Best (& Worst) Wrestling Video Games

This list doesn’t dissect every single pro wrestling video game ever created – just the ones that I’ve played. Will it include WWE2K20? Maybe, but maybe not after seeing the backlash on Twitter. There’s no way that will get mentioned in the list of best wrestling video games.

Man we’re 3 months away from 2020 and people are still making games that has graphics like this. I really can’t wait to see the displeasure when this game releases. 59.99 down the drain 😀😀 #WWE2K20 pic.twitter.com/5BPrMWyrrn
— ➶ Mike ➷ (@Fireboy987) October 14, 2019

Look, I know I’m shitting on the #WWE2K20 graphics a lot but they’re not making it hard for me.
Speaking of hard…LOOK AT THE PONYTAIL!!! pic.twitter.com/EvrTfcmmE5
— ⚓️ Dits on Wrestling 🎙 (@DitsOnWrestling) October 14, 2019

These graphics everyone 🤦‍♂️😂#WWE #WWE2K20 pic.twitter.com/DVF2eXGupQ
— Get The Tables (@GetDaTables) October 14, 2019

Screenshot from #wwe2k20. How are they not embarrassed to release a game with graphics that wouldn’t look out of place on the PS1? pic.twitter.com/MptlA3T7W0
— Dylan Baker (@DylanBaker1986) October 15, 2019

Seriously, how the fuck do your renders get WORSE as the years progress?
Are you even fucking trying anymore?#WWE2K20 pic.twitter.com/bc6JdhHk4j
— Klowndike Bill (@MrKlondikeBill) October 14, 2019

Without further ado, here are my favorites…

No Mercy: N64

It doesn’t get any better than this. The sequel to the WrestleMania 2000 game improved on things that actually didn’t need improvement. Instead of being wrestler-driven, story mode was championship-driven, but would go a different direction pending on the result of your match. You picked what title you wanted to go after, picked your wrestler and went. The survival mode could test how long you could go and you earned cash to spend at the SmackDown Shop to unlock wrestlers, weapons, arenas and customizable items. This is arguably the best roster WWE ever had for a game. I still play it today.

WrestleMania 2000: N64

Speaking of games I still play today, WrestleMania 2000 was still good and the gameplay was on point. WWE saw the success that AKI and THQ had with WCW/NWO Revenge and joined on. The Road to WrestleMania mode is great with all wrestling and no real storyline except for playing through Raw, Heat and pay-per-views over the course of one year, trying to accumulate as many titles as possible with the goal of having it all after WrestleMania. It was easily replayable with multiple characters and a tag partner. There are a few unlockable characters, but if you accidentally deleted all your saved stuff in this game, you loved going back and recreating it again.

WrestleMania Arcade Game: SNES, PlayStation & Genesis

If there was ever a Mortal Kombat meets pro wrestling game, this was it. There wasn’t much of a roster, but the big names were on this. You could be in the middle of a handicap match and kick Shawn Michaels 30 feet in the air while Undertaker was beating the hell out of you with a random tombstone he pulled from his back pocket. It was super over the top and just like how any arcade game could be. I have spent many quarters on this game and a lot of that was restarting my character because I was never that good, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun.

SmackDown Vs. Raw: PlayStation, Xbox & PC

It didn’t matter what game system I used, when the SmackDown series got turned into SvsR in 2004, I fell in love with wrestling games again. The story modes were excellent with multiple to choose from and I always enjoyed GM Mode. You could pick your roster, book your matches and pay-per-views, and fight for rating supremacy against the other brand. It was great for current content and put you in charge of your own brand. For several years, this series was a constant much like the WWE2K series is today. It was ahead of its time and GM Mode is one of the things I miss most from WWE games.

Fire Pro Wrestling World: PlayStation, Xbox & PC

This is one I’m stuck on right now. As I write this, I am three years into my organization in Fire Promoter DLC. The inclusion of the New Japan roster is amazing and the controls are tricky to start with, but you adapt fairly quickly. There isn’t another wrestling game where barbed eire and explosive death matches are a thing. The matches don’t last about three minutes at time, but rather a good 10 minutes, which creates a good challenge for each player. I highly recommend this for somewhere around the $25 mark online and another $15 for Fire Promoter.

