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Have you ever noticed how Tommy from Rugrats sounds just like one of the Powerpuff Girls? Or that Scooby-Doo and Astro from The Jetsons speak very similar dog languages?

Hollywood’s voice-acting community is full of really talented people who can churn out a bunch of different voices, but that doesn’t mean they don’t occasionally have characters that end up sounding exactly alike (it doesn’t help that this group of performers is relatively small).

To that end, here are 10 sets of cartoon characters whose voices are practically interchangeable…

10 Scooby-Doo and Astro

The Jetsons, which debuted as a prime-time show in 1962, is considered a classic today, but it didn’t gain that status until the 1980s when it re-debuted on Saturday mornings with new episodes. And so, when Scooby-Doo came along in 1969, six years after The Jetsons was canceled, voice actor Don Messick thought nothing of re-using Astro...

Do any of you hardcore horror fanatics remember Mirror Mirror from 1990? It had a theatrical release, but garnered much of its popularity on the shelves of Blockbuster Video stores nationwide and became a late-night cable staple for several years throughout the decade. And yes, it should be considered somewhat “popular” since it spawned three sequels. If you haven’t seen the original Mirror Mirror, don’t worry because Dark Force Entertainment, headed by Demon Dave, has released it in 4K Uhd. That means you Og fans of this B-movie classic can relive some sense of nostalgia from that decade, now in 4K clarity.

Let’s dive into the film’s plot. Megan Gordon and her mother Susan move to L.A. and into a new home to begin their equally new lives. The previous residents left behind a lot of their belongings that are being sold by an auctioneer named Emelin.

"The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" is likely not remembered by many people, except for Billy Crystal himself. The variety/talk show ran from January 30 through February 27 in 1982, lasting a grand total of five episodes. Crystal was already a successful comedian and beloved figure in the industry thanks to the popularity of his 1970s stand-up work and his role in the 1977 sitcom "Soap," so he had connections. He was able to secure guest appearances from many of his famous comedian friends, including Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Robin Williams, and John Candy for the debut episode. Subsequent guests included Morgan Fairchild, the Manhattan Transfer, Nell Carter, Shelley Duvall, Cindy Williams, Al Jarreau, and Smokey Robinson. 

"The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" fell right in between "Soap" and "Saturday Night Live" on Crystal's professional timeline, and it might be considered something of a dip in his career. The show was canceled after only two episodes aired,...

WWE 2K23 features quite a few improvements to the franchise formula that will certainly be welcomed by wrestling game fans everywhere. Of course, some things never change, which means that WWE 2K23 still makes you unlock quite a few wrestlers via gameplay accomplishments and by spending both real and virtual currency.

The very good news is that WWE 2K23 makes the various unlock processes fairly painless. The problem is that the game doesn’t always do a great job of telling you exactly how to unlock those wrestlers or the best way to go about acquiring all of them. Hopefully, we can help ease that part of the unlock system just a bit.

How to Unlock Every WWE 2K23 Wrestler With Virtual Currency

The vast majority of wrestlers in WWE 2K23 are unlocked via the game’s Virtual Currency (Vc) system. Every wrestler available via the in-game store costs 1,000 Vc to unlock.

Please be advised that in the interests of maintaining contemporaneous consistency I will be referring to WWE as WWF throughout this article. This clarification should prevent you from imagining giant men in spandex fighting pandas for money.

On August the 29th 1992 the WWF came to Wembley Stadium for its annual SummerSlam. It was the first time the organisation had strayed outside the States for an event of this scale, and the reason was purely financial: Vince McMahon and his backers realised that while enthusiasm for the sport was waning – or at least plateauing – in the US, fans in the UK were in the fevered grip of Wrestlemania, Hulkamania, and – perhaps most crucially of all – Gladly-Spend-Thirty-Pounds-on-a-Giant-Foam-Finger-amania. The WWF’s instincts proved correct: the first round of tickets for SummerSlam sold out in five minutes, and the event helped to shift over a million pounds in merchandising. UK fans would do anything...

