source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

As noted earlier, WWE has plans to release WWE Legends of WrestleMania, a video game based on legends and alumni who have appeared at WrestleMania in the 1980s and 1990s. It will be released in March 2009 to coincide with WrestleMania XXV.

An updated list of characters for the upcoming Legends of Wrestlemania has been released — 35 in all. The list of characters are as follows: Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Undertaker, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Ultimate Warrior, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Yokozuna, Haku, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Jim Ross, Sgt. Slaughter, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Honky Tonk Man, Earthquake, Iron Sheik, Legion of Doom, “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, Mr. Fuji, Tito Santana, Joey Marella (as referee), Virgil and Howard Finkel.

Perhaps the biggest omission from the video is that of “Macho Man” Randy Savage, who competed at eight WrestleMania events in all and left the pay-per-view spectacular with the WWF Championship belt on two occasions. Another huge name that won’t be featured in the game is Mick Foley, whose WWE contract expiration coincided with the deadline for characters to be featured in the video game.

It was reported back in September that Vince McMahon made the decision to pull Foley from the video game as a result of their personal fallout. He also made the decision to ban Randy Savage from the video game for reasons unknown.

The October 2008 issue of Power Slam had a note on the two legends’ video game omissions in their “This Month In McMahon” column, which details the wacky behind-the-scenes exploits of the McMahons — more specifically, Vince McMahon’s unpredictable behavior. They wrote:

September 3: Mick Foley and his agent announce that Foley has signed with TNA. The rumour backstage is that Triple H’s condescending treatment of Foley — arising, allegedly, from Levesque’s insecurity over the instrumental role their 1999-2000 matches played in making him a headliner — is partly to blame for Foley’s decision to leave.

In retaliation, Vince pulls Foley from the upcoming Legends of WrestleMania videogame and, furthermore, orders Randy Savage banned from the game as well — rekindling decade-old rumours about some too-unpleasant-to-be-named scandal involving the McMahons and Savage in the 1990s.

See recent photos of “Macho Man” Randy Savage (>>)