The wrestling broadcasters are always quick to remind audiences not to try out the moves they’ve seen on screen at home, it is best to leave it to the professionals in the ring. Instead, wrestling fans can experience the action and intensity of a match and everything that comes with it through gaming.
Whether they are played on PC, console or smartphone, the thrill and exhilaration can be almost perfectly replicated through the storylines, graphics and special features that these games employ. Over the decades, technological improvements and creative design has provided a vehicle to creating some of the best top selling game innovations like the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series.
Wrestling games can be seen as a bit of a niche genre, not everyone enjoys the raw violence or the showmanship this sport is known for. There is of course a great amount of drama and some gimmicky stunts used for entertainment alongside outstanding displays of technical skill.
However, for those that embrace wrestling’s unique style, the world of gaming and wrestling themed content offers another great way to enjoy the sport. With that in mind, here are some popular games that wrestling fans enjoy:
Non-wrestling games
Firstly, not every game needs to be centred around wrestling. Fans can still get the buzz and fast paced action they enjoy from other genres. Arcade and casino style games are a perfect example of this, for those with a competitive nature these provide a real thrill and even the chance of winning real prizes and cash.
Slots are an ideal first game to try if you are new to the casino due to their simple rules and basic gameplay. Wrestling fans will also appreciate the bright and engaging graphics and great variety of themes.
You can play slot games such as Secrets of the Phoenix on sites like Double Bubble. Secrets of the Phoenix has 25 paylines and an innovative raining reels feature that means winning symbols are removed once used, producing new symbols in their place for potentially more wins.
If you win more than four times in a row, you can unlock the free spins bonus. This slot has a return to player rate of 94.97 percent.
As mentioned, slots come in more themes than you can imagine. If sports games are the vibe you are going for then try out some of the many football, golf and even wrestling slots titles you can find online.
Looking for a wrestling specific game? Here are some of the best wrestling games of all time that have been popular with fans:
Top wrestling games
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Saturday Night Slam Masters, also known as Muscle Bomber, was an epic arcade game created in Japan and released in 1993. Due to its great appeal, it was ported to console systems Sega Genesis and SNES soon after and became the very first in the Slam Master series.
As with many traditional wrestling games, this game used the three main button configurations for grab, attack, and jump. The characters each had two main techniques, including non-grappling moves and an impressive finisher.
In single match mode, the player fights in a series of one-on-one matches against the computer. There was also a battle royale mode where the player teams up with their another player or the CPU to fight in a series of two-on-two matches.
Fire Pro Wrestling World
Out on a range of consoles and devices is the popular simulation game Fire Pro Wrestling World, this is probably one of the best rated grappling titles outside of WWE and RAW. Almost every aspect of the game is customisable, from the character to the ring you will be fighting in for the great championship belt.
You can play and organise matches, tournaments and battle royales online and participate with players from all around the world! Modes include deathmatch with a steel cage and barbed wires, gruesome fighting with no-holds barred and SWA rules, a hybrid of MMA and pro wrestling.
This game is praised for very realistic graphics and real life-like simulations.
WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain
The 2003 released video game WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain came with a roster of 55 WWE stars and used the actual stats and main attributes for each wrestler, including strength, technique, speed, stamina and submission.
Voiceover stars in the cast included Steve Austin, Rodney Mack, Kurt Angle and Dave Bautista. It featured an exclusive story mode that was developed by WWE and had a variety of match types that included Bra & Panty, First Blood and Elimination Chamber.
Aside from featuring some of the biggest superstars in wrestling, this games impressive animations were a big part of its success.
Wrestling fans, just like gamers, enjoy the thrill and exhilaration that comes with immersing themselves in the action happening on-screen.
