Say Good-Bye To The Bad Guy! The Passing of an Outsider!

Retro Rebellion is saddened to announce that Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall has died. The Outsider passed late last night due after having his life support removed after suffering 3 heart attacks in a row. He was 63. 

Hall is best remembered as "The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon in the WWF. As Ramon Hall would become the 1st ever WWF Superstar to win the Intercontinental Championship 4x. Scott Hall was also a member of the Kliq,a backstage group lead by Shawn Michaels.

Later in WCW, Hall would later form The Outsiders with his buddy,Kevin "Diesel" Nash and would become 2 of the founding members of the nWo.

For more information be sure to read his Wikipedia Bio. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Hall

R.I.P.
Scott Oliver Hall
10-20-1958 – 3-14-2022 

Adios,Bad Guy! Thanks for giving all wrestling fans a wild ride on the outside.

The Sailor Moon/Godzilla Connection Part III

Part 3: Coming Full Circle

"You're always going to be tearing away at yourself until you come to terms with who you are. Until you come full circle." - Colonel Samuel Trautman

At the peak of their success, Sailor Moon and Godzilla ended up with a few bumps in the road. For Sailor Moon, after the original dub of season 4 (aka Sailor Moon SuperS) and dubbing the 3 Sailor Moon movies, the English distributors let their licenses expire, thus preventing not only the dubbing of the other specials, including Ami's First Love, but most disturbing of all, but also the 5 and final season, Sailor Stars, among other things. No one back then will never know how an original English dub of Sailor Stars would sound like (although there were fandubs being made in response to this). Not even the S.O.S., the Save Our Sailors Campaign, which was instrumental for getting the rest of season 2, seasons 3 and 4 and the 3 movies dubbed, couldn't get it done this time. Afterwards, the S.O.S. campaign ended, just like Sailor Moon's time in the West at the time.

As for Godzilla, after Final Wars in 2004, at the peak of its 50th anniversary, the King of the Monsters went into hibernation once more, giving Toho some time to think about its franchise's immediate future.

For years, both Sailor Moon and Godzilla were dwelling in the crossroads, fearing that they would be ignored forever, since most of the fans have since moved on to other things like those in the Arrowverse, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, My Little Pony, and anything related to Pro-Wrestling (that is, if the dastardly MEEKMAHON didn't ruin it for us all). But like the old saying goes, wherever there's darkness, they will always be light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

FUNimation logo from 2016 onward.

It all began with a company known as FUNimation. Stationed in Texas (currently in Flower Mound) and founded by Gen Fukunaga, FUNimation was once the biggest names in distributing anime. Once a small company, FUNi grew into popularity after acquiring the rights to dub Dragon Ball Z after its time with Saban and Ocean Group when they dubbed it. And since then, they became a juggernaut when it comes to distributing anime and taking their dubs very seriously. Aside from DBZ, they also did dubs of my favorite animes like Baki the Grappler, Kiddy Grade, Blue Gender, Negima and some of the Lupin the 3rd movies and specials among other things. During that period, FUNimation did an online survey, stating what anime they will do next. One of those animes was Sailor Moon, which means doing all the movies, specials and all 5 seasons with, all uncut including the elusive 5th and final season, Sailor Stars. We have waited years for the day Sailor Moon gets redubbed. So much so, I use to do a video series on how FUNimation should redub Sailor Moon, which includes suggestion of voice actors, including Laura Bailey, who would've made a great Usagi (combining the silliness of Sana Kurata from Kodocha and the gentle nature of Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket) and have a serious tone for Haruka (deep, gorgeous voice, just like Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist, Alv from Kiddy Grade and Rayne from BloodRayne). Unfortunately, I have lost all my videos for that when I cleaned my computer of all those viruses, but that's another story. Anyway, we have waited and waited and waited and then, our prayers were answered, sort of.

VIZ Media logo 2018 onward.