To condense the career of Jim Ross into a single article isn’t easy. The man has been the voice of pro-wrestling for so many of us for such a long time, it’s hard to truly highlight how much he means on an emotional level, but also… he’s done so much in the business too, as an announcer at ringside, but also behind the scenes, working with talent and even assembling one of the most stacked and incredible pro-wrestling rosters in history. Still, I’m a glutton for punishment, so I’ll at least try to talk about his career, highlighting some of the, well… highlights, whilst also urging you to check out Jim Ross’s books, Slobberknocker and Under the Black Hat, for an in-depth and entertaining glimpse into the life and career of the man himself.

Jim Ross started his life in Fort Bragg, California, but...

One of my favourite things to read, and I’m a big reader, is a good wrestling book. There are a whole bunch of autobiographies out there from a load of wrestlers, and the world of bodyslams and Monday night warfare is not short of a million crazy stories, so these books tend to be jam-packed with entertaining anecdotes, life stories, road-tales and a variety of things to keep fans (and perhaps some non-fans) hooked from page-one. I thought it might be fun to assemble a top ten list of what I feel are the ten best wrestler autobiographies out there right now. We’re fast approaching the release of Jim Ross’ second book, Under the Black Hat, which will be released at the end of March, so what better time to talk about wrestling books, that right now? Let’s go!

10. Adam Copeland: Adam Copeland on Edge

Edge...

As we fast approach the WWE annual event known as Royal Rumble, it’s a good time to look back on all the previous shows. I’ve been doing just that. I’ve seen each event countless times, but I always enjoy going back in time to re-watch Royal Rumble shows, good or bad, from the past. Beginning in 1988, it was Pat Patterson who came up with the concept of the Royal Rumble match, and it’s been a hugely popular match and Pay-per View ever since. Fans love the idea of not knowing who is coming out next in the big thirty-man (and now thirty-woman) match. Surprises often occur, returns happen and the good guys and bad guys of the company all hit the ring for a big brawl to determine who will go to WrestleMania to face the Champ. The stipulation of winning a shot at the World...

Welcome to this week’s 205 Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have two matches. Doesn’t that sound promising?

Match #1: Lio Rush def. Lince Dorado The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Two weeks ago, Kalisto defeated Lio Rush to advance to the Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at Royal Rumble. During that match, The Man of the Hour was distracted by Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik and got into a heated exchange with The Golden Lynx that contributed to his defeat. Feeling good following Bobby Lashley’s Intercontinental Championship victory on Raw, Lio Rush hoped to feed off that momentum and pick up a win against Dorado. As The Golden Lynx made his way to the ring, Rush took issue with Kalisto and Gran Metalik being at ringside, and Dorado told his Lucha House Party brothers to leave, allowing...

Welcome to this week’s 205 Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have more cruiserweights, so at least the show is staying consistent. This should be pretty good, so let’s see if I’m right.

Match #1: Hideo Itami def. Noam Dar The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

WWE 205 Live kicked off with an unexpected appearance from Hideo Itami and Ariya Daivari. The duo entered the ring, and Daivari addressed the WWE Universe, demanding they show Itami the respect he deserves. The Persian Lion praised the Japanese legend and declared the episode of WWE 205 Live was cancelled until Itami got real competition. This prompted WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick to take control of the situation, threatening to suspend Itami and Daivari. Noam Dar then made his way to the arena hoping to challenge Itami, and Maverick obliged.

Not intimidated by Itami, The...

WWE wrestling legend, manager and commentator Bobby “The Brain” Heenan died has aged 73.

WWE confirmed the Hall of Famer’s passing on Sunday. His cause of death was not revealed.

Heenan, who was known as “The Brain,” had a career spanning four decades, starting in the ring as a wrestler.

Heenan successfully transitioned from wrestler to commentator and managed some of the biggest superstars in wrestling.

As a manager he helped develop the careers of stars such as Andre the Giant,Mr. Perfect , Paul Orndorff, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Rick Rude.

Heenan announced he had throat cancer in 2002 and...

