Over the past three months, I’ve been exploring how to modify ROMs for the AKI wrestling games. Much of that time was spent understanding how textures function, organizing data addresses, and compiling references for early-stage hacking.

My initial project was tentatively titled Hostile Takeover (or Souled Out, depending on where it was mentioned). The concept was straightforward: focus on the nWo’s rise from 1996 to 1998. However, as I learned more about the most efficient methods for building a WCW/nWo Revenge ROM hack, I found myself restarting repeatedly. The project began to feel monotonous, more of a technical exercise than a creative one. Each new attire or texture variant felt like a minor addition to something without a strong creative identity.

Eventually, another creator began developing a similar concept. While I preferred my own interpretation, the overlap reduced my motivation to continue. The ROM hacking community can sometimes be challenging to navigate; players often hold strong opinions and a sense of entitlement toward projects still in progress.

My first attempt to engage with Revenge dates back to 2014. At that time, my planned project was titled Clash of the Champions and centered on the best of WCW from 1990 to 1993, the period that first drew me into professional wrestling. Every Saturday at 6:05 p.m., I would be on the living room floor with my Galoob figures, watching the shows religiously. When events came through the Asheville–Greensboro–Norfolk circuit, I was fortunate enough to see them in person. Around the same period, I spent countless hours playing World Championship Wrestling for the NES, one of the earliest wrestling games I truly immersed myself in.

World Championship Wrestling will be my first official project under the Man Breeze banner. It is a creative remake of the classic NES title rebuilt within the WCW/nWo Revenge engine. I want this project to feel exciting again, something that captures both nostalgia and genuine enthusiasm. The moment it stops being creatively fun, the motivation disappears, and I start looking for another hobby. My goal is to make something that reminds me why I fell in love with wrestling games in the first place.

Here is an in-game mockup of the start screen, reminiscent of the NES classic.

I also started tinkering with some character designs tonight. If you are a classic WCW fan, this character might look familiar.

This project is a labor of both nostalgia and curiosity, blending the games I loved as a kid with the skills I’ve developed over the years. I hope to create something that not only honors early 1990s WCW but also inspires others who share the same passion for these classic wrestling games. The journey is just beginning, and I’m excited to see where it leads.