WWE Legends of Wrestlemania Preview and the Legends of Wrestlemania Characters for PS3 and Xbox 360

If you’re a longtime wrestling fan like me, odds are you’ve been dreaming of a day where there would be a video game in which the wrestling greats of old and the superstars of today could finally meet in the squared circle. Fortunately, that day is almost here, thanks to THQ’s WWE Legends of Wrestlemania, due out in March of 2009 for both the Sony Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. Development is being handled by Yuke’s Future Media Creators, the same creative team behind the long-running WWE Smackdown series of video games. In terms of gameplay, not a ton is know as of yet, although the game is said to be more of an arcade style title and not a deep wrestling sim, and it will feature online multiplayer gameplay.

The developers are touting over 40 different legends will make appearances in WWE Legends of Wrestlemania.

UPDATE 02/24/09: THQ officially announced the complete roster in a February 23, 2009 press release. The wrestlers and managers who will appear in the game include: Andre The Giant, Arn Anderson, Bam Bam Bigelow, Big Bossman, Big John Studd, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Bret “Hitman” Hart, “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Honky Tonk Man, Hulk Hogan, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Iron Sheik, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Jimmy Hart, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Junkyard Dog, Kamala, King Kong Bundy, Koko B. Ware, Michael “P.S.” Hayes, Mr. Fuji, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, Nikolai Volkoff, Paul Bearer, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair,, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal), The Rock, The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker and Yokozuna.

Now if you’re like me, you’re definitely “marking out” at the inclusion of old-school favorites like Bret Hart, Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. However, according to the developers, WWE Legends of Wrestlemania will also feature a Create-A-Legend mode as well as the ability to import already created characters from WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009. Perhaps the best part, though, is the inclusion of a Wrestlemania Tour Mode which will allow you to replay a series of past matches, trying to duplicate or change the outcome of such classic confrontations as Hogan vs. Andre from WrestleMania III. Now the bad news: it is now definite that that two wrestlers who were involved in many classic WrestleMania matches, Randy “Macho Man” Savage and Mick Foley (aka Mankind), will not appear in the game. Savage’s omission seems particularly crippling considering his great history with Hogan and his participation in the WrestleMania IV WWF Title Tournament, which he won

To find out more, check out the game’s official web site at legendsofwrestlemania.com