WWE Hall of Fame manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan died on Sunday at the age of 73, according to the WWE. Heenan, known for his sarcastic wit and telegenic presence, was widely considered one of the great managers in WWE history. In later years, Heenan became arguably the greatest heel TV announcer of all-time. During Heenan’s time as a manager, he managed such wrestling stars as Andre The Giant, Ravishing Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, King Kong Bundy and countless others. Heenan had been out of the spotlight in recent years as he had his jaw removed due to.

WWE.com

It’s fair to say that, over the past thirty five years, Vince McMahon and WWE have established a poor habit of greatly under-appreciating some of their most valuable contributors. Regardless of how they ended up in the unenviable position they are in, too many former WWE personalities have had their place in history slighted for one reason or another.

In almost every case, it is varying degrees unfortunate and sad to see the hard work and sacrifices that these individuals have made throughout their career not receive the same type of recognition had it been credited to someone else, someone that is on the good side of Vince & Co.

Despite what Vince McMahon would have people believe, loyalty to the WWE doesn’t always pay off.

Sure, there are some individuals whose careers would make a good argument against this point. Guys like The Undertaker, Pat Patterson,...

WWE.com

There are many things that make a good wrestling manager, the most important being mic skills. After all, what else is a guy who’s not grappling going to do add to the production?

Another key skill, particularly for heel managers, is the ability to make their presence felt during matches. Anybody can just blend into the background as the audience focuses on the action in the ring, but it takes a particular type of manager to become the soundtrack to a match.

Whether it’s to cause a distraction, draw heat, or just through commitment to the character, there have been a number of managers/valets who excelled at the art of the sonic attack.

It’s important to keep in mind that for the purposes of this article, noisiness doesn’t in all cases equate to greatness. For example, Bobby Heenan was arguably the greatest manager ever,...

WWE.com

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Mention his name to a wrestling fan, particularly an old school one, and you can guarantee that person will smile. Over an illustrious career that spanned over five decades and saw Heenan work as a wrestler, manager, color commentator, TV host and more, Bobby was a part of literally hundreds of moments and memories in wrestling. Enough for him to fill two biographies which, incidentally, are both worth checking out if you haven’t already.

Heenan was an integral part of what is still considered to be the greatest wrestling attraction of all time – Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant at Wrestlemania III. When the babyface Andre first walked out onto Piper’s Pit with Heenan at his side, prompting a devastated Hogan to ask “What are you doing with him?”, the road to WrestleMania officially began. Andre’s association with ‘The Brain’ was...

WWE.com

Since the past is always destined to repeat itself (especially in WWE), maybe the annals of history can rescue the show from the slump its labouring through? It’s got to be worth a try, anyway.

You can almost set your watch by WWE at this time of year: with a long, slow build to the Royal Rumble we get TLC, the Slammys and the pre-recorded silliness of Tribute To The Troops. And a hastily cobbled-together Best Of Raw show if you’re in the UK. So maybe this isn’t the best week for learning any lessons: but at least it represents an opportunity to celebrate the odd festive spirit that overcomes WWE every year.

Like children high on too much festive candy, Christmas usually brings out the stupidest in WWE creatives. So maybe expect there to be a lot of Santa getting beaten up mixed in...

A new TV spot has been released for WWE 2K16 which puts the spotlight on a number of fan-favourite WWE Superstars meeting around a campfire to confront their demons. That includes Stone Cold Steve Austin looking back on his battles with Mankind, while current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins reflects on his lucky escape earlier this year from Brock Lesnar.

In other WWE 2K16 news, it has been revealed today that the managers set to be included in the game are Paul Heyman, Paul Bearer, Bobby Heenan, Brad Maddox, Lana, Rosa Mendes, Gerry Brisco, Jimmy Hart, Col. Robert Parker, Pat Patterson, Sherri Martel, Mr. McMahon, Corporate Stephanie McMahon, Miss Elizabeth, Ted Dibiase and Zeb Colter. That’s a very diverse and interesting selection, and there’s not really anyone who has been forgotten about.

With some cool new gameplay additions such as the ability to use the ropes during...

