will drop to half. In your match, don't forget to bump the ref as well as do an apron grapple. Those are easy points to earn, as well as fighting with weapons and fighting outside of the ring. You can also get points for turnbuckle attacks 3 times. In tag matches, make sure to get your minimum tags and also call in your partner into the ring. You get big points for breaking up a pinfall as well.

Anyway, once your opponent is in the red and you have your special, applying your submission special twice will drain them completely of all their energy, and a quick 3-4 minute win.

You can use that to build up to a title match very quickly. In the title match and the match that follows, it does not matter how much in percentage points that you get. Therefore, use the northern lights suplex glitch over and over to get an easy 2 minute win.

Follow that formula and you will beat career mode in about 4 hours.

Add your own playlist. You will go nuts hearing the same 5 or 6 songs over and over again. Make your own playlist and add as many songs as you want to it.