WCW Wrestling (a.k.a. World Championship Wrestling) is a professional wrestling video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System that was first published in Japan in 1989 under the name Super Star Pro Wrestling, with a different roster of wrestlers. It was eventually released in North America with a more recognizable group of wrestlers in 1990.

It was the first (and only) video game based on the National Wrestling Alliance (at the time, WCW was a member of NWA). WCW continued to advertise the game in their own catalogs after The Road Warriors left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) with a mock-up cartridge showing Sting on the label, though no such copies of the game with an alternate label are known to exist or believed to have ever been manufactured. The game has sold over 100,000 copies so far.

Super Star Pro Wrestling is a 1989 Japanese professional wrestling, or puroresu, game for the Nintendo Famicom system developed by Nihon Bussan and released by Pony Canyon. The game, which was released on December 9, 1989, includes one- and two-player modes of play. It was published a year later on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the United States as WCW Wrestling, featuring new wrestlers.

Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System

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Tecmo World Wrestling is a 1989 Nintendo Entertainment System professional wrestling game for one or two players that lets you control one of 10 imaginary worldwide professional wrestlers. This was the first wrestling game to have a play-by-play commentator, the animated Tom Talker, however, his speaking was limited to text bubbles. The game's material, such as Tom Talker's comments, was practically immediately translated from the Japanese game, resulting in instances of Engrish. The Northern Lights Suplex, for example, is known as the "Northern Right Suplex".

Because there is no designated grapple button in Tecmo World Wrestling, each wrestler has more than 20 techniques. Instead, a grapple is begun anytime the wrestlers collide, and from there, various joypad and button combinations may be utilized to accomplish a variety of grips and smashes. There are also other situational actions to execute (such as ground assaults, high-risk top-rope aerial strikes, and running attacks).

Furthermore, the game was possibly the first to include action replays: when certain signature techniques are done on a weakened wrestler, the game inserts a small cut-scene showing the move being completed, as if in a close-up television replay. Matches can be won by a three-count pinfall, submission, or count-out (if a wrestler is flung out of the ring, a twenty-count begins, and if either wrestler is still outside the ring when the count expires, they are disqualified). If both wrestlers are counted out in the single-player game, the player loses.

Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System

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The legendary Fire Pro Wrestling series began on PC Engine, but it made the jump to Nintendo for the first of seven (!) appearances on Nintendo systems here. What makes Fire Pro so beloved and unique is its emphasis on timing – not only in terms of the fact that button-mashing won't get the player anywhere thanks to a meticulous grapple/counter system but also in terms of its adherence to the rhythms and momentum of a real wrestling match, in which the action sees peaks and troughs before culminating with a spectacular finisher and dramatic kick-outs.

Unlike many other pro wrestling games, the majority of Fire Pro games are not licensed by any major professional wrestling company and instead contain likenesses of real-life wrestlers under alternative names. The majority of the games in the series use 2-D sprite-based visuals, with some later titles including 3D graphical aspects. The majority of the Fire Pro Wrestling championships were first published in Japan, while several have since been released in North America and across the world.

Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System

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The original Slam Masters is akin to a typical wrestling game, but it uses a perspective similar to that used in the fighting game genre. The game employs a three-button layout (grab, attack, and jump). Each character has two special attacks: one that is not a grappling technique and one that is a finisher. When an opponent's life meter runs out, he must be pinned for a three-count or forced to submit. Defeating all of the other wrestlers earns you the title belt, which you must defend against the whole roster.

There are two game modes: Single Match, in which the player competes in a series of one-on-one battles against the CPU, and Team Battle Royale, in which the player and another partner (controlled by another player or the CPU) engage in a series of two-on-two matchups. Up to four people can participate in the game.

Platforms: Arcade game, Super Nintendo Entertainment System

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WWF WrestleMania (released on home consoles as WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game) is a professional wrestling arcade game developed by Midway Manufacturing Co. in 1995. It is based on the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) professional wrestling promotion. The game pits eight WWF performers against each other in fast-paced bouts inspired by Midway's Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam games. Commentary is supplied by Vince McMahon and Jerry "The King" Lawler, who both appear in the game seated at the commentators' table to the right of the ring, and Howard Finkel, who welcomes players to Wrestlemania at the start screen.

Although based on professional wrestling, the digitized visuals and fast-paced action of WWF WrestleMania make it more of a fighting game than a Sports/wrestling game influenced by Midway's renowned Mortal Kombat series. The game's over-the-top and somewhat cartoonish attacks set it apart from past and future WWF/WWE video games. Doink the Clown snatching a mallet out of thin air, Razor Ramon's arm changing into a sword, or Bam Bam Bigelow's fists lighting a fire are all examples. While wrestling movements are featured, bouts are mostly comprised of striking assaults and special moves. Other parallels to Mortal Kombat games include uppercuts that send the opponent flying, faultless triumphs, and highly tongue-in-cheek character animations.