On May 16, 2014, Sailor Moon got its distributor, but it wasn't FUNimation. The rights to dub Sailor Moon were now in the hands of the second known distributor of anime and manga, VIZ Media, which did dubs of animes like Ranma 1 1/2, Bleach, Naruto, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Zatch Bell!, Zoids, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge and the 3 Fatal Fury movies, among other things. This redub, along with Sailor Stars being dubbed for the first time, stays true to the original Japanese version, and completely uncut, no episodes skipped and no cousins angle with Haruka and Michiru. The voice acting isn't perfect, but I got the upmost respect to most of the voices, including those who did previous works in other anime and in gaming like those of Kate Higgins, Robbie Daymond, Michelle Ruff, Patrick Seitz, Veronica Taylor, Lauren Landa and Cherami Leigh (who guest-starred with Chuck Norris twice in Walker: Texas Ranger, for crying out loud). Around at the same time, Toei, on July 5, 2014, after so much delays, released Sailor Moon Crystal, a reimagining of the anime itself, but stays true to the original manga, no filler episodes whatsoever. Aside from redubbing the original, VIZ Media did a full dub of Sailor Moon Crystal itself. I know Stefan isn't crazy about the voice actors and the dub itself, but I will do a follow up blog about this and why the VIZ Media cast is a mixed bag. As for FUNimation, aside from sleeper hits like My Hero Academia, they have since been disgraced, not only denying the fact that they wanted to bring Sailor Moon back to the West (and been denying it ever since), but also due to the infighting amongst the voice actors regarding one voice actor, the voice of Edward Elric himself, Vic Mignogna. But that sad tale is for another time.

As for Godzilla, prior to his 3rd hiatus around its 50th Anniversary, especially with the release of Final Wars, something happened that was a bit long overdue, especially being a fan of the King of the Monsters himself. For years, all the Western Hemisphere ever saw was the 1956 recut of the original Japanese version starring Raymond Burr. But all that changed, starting on May 7, 2004, with a limited release coast-to-coast, of the original uncut Japanese version of Gojira itself by the art-house distributor, Rialto Pictures. It was a game changer, especially for all G-Fans in the West, who never saw the first movie in its original form. 2 years later, Classic Media released the original Gojira, along with the Americanized Godzilla: King of the Monsters on DVD, so those who have a DVD player can watch the original version at home and the original uncut version has been in circulation ever since, thanks the Criterion Collection. 

Godzilla (2014) Movie Poster. Unlike the 1998 version, this Godzilla lived up to the Japanese version and then some.

Then, by 2014, and the height of its 60th Anniversary, Godzilla went Hollywood, yet again. Only this time, done by Legendary Pictures, in association with Warner Bros. And unlike the 1998 version, this version of Godzilla lived up to what its Japanese counterpart has established, atomic breath and loud roar and all. Not only Godzilla was badder than ever in this new age, but he also created a world that is almost as similar to their Japanese counterparts, with the inclusion of Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah, a Monsterverse, if you will. And there is one other good thing that came out of this, a reimagining of Godzilla epic fight with King Kong with Godzilla vs. Kong, which was a follow-up to Kong's reintroduction with Kong: Skull Island in 2017. 

Shin Godzilla Movie Poster in 2016.

Meanwhile, back in Japan, Godzilla returns for a newer reboot called Shin Godzilla in 2016, which was inspired by the nuclear disaster at Fukushima after the tragic Earthquake/Tsunami disaster in March 2011. Everything else Godzilla-related after Shin Godzilla was done anime style, but I will let you see that for yourself.

In spite of all their shortcomings, a few bumps in the road, not to mention some divided fanbases, one thing is for sure, Sailor Moon and Godzilla are forever linked in the confines of history. No matter how hard you knock them down, they will always come back up. And as long as they are strong, devoted, not to mention respectable fans out there, the legend of the Pretty Suited Sailor Soldier of Love and Justice and the King of the Monsters will never truly die. And as a fan of both franchises, I mean it from the bottom of my heart, and I will forever be grateful. Now you imagine Ronin Warriors get involved in such stories like this. But that story, is for another time.

"Tsuki ni Kawatte, Oshioki yo! (In the Name of the Moon, I'll Punish You!)"

(Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Ending Theme)

(2014 Godzilla Roar)

#RespectVoiceActors

Every Single Game Boy and Game Boy Color Game I've Ever Played!

Now Your Playing With Power - Portable Power!!!!

Ok,I've done lists for The SNES,NES,and All of the Sega Systems that I've ever played,So Now it's the Game Boy's turn. And as a bonus,I'm also gonna be adding Game Boy Color games to this list too.

Nintendo Game Boy - I got this on X-Mas of 1990 along side Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : Fall of the Foot Clan and Paperboy. This marked my very first experience with Portable Gaming. My Late-Grandpa used to refer to the Game Boy as the "Little Nintendo". God rest that man's soul. Anyway,Tetris was the Pack-In Game. Sadly,My Original Game Boy died in 2005. I still have it though.