@HeymanHustle

There has been a lot of debate over the years regarding who, exactly, was the best manager in the history of professional wrestling. One could argue for Bobby Heenan based on his pivotal role in promoting WrestleMania III, or Paul Heyman for his advocacy of Brock Lesnar alone, but in wrestling, success is measured in gold. If we frame success in terms of championships won — which is the idea of wrestling, after all — who was the statistically best manager of them all?

To answer that question, it was necessary to not only tally the number of championships, but also to weigh them appropriately in terms of prestige. Championships were therefore tiered in the following categories:

Tertiary titles (Television, Hardcore, European, and state-specific titles of national promotions), both single and tag, are worth one point.

Secondary titles (Intercontinental, U.S., King of the Ring, and regional titles of national promotions), both single and tag,...

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Bobby Heenan had more wit, and Jimmy Hart was more obnoxious. But Jim Cornette had the whole damn package. With his cheap suits, sharp voice, and ever-present tennis gear, Cornette managed the WWE’s monsters during the early to mid-90’s. Among his charges were Yokozuna and Vader — massive, mostly silent giants who benefitted from having a smarmy motormouth by their side.

But as professional wrestling turned into sports entertainment, and the New Generation transitioned into the Attitude Era, Cornette’s old school wrestling philosophies fell by the wayside. He shifted around the WWE in various roles – as a booker, as a manager, as a talent developer in Ovw – before joining Tna, and then Ring of Honor.

In the midst of all this, Jim Cornette became known for his shoot promos. At first, they were the traditional ‘worked shoots’ that the WWE sometimes partakes in. But in more recent years,...

WWE.com

These days in the WWE, a wrestler (sorry, entertainer) is expected to do everything: not only having to grapple and sell, but also to deliver lines. It’s why we see painful backstage sketches, with stilted dialogue and poor delivery, and it’s why we see Roman Reigns struggle to cut a promo on the mic, night after night.

Of course, there are a few standout, modern superstars who can do it all — Seth Rollins comes to mind — but the majority of wrestlers cannot do everything with equal aplomb. And back in the day, when a wrestler couldn’t talk, there was a simple, elegant solution. It’s a shame that the modern WWE doesn’t employ this solution more often (Paul Heyman is a notable exception).

The bookers gave the wrestler a manager.

A manager solved so many problems: if the wrestler couldn’t cut a promo,...

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Would William Regal be able to take Paige to the next level?

Managers have been in WWE for a long time, and over the years we have seen some legendary ones who elevated talent to the next level. It all started off with guys like The Grand Wizard and Freddie Blassie, before moving over to more well-known legends like Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer and Jimmy Hart.

In recent years, there have been many managers make it to our TV screens, some of whom have done a tremendous job of talking up their stars and making them look better (Paul Heyman and Vickie Guerrero), and then there are those who most people wouldn’t even remember; or want to remember (Abraham Washington, anyone?).

A manager’s job is usually to aid their respected superstar or diva get over with the audience, often through talking and manipulating. Managers are usually in...

WWE.com

The goal of every man who laces up a pair of boots in the professional wrestling business is to be referred to as ‘The Man’. No, not in the same way as the great Bobby Heenan did to Goldberg and certainly not in the same vein as Sid Vicious.

This is the man who is considered the top draw on the card, the man responsible for selling out countless arenas all over the world. More often than not, this man is the champion. Unfortunately, such is the nature of the business, the amount of spots at the top of the card are few and far between.

Hypothetically, this should mean the absolute best of the best will occupy those spots while the rest of the roster, who will be restricted to early matches on the card, strive to reach their very high levels.

Sadly for a plethora of fantastic workers in this business,...

WWE.com

When the biggest superstar of his era finally hung up his boots a decade ago, no one would have predicted that “talk show host” would become a job he would hold down. However, the proliferation of iPods and podcasts opened that door, and 49-year-old “Stone Cold” Steve Austin busted right through it, launching a new career hosting two regular podcasts (one family-friendly, one with a bit more “attitude”). Austin has found something he handles with ease, and something that entertains both wrestling fans and non-fans.

