The world of professional wrestling has long been intertwined with video games, offering fans a chance to step into the ring and control their favorite Superstars. From the early days of pixelated brawlers to the visually stunning simulations of today, the evolution of superstar pro wrestling games is a fascinating journey. Documentation on the early days of squared circle video games is hard to come by, but “Tag Team” is believed to be the first such genre title.
Early Classics and Arcade Sensations
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, arcade games brought wrestling to the masses with titles that emphasized action and recognizable characters. A beloved classic for every ’80s graps fan, “Pro Wrestling” couldn’t offer the ability to play as ring legends like Ric Flair and Abdullah the Butcher, but it managed to create some 8-bit icons all the same with its memorable cast of characters, including King Slender, Star Man and The Amazon.
WWF Superstars (1989)
WWF Superstars, manufactured by Technōs Japan, was released for arcades in 1989. It was the first WWF arcade game to be released. Up to two players could play at once.
The game featured a basic grappling and attack system. From a grapple, a player could either toss the opponent, throw them into the ropes, or go into a headlock from which two character-specific grapple moves could be performed. Each wrestler also possesses standing strikes, running attacks, running counterattacks, ground attacks, and moves from the top turnbuckle. It is also possible to brawl outside of the ring, provided the player reenters before a count of 20.
Players selected two wrestlers to form a tag team. The playable wrestlers were Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Big Boss Man, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, and The Honky Tonk Man. The game features some of the signature moves and trademark mannerisms of the wrestlers in the game. There are also cut scenes featuring Ted DiBiase, André the Giant and Virgil. Mean Gene Okerlund, and Miss Elizabeth make appearances as well.
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After three matches are won, players get to challenge the Mega Bucks ("The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and André the Giant) for the final round. If the player wins the title match, a newspaper headline heralding the players' tag team as champions is shown.
WWF WrestleFest
One of the most popular and recognizable WWE arcade games ever, “WrestleFest” rocked a Steel Cage Match, awesome graphics, a revolutionary grappling system and the first Royal Rumble mode, which let four players lock horns at once. However, one of the game’s biggest caveats was the need to have quarters ready for players to replenish energy mid-match.
A History of Arcade Wrestling Games | Kim Justice
The Rise of Console Wrestling Games
As home consoles became more powerful, wrestling games made the transition, offering deeper gameplay and more realistic representations of the sport.
WWF WrestleMania (NES)
The first officially licensed WWE video game, this title debuted on NES and featured 8-bit Superstars that somewhat resembled Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and Honky Tonk Man. In a genre first, players could unlock a “Rage” mode during beatdowns and “Hulk ups.” Most notably, the game featured Superstars’ official entrance music.
WCW Wrestling (NES)
WCW Wrestling (a.k.a. World Championship Wrestling) is a Nintendo Entertainment System professional wrestling video game that was originally released in Japan in 1989 under the name Super Star Pro Wrestling, with a different lineup of wrestlers. It was the first (and, to date, only) video game based on the National Wrestling Alliance (at the time, WCW was a member of NWA).
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WCW Wrestling differs from most wrestling titles in that the players select their wrestler's moveset prior to the match. Playable wrestlers in the game are Ric Flair, Sting, Lex Luger, Mike Rotundo, Road Warrior Hawk, Road Warrior Animal, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Kevin Sullivan, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Rick Steiner, "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, Michael P.S. These moves are performed by first initiating an Irish whip (throwing the opponent into the ropes by pressing left and B or right and B) and then pressing either A or B when the opponent is near. Each wrestler has his own finisher move.
Innovations and Iterations in the 1990s
The 1990s saw a surge of innovation in wrestling games, with developers experimenting with new features and gameplay mechanics.
WWF Raw (Sega Genesis, SNES, 3DO, Game Boy)
The first Raw-branded video game cranked up the pain by expanding each Superstar’s repertoire to include full-on sets of signature moves. It also differentiated characters according to speed, strength, stamina and weight and the gameplay was balanced accordingly.
WWE WrestleMania: The Arcade Game
“WWE WrestleMania: The Arcade Game” ripped everyone’s favorite Superstars from the ring and plopped them into a bizarre world modeled after the hugely popular “Mortal Kombat” franchise. Actual wrestling moves took a backseat to “Mortal Kombat”-style distance attacks, like The Undertaker’s flying spirits and Doink the Clown’s shocking buzzer.
WWE War Zone
Featuring a roster of popular Superstars such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock and The Undertaker, “WWE War Zone” unleashed a first-ever “Create-A-Wrestler” mode, which let players engineer champions from scratch.
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The SmackDown! Era and Beyond
The late 1990s and early 2000s saw the rise of the SmackDown! series, which would become a dominant force in the wrestling game market.
