WWE WrestleMania 21

WWE WrestleMania 21
Developer: Studio Gigante Publisher: THQ Platform: Xbox Released in US: April 20, 2005 Released in EU: May 27, 2005 This game has unused code. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has revisional differences. This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article

To do: Upload direct PNG screenshots of Bill Goldberg in-game (use XDK or Emulator) This game may contain text strings or textures for wrestlers not featured Lesnar and Austin's character select pictures and all crowd signs are in .RES format and not .TGA format like the rest of the pictures. Upload both of their select pictures and all crowd signs if possible. Use this specialized tool from 2005 to export/import "WAD" and "K" files files in the game for further research.

On paper WWE WrestleMania 21, a game made by the developers of Mortal Kombat, sounds like a surefire success. The execution is anything but.

Removed/Unused Wrestlers

Several wrestlers were scrapped for various reasons.

Wrestler	Reason for removal	Notes
Billy Gunn	Released from WWE in November 2004.	Gunn has a placeholder character select picture, AI data, crowd signs but no model.
Brock Lesnar	Left WWE after WrestleMania XX (March 2004).	Lesnar has a placeholder character select picture but no AI data, crowd signs or model.
Goldberg	Left WWE after WrestleMania XX (March 2004).	Goldberg appears to be the most complete wrestler in WM21 as he has a placeholder character select picture, AI data, model but no crowd signs.
Hardcore Holly	Unknown.	Holly has a hidden unlockable ShopZone titantron video, AI data but no placeholder character select picture, crowd signs or model.
Rikishi	Released from WWE in July 2004.	Rikishi has a placeholder character select picture, AI data but no crowd signs or model.
Steve Austin	Unknown.	Austin has a placeholder character select picture but no AI data, crowd signs or model.
Victoria	Unknown.	Victoria has a hidden unlockable ShopZone titantron video but no AI data, crowd signs or model.
Vince McMahon	Unknown.	McMahon has two placeholder character select pictures (one for his wrestling attire and another for his suit attire), AI data, model but no crowd signs.

Unused Wrestler Titantrons

The titantron videos for WWE wrestlers Victoria and Hardcore Holly are located in the "ShopZone" folder of the game directory, though neither wrestlers appears in-game. Victoria's titantron video contains her "Don't Mess With" theme song as performed by Nicki Minaj that she debuted in 2004, and Hardcore Holly's titantron video contains his "How Do You Like Me Now" theme song that he had in 2004.

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  Screenshot of "Victoria_titantron.bik"

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  Screenshot of "HardcoreHolly_titantron.bik"

Unused Alternate Character Selection Pictures

Multiple unused placeholder/alternate character select pictures exist on the game. The first select pictures of WWE wrestlers Christian and Randy Orton feature them in a more cartoony art style as seen here in early trailers for the game.

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  Early Christian render

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  Early Orton render

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  Watercolour picture of Christian

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  Watercolour picture of Orton

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  Picture possibly taken from his 2003 bodybuilding competition against Scott Steiner

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  Undertaker switched from his biker character to his dead man character around WM XX, maybe this picture was used temporarily while a dead man render was being created

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  Placeholder

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  Placeholder

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  Michael Cole's placeholder picture

Unused Goldberg Model

There exists a fully completed Goldberg model in the WrestleMania 21 game files. Curiously, the dummy model used in-game to preview wrestling moves in the Moveset creator is the same model of Goldberg but with all green textures. There exists a mod for WrestleMania 21 that restores the Goldberg model to a playable state, adds alternate attires for in-game wrestlers and enables NPC's in exhibition mode. This mod can only be played with a modded Xbox or Xbox emulator, as this game is not natively playable on an Xbox 360, One or Series model. The mod can be downloaded through the XBMC app on Xbox from the Downloader utility.

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