The Best Pro Wrestling Arcade Games Of All Time

When pro wrestling began its rise in the mainstream in the mid-1980s due to WWE‘s growing popularity, it coincided with arcades becoming part of the landscape. It was a little surprise that wrestling video games would soon pop up, although it took a bit for the technology to get there and make them really work. As arcades weren’t meant to be long experiences, the games weren’t designed to last hours but could still have plentiful action and fun.

Sadly, the downfall of arcades in the 2000s and the rise of home consoles ended much of the fun. However, the arcades still offered some amazing games, many of which became mainstays for wrestling fans. A few found their way to home consoles yet others were arcade only. There were a lot of entries but these rank as the ten best arcade wrestling games and a reason that era was so magical for both video game and wrestling fans.

WWF Royal Rumble Lived Up To Its Name

The Thin Roster Huts A Strong Entry

Released in 2000 as WWE was in a huge boom period, this utilized 3D graphics and enhanced gameplay to bring the company to nice life. The Exhibition mode was good with the single bouts and the nice touch of having a partner who could interfere for you. It was only hampered by how some body types moved the same way (it should not be so easy to toss around the Big Show).

The Rumble mode was good, making the great match work and some fun eliminations. What hampers it is a surprisingly thin roster of playable characters, so you’d see the same guys coming back into the Rumble after being eliminated. It was rough yet still a good showcase for a high period for WWE.

WrestleMania Arcade Isn’t Really A Wrestling Game

It’s More WWE Mortal Kombat

Some may argue about this being too low but this 1995 entry ranks lower as it’s not really a wrestling game. It was one of the countless Mortal Kombat knockoffs of the time, using likenesses of the biggest WWE stars of the time with commentary and the ability to take on multiple opponents at a time.

The movements were totally cartoonish, with weapons appearing and vanishing, guys literally flying around, and more. Some may enjoy it for that, but as an actual wrestling game, it’s pretty lacking despite some serious star power involved.

Mat Mania Was An Entry To Wrestling Arcade Games

The TV Show Setting Aided This

For a lot of wrestling fans of the 1980s, Mat Mania was the first good arcade wrestling experience. It had the nice motif of being “filmed” as if a TV show of the time, complete with a cameraman outside the ring catching the action. For 1985, the moves were terrific, a mix of power maneuvers and high flying as well as fighting outside the ring.

The background crowds looked lively and the AI nicely improved as it went and a good touch of each match was introduced by an announcer at a desk, which would be used in other games. Its moveset may seem limited now, but for this time period, it set the bar for how a wrestling game should work.

Fire Pro Gaiden Blazing Tornado Was A Fine Entry In The Franchise

No Shock This Did Great

The Fire Pro Wrestling games have long been among the most popular in the video game genre. So it’s no surprise they supplied a great arcade version in 1994. Like the other entries, the characters are based on popular wrestlers of the time with an emphasis more on button mashing than the typical counters of a console Fire Pro game.

The drop-down fixed camera may seem limiting, but the action more than makes up for it with tag team or singles bouts emphasizing the colorful action. The Fire Pro series has improved over the years, yet this entry nicely showcases it for arcade players.

The Main Event Set A New Tone For Action

This Was One Of The First To Have Different Classes

This 1990 entry was notable as one of the first wrestling games to divide guys up into classes. The Cruiserweights were smaller, able to race about and do some high-flying moves, while the Heavyweights were larger but capable of some powerful blows. There was one balanced character but it was fun seeing how some guys were clear takes on the famous wrestlers of the time.

The game had some great maunevers, excellent play and one of the first wrestling games to feature a steel cage mode. There were also touches of illegal moves like biting and choking to elevate it more. The game was a good move for the wrestling genre of the time to be a nice event for arcades.

3-Count Bout Introduced Hardcore Bouts

The Matches Weren’t Just In The Ring

SNK was a company who specalized in fighting arcade games in the 1990s. 3-Count Bout put their spin on the wrestling genre, working on the classic idea of grapplers based on colorful wrestlers of the time.

However, it stood out with the gameplay, mixing over-the-top action with some good grappling moves and a nice mix of wrestling.

The real highlight was how hardcore it could get with brawling on the outside and matches taking place in a parking garage or backstage for some fun stuff. There was also a cool match taking place in an electrified ring. It didn’t get huge attention but was a great standout among wrestling games of the time.

Wrestle War Is Incredibly Underrated

The Nice Camera Views Made It Stand Out

Very underrated, this 1989 Sega game has players as Bruce Blade, a rookie rising up through the ranks of a wrestling promotion. The graphics were great, putting folks closer to the action and working real wrestling moves with characters based on anyone from Bruiser Brody to Abdullah the Butcher.

The great touch was how the camera would jump around and flip perspectives as guys ran around the ring. That was a standout for the era and made the matches feel more exciting. It didn’t get as much attention as other games yet this was a top level wrestling game thanks to the camera views alone.

Saturday Night Slammasters Was A Blast

This Game Was A Colorful Romp

It may not have been a technical tour de force, but this game was huge fun. It takes aspects of the lucha libre and Japanese wrestling culture, more of a fighting game with fewer grappling moves. The colorful characters are what make it fun, from light masked guys to hulking brutes, all with their own specialized attacks.

It could be either singles or tag team matches and a great bevy of maunevers from power bombs to literally flying across the ring. They had intros with pyro and lights, and even the animation for the cheering fans was spectacular. The console versions were fun, yet the arcade versions were far more frantic, whatever day you played them.

WWF Superstars Brought Them To Life

The First WWE Arcade Game Was Fantastic

While WWE had a few video games before,Superstars was what gave them a bigger focus for arcadegoers. Each match was tag team mode, and the top stars of the time: Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Big Bossman, and more, were on display. The moves are a bit limited but still fun to pull off.

The quest is making it to face Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant in what will be a challenging match. It was great, from brawling on the outside to the actual matches, and set a good bar for other WWE video games to follow.

Wrestlefest’s Rumble Mode Was The Best

This Game Ruled Arcades

As good as Superstars was, Wrestlefest was better. The tag team mode was fun as you could mix up guys how you wanted with brawling on the outside and cool steel cage mode. Working your way up to face the Legion of Doom was a challenge many fans enjoyed embracing.

But it was the Royal Rumble mode that got the real push. It was terrific choosing your guy, entering the ring, and trying to survive the brawls with new guys coming in and out. The animation replicated some classic finishers and poses and the top talent of 1991 WWE is a reason this game (surprisingly never ported to home consoles) remains so loved.