WWE SmackDown! (2000)
The first WWE game of the new millennium was also the first developed by Yuke’s, then in partnership with THQ. Your dreams of winning the WWE Championship as Weirdo Beardo were finally attainable as custom facial hair was added as a feature of the updated “Create-A-Wrestler” mode.
WWE No Mercy (2000)
A dorm room classic in the pantheon of WWE video games, “No Mercy” added the ability to create female Superstars as part of the “Create-A-Wrestler” mode. “No Mercy” further distinguished itself with weaponry, allowing players to exchange foreign objects with the crowd and inflict damage with projectiles.
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain (2003)
Featuring Brock Lesnar on the cover, beatdowns were accordingly revolutionized with “Here Comes the Pain’s” innovative approach to character damage. The ground-breaking new feature required players to punish specific body parts to inflict maximum injury. What’s more, Legends such as “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Sgt. Slaughter were added to the mix.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw (2004)
The first WWE game to go online with a multiplayer mode, “SmackDown! vs. Raw” permitted players around the globe to compete in singles competition.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007
The game also sounded the death knell for console-specific titles - “SmackDown vs. Raw 2007” was released on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation Portable. The first grappler to appear on seventh-generation video game hardware, specifically the Xbox 360, “SvR2007” boasted an unprecedented helping of eye candy along with an evolved grappling system, which tied moves to the right analog stick instead of the buttons.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009
For gamers, 2009 was the year of the tag team. Prominently overhauling the tag match and introducing the first-ever co-op story mode, “SvR2009” brought back a little bit of that old arcade flavor, making it once again fun to play video games with friends. If you preferred to fly solo, however, the game’s new “Road To WrestleMania” mode scratched that particular itch.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
Video game Superstar creators, rejoice! “SvR2010” ushered in a whole new creation system, completely updating and refining one of the franchise’s biggest selling points. “WWE Story Designer” mode allowed gamers to script their own storylines for Raw and SmackDown, a virtual dream come true for WWE Universe members.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
In addition to the inclusion of more than 70 Superstars on a deep roster, the 2011 edition introduced a new physics system that ensured the realistic use of foreign objects in matches. In addition to “SvR2011”, THQ release the arcade-inspired brawler “WWE All Stars” to console. Presenting players with a highly stylized, animated look and feel to go with all the in-ring action, the game offered a much different experience than the core franchise.
WWE '12
Promising to deliver a bigger, badder and better gameplay experience than ever before, “WWE ’12” exploded onto the scene, reinventing the iconic “SmackDown vs. Raw” series.
The Modern Era: WWE 2K Series
Following the development of “WWE ’13,” 2K Games took over production and distribution for future WWE video games as former publisher THQ went bankrupt. New developer Visual Concepts teamed up with longtime WWE video game developer Yuke’s to create “WWE 2K14,” heralding a new generation for WWE video games.
The WWE 2K series has featured annual updates to gameplay and graphics, new game modes, exclusive Superstars and downloadable content. Each year, the roster of WWE and NXT Superstars, as well as WWE Legends and Hall of Famers gets bigger and better. Additionally, a different Superstar is chosen for the cover, ultimately setting the tone for the game. WWE2K19 is on sale Oct. 12.
Pro Wrestling Superstar (PWS)
Pro Wrestling Superstar, also known as PWS, is a professional wrestling simulation inspired by the Superstar Pro Wrestling Card and Dice game from the 1980's. PWS provides all of the tools needed to run a wrestling promotion the way you want to run it. There are a wide variety of match types and options for running matches. PWS also has a wrestler repository with thousands of wrestlers from different eras.
PWS provides all of the tools needed to run a wrestling promotion the way you want to run it. There are a wide variety of match types and options for running matches.
Here are some of the features of PWS:
- Wrestler Repository: An online database of over 5000 wrestlers from different eras and promotions. You can choose to download wrestlers individually or you can download the entire repository. Wrestlers are categorized by different sets.
- Match Types: There are a wide variety of match types and options for running matches.
- Tournament Mode: In the "Run" menu, click the "Run New Tournament" menu item. Enter the number of competitors or teams (must be at least three), the team size (1 for singles, 2 for tag team, 3 for six man tag), and the name of the tournament (optional) and click "OK".
- Create-A-Wrestler: In the "File" menu, click the "New Wrestler" menu item. Click the "Load" button. Select the wrestler you would like to edit and click "OK". The wrestler editor should be filled with the data for the wrestler you've selected.
| Year | Game | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | WWF Superstars | First WWF arcade game. |
| 1989 | WCW Wrestling | First (and only) game based on the National Wrestling Alliance. |
| 2000 | WWE SmackDown! | First WWE game developed by Yuke's. |
| 2004 | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw | First WWE game with online multiplayer mode. |
| 2014 | WWE 2K14 | Start of the WWE 2K series under 2K Games. |