Austin is not the only former WWE superstar who has found success hosting a podcast. Semi-retired wrestler and rockstar Chris Jericho, former announcer “God Ol’ J.R.” Jim Ross and Jim Cornette are among those who take to the internet waves. Even the Honky Tonk Man has a podcast.

So, if Stone Cold can do it, who else would excel at taking a spin behind the mic?...

While being successful in professional wrestling can potentially earn a superstar a ton of cash, there’s not much financial security to fall back on. Once a wrestler’s popularity comes to an end, or a sudden injury occurs that takes them out of action for an uncertain amount of time, perhaps even permanently, their net worth starts to plummet. Not too many wrestlers are able to give twenty or even thirty plus years of their life to sports entertainment. When it comes time to put away the trunks for good, some wrestlers don’t have a secondary plan for working. Some wrestlers try to stick with pro wrestling even when their bodies aren’t in great shape which can lead to a lot of health issues. They have to force themselves through this because they don’t have any other means of making money.

But not every wrestler ends up this way.

WWE.com

WrestleMania XXX has come and gone, but the anticipation for the next extravaganza is never too far removed from the wrestling enthusiast’s mind. Part of the allure of “The Granddaddy of Them All” is the memories shaped by WrestleMania’s past. No setting has produced as many classic matches that come to define a person’s wrestling fandom.

After a few weeks of processing the happenings of the latest “Showcase of the Immortals,” it is time for the annual update to the list of WrestleMania’s greatest matches. Did any matches from Mania XXX make the cut?

30. Bret Hart vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper – WrestleMania VIII

WWE.com

Bret Hart became the Intercontinental Champion for the first time at Summerslam in 1991, defeating Mr. Perfect. Yet, the decision was made to take the Ic title off of Hart and put it on The Mountie. The Hitman was disheartened until...

WWE.com

As we have seen from the backstage happenings in 1993, sometimes the biggest stories in WWF/E happen off screen rather than on screen. We learned about how Shawn Michaels quit the WWF, how Vince McMahon’s first stint as a heel was in the Uswa, who the second Doink was, and that Hulk Hogan called the WWF Championship a toy.

Moving on to the next installment of this series, we take a look at 1994. On screen, this was the year that Bret Hart reclaimed his spot at the top of the company, and Owen Hart was brought to the forefront as one of the biggest heels in the company. Macho Man, Bobby Heenan, and Mean Gene Okerlund left the WWF and joined Hulk Hogan in WCW. And at the end of the year, Diesel scored one of the more shocking and unexpected WWF Championship victories in history.

All of this we know.

The WWE have had a few controversial Superstars over the year, one of the most recent of these would be Cm Punk and his walking out. Looking back through the years though one of the ones that has always been in the shadows to haunt Vince McMahon has been the Ultimate Warrior. A man who at times appears to live his character, and seem insane what is the truth about the man behind the face paint? We get a surprising answer of sorts in WWE Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection.

The answer for the most part is Warrior comes across as a surprisingly level headed man, and looking back at his career he is proud of the persona that he has created. In WWE Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection, Warrior looks back at some of the biggest matches of his career and some of the truth behind what happened. Starting...

WWE.com

Any true WWE fan knows that there’s just as big a story of what goes on backstage as what goes on when the cameras are rolling. In the Internet age, we are privy to so much backstage information that we take it for granted sometimes. Back in the 1990s, unless you had a subscription to the Wrestling Observer, you were not privy to all of the goings-on backstage.

Thanks in large part to the historians at The History of WWE, there are some interesting nuggets of trivia that you might not have known about. We will plan on doing one list for every year of the 1990s starting with 1993, the year Monday Night Raw debuted. Included in this list is information that might win you a few bar bets with your friends. Let’s open the history books and see what 1993 had to offer!

10. Raw Wasn’t...

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As wrestling fans, we always deal with people who rip on the wrestling business for different reasons. They may call it fake, stupid or a waste of time because it’s seen as a children’s form of entertainment from those that don’t really understand it.