Tetris - I LOVE this game! I Really Love it! When I first started playing this game,I barely understood it,but after learning how to play,I was hooked and managed to get very good at it. From The Russian People With Fun!!!! Fun Fact - Vladimir Putin (aka Pukin the Terrible) Hates this game because it's not only a Peaceful one,but it's also Fun.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan - It's Ninja Turtles on the Game Boy!!! As a Huge Super-Fan of The Heroes-in-a-Half Shell back then,I was so excited to have a Ninja Turtles game that I could play on the go. My only gripe is that the game is short AND you can make it even Shorter by playing on the Final Stage from the get go.

Paperboy - Along with Ninja Turtles,I also got this game for X-Mas of 1990. I had fun playing and replaying this. 

Super Mario Land - Got this as a B-Day gift in 1991 and would be the only Game Boy title I would get that year. I played this over a relative's house in 1991 and wanted a copy of the game,So I got it for my B-Day of that year. The game plays like Super Mario Bros. on the NES,though with a slightly higher difficulty. A good game,but the graphics are a bit too small. Also Mario x Daisy doesn't exist and is All in fans heads. Luigi x Daisy 4 Life!! 

Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge - Got this game and it's sequel in 1992 on my B-Day. I really wish this game was more fair. One of the biggest complaints about the Mega Man Game Boy titles that I have is that the Enemies take quite a few shots to defeat and do major damage to Mega Man,who in this game has a smaller life bar. Also,the level layout in these games isn't the best,and you'll need to make long jumps often. Thankfully the 2nd game would make things better...but at a cost.

Mega Man II GB - Got this title along with Dr. Wily's Revenge on my B-Day in '92. A fairer game than it's predecessor,but at the cost of sprite design and music. The reason for this is that,Capcom had Keiji Inafune outsource this game to a cheaper company.           

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From The Sewers - Another 1992 B-Day gift. The more difficult,but graphically superior sequel to Fall of the Foot Clan. This was a good title - especially for fans of the '87 Animated Series.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - Got this on my B-Day in 1993. And Immediately loved it. This game was/is far superior to the Original in every way. Plus,it marks the debut of Fan-Favorite Anti-Hero,Wario. I fully recommend this game.  

WWF King of the Ring - Got this for X-Mas in 1993. Had a decent time playing this one,despite all of the WWF Superstars sharing a move set. 

Tetris 2 - Got this game on X-Mas of 1993.  The game itself is more Dr. Mario than Tetris. I had fun playing,though. However,It's nowhere near as addicting or iconic as the Original.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 - Got this game as a late B-Day gift in 1994 and would be the last Game Boy game I'd get until 1998. This game was great. Playing as Wario,using his various abilities,and going through the levels were really fun. The game is challenging,but thankfully,there is a cheat/debug code that decreases the difficulty by 40%. I recommend this game.

WWF Warzone - A game I got for X-Mas in 1998. Mediocre game,but still amusing. I prefer the PS1 version.

Street Fighter II GB - I got this game alongside my Game Boy Color for my B-Day in 1999. As a Street Fighter Game,It's pretty good. Sure it's not as fluid or as fast as it's Console and Arcade counterparts,but it's still fun.

Pokemon Blue - Got this one as a late B-Day gift in 1999. My entry into the World of Pokemon and I was hooked. I spent hours playing this and even used a Game Shark to get the Pokemon that I couldn't get. Gotta Catch 'em All!!! Would get the Red Version months later. 

Pokemon Red - Got this one at Gamestop in 1999,months after I got Pokemon Blue. I used the Game Shark on this game as well.  

Pokemon Yellow - Bought this at Gamestop in 2000. I was a fan of Pikachu,so i wanted to get this.

WWF Superstars - Bought this at Gamestop in 2001,alongside it's sequel. A graphically impressive 1990 Game Boy title. Graphically,this game reminds me of an 8-bit version of the old WWF Arcade games.  

WWF Superstars 2 - Bought this at Gamestop in 2001 and would be the Final Game Boy game that I'd actually own. This game is basically a Game Boy port of WWF Wrestlemania Steel Cage Challenge - except with better controls and a less evil CPU.