Platforms: PC game, PlayStation, Sega Genesis

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A genuinely amazing wrestling game hasn't been offered on a Nintendo platform in a long time. Nintendo fans haven't been able to really appreciate a genuinely fantastic depiction of pro wrestling since the days of WWF No Mercy on the Nintendo 64 and the Day of Reckoning series on the GameCube, and anger is setting in. The Wii received a slew of WWE titles, which were fine but fell short of their HD equivalents on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Let's not even get started on the really pathetic attempt to bring the WWE 2K franchise to the Switch.

Because there is no formal license, there will be no real-life wrestlers here. Despite this, most of the renowned faces in this game are simple to recognize if you know your squared circle (particularly if you've been a fan for decades, as this writer has). The game's massive roster of over 350 wrestlers is separated into ten various companies, and it's apparent which many of them are based on: All American Wrestling is intended to be old-school WWF, Strong Style Wrestling is supposed to be ECW, and so on.

Platforms: Switch

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WWE '13 is a professional wrestling video game produced by THQ for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii. It was released in North America on October 30, 2012, and in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2012. It is the fourteenth entry in the WWE series overall, the sequel to WWE '12, and the final iteration to be released on a Nintendo device until WWE 2K18 in 2017. It was also the last WWE-licensed game produced by THQ before the company's bankruptcy in January 2013, therefore terminating their 14-year partnership with WWE. Take-Two Interactive would obtain the publishing rights to future titles following THQ's collapse.

WWE '13 focuses on the promotion's Attitude Era, replacing "Road to WrestleMania" with a new "Attitude Era" mode in which the player experiences six distinct stories inspired by that era. The game has a new audio system dubbed "WWE Live" in addition to an improved "Predator Technology engine". The game is described as the second phase of a "Revolution" in WWE video games, with cover athlete CM Punk in command. The game earned favorable reviews from critics after its debut and was nominated for the Spike Video Game Award for Best Individual Sports Game.

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii

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WWE All-Stars is a professional wrestling video game developed by THQ San Diego for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems and released by THQ for the PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and PlayStation 2 systems. Current and past WWE superstars compete in fast-paced wrestling contests in the game. It was released in North America on March 29, 2011, and in Europe on April 1, 2011. It is also the only WWE video game available for the Nintendo 3DS, as well as the final WWE video game produced for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.

WWE All-Stars, in contrast to the simulation-based WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series, offers arcade-style gameplay, over-the-top animation, and wrestlers with a more exaggerated appearance. The game is a cross between a fighting game and a wrestling game, with combinations playing an important role in gameplay on the ground and in mid-air. Characters perform extravagant maneuvers, such as John Cena's Attitude Adjustment, in which he leaps high into the air, and Triple H's Pedigree, which has shock waves that go over the ring.

Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

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WWE Day of Reckoning is a professional wrestling video game that was published in 2004 for the GameCube device. The game is based on World Wrestling Entertainment, and many of the wrestlers on the WWE roster at the time of release appeared as player characters. The game also allows you to build your own wrestlers. In the single-player mode, the user guides a constructed wrestler through the ranks as a rookie and towards main event success on either WWE's Raw or SmackDown! brands.

The game has a control mechanism that is similar to AKI's Nintendo 64 wrestling games, including weak/strong grappling assaults and blows. Players may also use a timed button push to counter their opponents' strikes. The "Momentum Shift" maneuver, a desperate attack that provides a character an instant edge during the play, is one of the game's distinguishing aspects. The Exhibition mode of the game allows players to wrestle in a variety of match formats, including Hell in the Cell and Iron Man matches. The Story Mode of the game enables users to progress a generated wrestler from WWE developmental to main event status by completing certain goals during bouts.

Platform: GameCube

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WWE No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling organization. The inaugural No Mercy event took place on May 16, 1999, in Manchester, England, and was the only one staged in the United Kingdom. In October of that year, a second No Mercy was staged in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. No Mercy was the annual October PPV from this second event through 2008. The event was later terminated, and Hell in a Cell took its place in 2009. No Mercy was reintroduced in October 2016 after an eight-year hiatus.

When the company was still known as the World Wrestling Federation, the first four events were staged (WWF). The organization was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May 2002, and the "WWE" moniker became an orphaned initialism for the promotion in 2011. From 2003 through 2006, No Mercy was held solely for the SmackDown brand during the first brand expansion. When the event was reintroduced for the second brand extension in 2016, it was once again SmackDown-exclusive, before becoming Raw-exclusive for the last event in 2017.

Platforms: Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color

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