My Favorite Wrestling Video Game

   During the 1980's, video games started to become the latest craze.  It didn't take long before the worlds of video games and professional wrestling collided.  It seemed only natural.  The first wrestling game I remember was simply titled "Pro Wrestling" and it was for the original Nintendo.  It didn't contain any known wrestlers but as a kid, I enjoyed it very much.  I always liked to play as Starman.  Since the dawn of the first wrestling video game 30 plus years ago, there have been some great games and some terrible ones.  

   This is not going to be a list of my favorites, but ultimately about my very favorite wrestling game.  However, I think it's important to at least mention some of my favorites.  The one game that stands out as the worst is probably the one Impact Wrestling came out with a few years back.  I've never played it myself but I heard it was pretty bad.  

 

   In the early 2000's, Playstation began introducing the Smackdown games.  Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth was exciting because it was during the brand extension.  The game allowed the players to participate in the draft and choose their respective Raw and Smackdown rosters.  Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain was simply a great game.  After several games named after The Rock, this one primarily featured Brock Lesnar.  Wrestling fans got even more excited when Smackdown vs. Raw came out.  Players could now bid for brand supremacy.  

   Not to be outdone, WCW got into the video game business as well.  Their first big hit and one I enjoyed was WCW vs. The World.  Due to the popularity of the New World Order in WCW, the next game created was WCW vs. nWo World Tour.  Other popular games for WCW included WCW Nitro, and WCW/nWo Revenge.  One thing WCW had the edge on over WWE in the video game world was the amount of playable wrestlers.  I remember these being very fun games.  

   One game that many fans liked and were clamoring for was No Mercy for N-64.  One of the main reasons for the excitement was that it was the first wrestling game to feature the ladder match.  No Mercy was also known for its packed roster and graphics.  The create-a-wrestler mode had more moves, customizable body attributes, and better clothing options.  One of my favorite parts of this game was that it allowed players to fight backstage, which hand't been seen yet.  Other firsts for wrestling games were in No Mercy, including special referee options and the ability to do moves on the announcer's table.  It had a more extensive championship mode, with stories for each title.  Another great feature was the Smackdown Mall.  With money earned, you were able to purchase unlockable chatacters, clothing, wrestling moves, props, tattoos, weapons, and venues.  There was so much to love about this game.  With that being said, it's still not my all-time favorite.

   Along with games on video game systems, wrestling fans could also enjoy playing them at the arcade.  There were a few good ones but the one I remember so fondly and is my favorite wrestling video game of all time is WrestleFest.  There was just something about this game!  The playable characters included were Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Mr. Perfect, Sgt. Slaughter, Big Bossman, Earthquake, Million Dollar Man, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and Demolition members Smash and Crush.  The only flaw in the game was that you were not allowed to play as Hawk or Animal from the Legion of Doom.

  I remember pumping a lot of quarters into this machine when I was a kid.  When arcades were a much bigger deal, that was generally the first and sometimes only game I would play.  There were two modes.  One was the Royal Rumble, in which your wrestler had to go through the entire match in order to win.  Along with the usual Royal Rumble rules of eliminating someone over the top rope, you could gain an elimination with pinfalls and submission as well.  When the buzzer rang and the next person made their way to the ring, the corner of the screen would show that wrestler coming out.  It was a nice feature that added to the realism of actually watching wrestling on television.  They even showed backstage vignettes of each wrestler.

   The other mode was Saturday Night's Main Event, which was a tournament to face the Tag Team Champions the Legion of Doom.  You could choose any combo of the remaining superstars to team up except for Demoliton, who were a team automatically.  Because I was 10 when this came out, I would often choose Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior as my team.  As you progressed in the tournament, there would be backstage interviews of the Legion of Doom conducted by Mean Gene Okerland.  

   This game contained a lot of signature moves.  There were suplexes, back body drops, body slams, backbreakers, you name it!  All of the finishers were there as well.  Jake had his DDT, Ted DiBiase had his Million Dollar Dream, Earthquake had his Earthquake splash, and the Ultimate Warrior had his gorilla press/big splash combo.  You'd see Sgt. Slaughter's Cobra Clutch, Mr. Perfect's Perfect Plex, Big Bossman's Bossman Slam, and even Hulk Hogan's big boot/leg drop combo.  Another great thing you'd see would be the awesome double team maneuvers including Demoliton's finisher and the Doomsday Device. 

   I have so many great memories of this game growing up.  If I could find it in any arcades today, I would play it.  A majority of my quarters went into this game as a kid.  Every once in a while, you might find me playing Ski Ball or using a Pinball machine, but I always came back to WrestleFest.  What is your favorite wrestling video game of all time?

If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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