And now for the games I played through Emulation. After that,I'll move on to the Game Boy Color. 

Mega Man III GB - While better than DWR and graphically superior to II,Mega Man III for Game Boy is a pain to get through. Hard hitting enemies that take more hits than they should,frequent long jumping,and questionable level layout arethis games biggest issues,issues that never get addressed in the Game Boy games. Musically,the game is great and the graphics are very nice,however.

Mega Man IV GB - Same issues with III. Graphics and Music is all I'm gonna give this one.

Mega Man V GB - Despite the cool story,great music,and fresh bosses,Mega Man V GB suffers from the same problems as it's 2 predecessors. I'm not a fan of the Mega Man Game Boy series.

Mortal Kombat - The Worst Version of Mortal Kombat. Makes the SNES version seem like a treasure.

Mortal Kombat II - Better than the previous game,but still a flawed port.

Metroid II: Return of Samus - I liked the first game,so I wanted to try the sequel. Graphically,it's a vast improvement over the original. Difficulty-wise,it's just as tough. I still had fun playing this,though. Another thing this game has going for it is it's soundtrack. Great stuff there.  

Double Dragon - Basically a Game Boy version of the NES version. So all's good.

Double Dragon II - Believe it or not,this game wasn't really a Double Dragon Game to begin with. Nope,instead it was originally a Kunio-Kun game. But since Double Dragon was more popular in the west,Technos decided to do the conversion for North America. Good game,regardless.

Donkey Kong GB -  Donkey Kong on the Game Boy starts off as a remake of the Original Arcade Game,but after that,the game becomes something different. It's an extremely tough time,with many frustrating parts. I was not too much of a fan of this game. Donkey Kong GB would spin-off into the Mario vs Donkey Kong series.

Ninja Guiden Shadow - A fun,but tough game that is worthy of your time. Despite having the look and feel of a Retro Ninja Guiden title,NGS was originally conceived as a Shadow of the Ninja game. However,when the devs found out that Shadow of the Ninja wasn't as popular as they though,they turned it into a Ninja Guiden game with Shadow of the Ninja elements. 

Castlevania: The Adventure - Hard as all hell. badly placed enemies and many many sections that require perfect timing jumping. Plus,I Hated the fact that if you get hit,you lose your Whip power-ups. Also,no Secondary Weapons. Not too much of a fan.

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge - I like that this game corrects some of the mistakes of it's predecessor. Sure the game was tough,but not frustratingly so. One cool feature was the Stage Select,a first for the Castlevania series.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Radical Rescue - A very confusing and very difficult Metroidvania game. Only Michaelangelo is playable from the start and you need to rescue the other Turtles in a painstaking adventure. Not a Fan of this game.

-------------------------------------------------

Game Boy Color - Got this system for my B-Day in 1999. I've always enjoyed the Super Game Boy for the Super Nintendo,but always wanted a real Color Game Boy. Well in 1999,my Grandma (god rest her soul) bought me this,along with the Game Boy port of Street Fighter II,for my B-Day. Until I got my GBA,This system was my Go-To when it came to playing Game Boy games. I still have this and I think it still works.

Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening DX - Got this on X-Mas of '99 and it was My first Official Game Boy color game. Links Awakening DX is a colorized port of the Game Boy original. This is a great game and possibly the best out of the 3 GBC Zelda titles.    

WWF Wrestlemania 2000 - Got this on X-Mas '99 too. A decent Wrestling title,though nothing too spectacular.  

Pokemon Pinball - I bought this one post X-Mas at Toys 'r' Us in 1999. I like Pokemon and I like Pinball,so I got this game. The little rumble feature that's built into this title was a nice touch,as well. 

Pokemon Trading Card Game - Spent the remainder of my X-Mas cash at Toys 'r' Us in 2000 to buy this Game. I never played the actual trading card game,but wanted too try it,but I disn't wanna commit to collecting the cards,so I got the next best thing - this game. This game is tough,but almost perfectly emulates the way the Card Game was played back then.

Pokemon Gold - Along with Pokemon Silver,I received this as an X-Mas Gift in 2001. When I first started playing this game,It was a surreal experience. As time went on though,traversing the world of Johto was no big. I love these games and think they are the Best Pokemon Games ever. I'm a strong GenTwo'er 

Pokemon Silver - Along with Gold,I got this game on X-Mas Gift in 2001. I had the same experiences with this game as with it's Gold counterpart.