WCW/NWO Revenge: N64

Many sibling arguments were solved with this game. This roster was one of the greatest until No Mercy. It was the best game WCW created and my only complaint was the lack of entrance music. The story mode was more gauntlet-style matches against the roster until the champion came out. The world title was always baffling to me considering that you had to beat Roddy Piper for the title and he never held it. But Sting entering the ring from the ceiling with his bat during a battle royal was always a good touch.

WCW/NWO World Tour: N64

This is the one game on the list I never owned, but played multiple times with friends during late-night sleepovers. The gameplay and grappling was the precursor to Revenge, but the visual was not good. The crowd was similar to cardboard dots that you see on the green screen of FOX NFL Sunday. You can look past all of that and enjoy this until you play Revenge. Great starter in the series.

WWF Attitude: PlayStation, N64 & Dreamcast

I was never a fan of the grappling in this. You had to look at a list of button combinations in order to do regular grappling moves. Regardless, you still had fun with the roster as it was early ‘97 with Austin hitting it big and Undertaker possibly at his darkest. You could be in the middle of a match and fans begin yelling profanity towards the ring in favor of their favorite wrestlers. Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Jim Ross on commentary are a lot of fun.

Legends of Wrestling series: Xbox, PlayStation & GameCube

This game was not licensed by any wrestling company, but it featured many stars past and present. It was the one game where you could have Iron Sheik, Sabu, Hulk Hogan, Sid Vicious and RVD on the same roster. The story mode was different where you start from the bottom and pick a U.S. territory to begin at, and once you win that territory’s championship and defend it a couple times, you move on to the next the territory until you have conquered it all. The gameplay was similar to No Mercy, but lacked any kind of major gimmick matches, except for a cage match. Blood was prominent in the game and this roster was one of a kind.

SmackDown series: PlayStation

This was an almost arcade style game that was slightly over the top, but was still enjoyable because it was still realistic. It was one of the few games that had cut scenes in its season mode that made it seem like a legitimate WWF broadcast. The entrances were mostly walking to the ring with their real entrance videos playing in the background – it was different in that way alone. The late 1999 roster was great with the likes of early Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho, as well as The Rock and The Ministry Undertaker. Later entries like Shut Your Mouth and Know Your Role only got better and better with more additions to the stacked rosters, improved gameplay, graphics and other match types. These games need to be remastered and released for current generation consoles – they would make major money.

And here are the dirt worst…

WWE Crush Hour: PlayStation & GameCube

For the many people who played wrestling games and also played Twisted Metal and ever wondered “Why can I not have the best of both worlds,” this was your game. But why did you wish for this? The game put our favorite wrestlers into death machines with bombs, missiles and other weaponry in a fight to the death. It was unique, but that wore off quickly. It was just another game in the Twisted Metal series that was licensed by WWF. Today, it would be smart to do that now and include the WWF portion of things as a DLC or pre-order bonus. I guess 2003 was a different time though…the good old days.

WCW Mayhem: N64 & PlayStation

If there was ever a case of taking the WWF Attitude game and taking five steps backwards, it was this. I don’t know if Attitude was used as a template, but for this to be the follow up game to Revenge was just a big step backwards. Attitude at least was followed by WrestleMania 2000 to get improvement. If you have time to go on YouTube, find a Revenge video and then find a Mayhem game and tell me I’m wrong.

WCW Backstage Assault: N64 & PlayStation

Imagine a wrestling game without a ring. That’s Backstage Assault. The matches were held in garages, parking lots and random rooms. The gameplay was similar to Mayhem, so you know it wasn’t good. It was almost like someone from the gaming company saw the Junkyard Battle Royal from Bash at the Beach 1999 and decided to make a whole production of it. Thank goodness WCW closed its doors shortly afterwards so we didn’t get a sequel.

WWF Warzone: N64 & PlayStation

This game came before Attitude and was good overall, but there was one big glaring issue. During a championship mode, you would climb the ranks of the company battling the entire roster, but before and after each match, you would have promos cut by your opponents. British Bulldog is not even looking at the camera, instead most likely reading from cue cards. Shawn Michaels almost comes off natural, but there is a split second where he is just standing there at the beginning waiting to be told that the camera was rolling. Kane never says a word, but you could hear a loud and audible “Burn It Down” chant (more proof that nothing is original anymore). If anyone who watches it can decipher whatever the hell Ahmed Johnson said, please comment below.