If you’re a wrestling fan lifer, you’ve been dealing with those kinds of people all your life. They could be a spouse, a boyfriend/girlfriend, parents, siblings, other family members or close friends. We all likely have friends that we grew up watching wrestling with that ended up quitting it got too stupid for them or they simply lost their interest in the “sport” that we all grew up loving.

As a fan of wrestling, often times you may feel like defending it to the people in your life that question why you still watch.

A few different people have...

When many people think of the great WrestleManias, a select number of events tend to pop up in the mind of most fans. WrestleMania X7 is probably the best WrestleMania of all time and a candidate for the best American wrestling PPV of all time. WrestleMania III is up there thanks to the spectacle of the Silverdome and a rather great event overall. That’s fine and dandy, but I’m going to throw a different WrestleMania into the mix. WrestleMania VII may be the best WrestleMania that nobody talks about.

First, let’s address the elephant in the room and one of the main reasons that most fans tend to shy away from WrestleMania: Gulfsploitation. I don’t even know if that is a word, but that is probably the best name for it. Taking Sgt. Slaughter who at that point had been portrayed as an American hero...

2K Games have finally revealed the first 10 matches to feature in WWE 2K14′s hugely anticipated 30 Years of WrestleMania mode, by way of an awesome set of images, recreating some of the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history.

A reminder of the unwavering power of nostalgia when it comes to WWE games, 2K clearly appreciate the massive audience for “the good ol’ days”, and through 46 classic matches, are going to let us recreate some awesome WrestleMania moments.

Without any further ado, let’s get started…

WrestleMania: Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd

At the inaugural WrestleMania, this $15,000 Body Slam Challenge had André the Giant facing Big John Studd, and in order to win, Andre had to body slam Studd. If he lost? Andre would have to retire. As you can see above, Andre won the contest, and threw some of the money into the crowd, while an apoplectic...

As part of the “30 Years of WrestleMania” mode, 2K Games has announced a series of matches featuring the legendary Hulk Hogan for inclusion in the upcoming WWE 2K14.

Covering the first nine WrestleManias, the “Hulkamania Runs Wild” match list includes:

WrestleMania 1: Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd WrestleMania 2: Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy WrestleMania 3: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) WrestleMania 3: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant (with Bobby Heenan) WrestleMania 4: Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth and Hulk Hogan) vs. Ted Dibiase (with Andre The Giant) WrestleMania 5: Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan WrestleMania 6: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan WrestleMania 7: Sgt. Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan WrestleMania 8: Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) vs. Ric Flair (with Mr. Perfect) WrestleMania 9: Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji) WrestleMania 9: Hulk Hogan vs.

WWE Extreme Rules is the time of year where stipulation matches take centre stage, so what better time to look back at some of the strangest gimmick matches in wrestling history.

Kennel from Hell

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So a retired prison guard steals your dog, invites you over and tricks you into eating him. How do you get revenge? Challenge them to a, “Kennel from Hell” that’s how! On paper it sounded intimidating. A cage surrounding the ring, a hell in the cell surrounding that and in between those rabid dogs. The only way to win was to escape both cages and outrun those angry dogs. Sounds exciting. Unfortunately it wasn’t.

The first (and last) “Kennel from Hell,“ took place at WWF Unforgiven 1999, between Al Snow and the Big Bossman. Unforgiven was already an odd event before the Kennel even came out. The first match of the evening...

Monster Brawl

Written and Directed by Jesse T. Cook

(2011) Canada

Fantasia imdb

It is only too appropriate that the World Premiere of Monster Brawl at Fantasia was presented by Tony Timpone, former editor of Fangoria Magazine, because if any film could be described as inspired by arguments from Fangoria it’s Monster Brawl. Or even arguments made before Fangoria even existed. The spiritual predecessor to virtually all genre publications was Forry Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland and one of the eternal arguments that raged in that publication (and its heirs) has always been: Which monster is stronger? Which monster is better? Which monster would win in a fight?

That is a question that has sold movie tickets since 1943 when Universal put out Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and continues to sell movie tickets to this day, witness two Aliens vs. Predator films, a Freddy vs. Jason film and even a Freddy vs. Jason vs.