And Finally,the GBC games I played through emulation.

Mortal Kombat 3 - Sucky  Kombat!!!!!!!!!! 2nd Worst MK GBC Game,right behind Mortal Kombat 4.

Pokemon Crystal - I loved Gold and Silver,so I wanted to play Crystal. I loved that game too. Needed the Game Shark (built into the emulator) to get all unavailable Pokemon.

Tetris DX - A great port to an already great game.  

Super Mario Bros. DX - The predecessor to the Super Mario Advance Games. It's a decent port of the Original SMB,with a not-so-decent port of The Lost Levels.

Mega Man Xtreme - Just a the Console X-Series titles are superior to it's Classic Series counterparts,so too are the Game Boy titles. An 8-Bit Mega Man X game is kinda strange,but thankfully,this game,and it's sequel,play identically to their 16-bit counterparts.

Mega Man Xtreme 2 - An even better sequel. Now with an Item Shop and Iris. This game also introduced the 1st Female Mega Man X Villain in Berkana.

Street Fighter Alpha - A decent 8-bit port of Street Fighter Alpha. Though some may fault it for the lack of a 2-player mode.

Wario Land II - A Very difficult sequel to the 1st Wario Land game. Even though there's more to do,I didn't enjoy this game as much as the original.

And Thus ends my list of Game Boy and Game Boy Color games that I've played. The next list in this series will be covering the Playstation 1. 

Until then,Stay Gold Space Cowboys and Resist Modern Attitudes. 

From Hero to Turncoat: Eddie Edwards's Fall from Grace!

If Stefan can rant on the ills of professional wrestling, so can I. But in this one, this isn't about one organization, this is about one wrestler who, as of two weeks ago, give us a sample of how unfair this world can be, especially when some of our heroes we idolize turn out to be two-bit frauds. I know about the whole kayfabe thing, and I am still trying to figure it out, but I thought I give you my two cents and I will do it in a way we see our promos. Here is the popular version of what I am talking about (and may I suggest you use music for this, especially the prologue theme from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence near the end). With that said, enjoy the summary.

Disclaimer: The following summary is loosely based on the promo of Sting's heel turn back in WCW.

Eddie Edwards, a decade of being the hero, the franchise, the go-to guy, the heart and soul of IMPACT Wrestling. But was all this, a mere charade? Was the betrayal of Eddie Edwards at No Surrender the final payoff of a grand scheme? We should've seen the clues.

The Clues

The sudden opening of the Forbidden Door, allowing other wrestlers from other promotions to appear, including Kenny Omega, who won the IMPACT World Championship and not offering Eddie a title match, due to the politicking of Don Callis. The sudden appearance of Honor No More, who rejected everything Ring of Honor represents when the company itself went into hiatus.

A new Eddie Edwards has emerged. The colors of the Celtic Pride of Boston were gone, so was his pride and his manhood. He was draped in the colors of Honor No More, the color that is as red as blood, which is matched by the color of darkness this stable represents. But is the darkest part, his heart? Slowly biding his time, while he continues his false persona, waiting for the right moment to strike. But was this the beginning of his true character shining through while pretending to live his facade?

The Beginning

The ease of which he quickly sided with Honor No More. The emotions and frustrations were all too easy for Maria Kanellis-Bennett to seduce him into the fold, just like she did it with the others before him. We should've seen this one coming.

Sami Callihan could've been right. Maybe it was Eddie Edwards all along, attacking his comrades and Ring of Honor world champion Jonathan Gresham like a phantom through the shadows. He even implicated that Steve Maclin was going to turn on Team Impact in No Surrender, remember? And yes, it is even possible that the emergence of Kenny Omega was the beginning of the end for the Pride of Boston himself? 

The Truth (Conclusion)

The cold fact in this mystery, is that Eddie Edwards has now, once and for all, turned his back on his peers, his wife, his friends, this company and most disturbing of all, his millions of fans around the world, even those from Boston, MA.

What was once prideful, colorful, vibrant and embodied Boston Strong, is now cold, selfish, uncaring, calculating, and dark. We have seen better days, for this is a most trying time for heroes in IMPACT Wrestling.

To Be Continued on IMPACT Wrestling, Thursdays on AXS TV, before New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Until next time, stay frosty.

Saraba da (Farewell), for now.