But there's more to wrestling than the WWF -- now the WWE -- and of course, there's a ton of wrestling video games as well! Since 1983's Big Pro Wrestling (known as Tag Team Wrestling in America) to the latest WWE2K game, wrestling video games have been a way for fans to interact with their favorite form of entertainment! But some games stand out above the rest, so here are the top five wrestling video games.
5) Nintendo Pro Wrestling
One of the earliest wrestling video games, this game for the Nintendo Entertainment System is a generic wrestling game -- meaning this game is not tied to any existing company or wrestler. Yet this single or multiplayer game was well received in both Japan and North America.
The game was praised for its controls, graphics, and soundtrack. Pro Wrestling is also one of the more expensive games to collect -- when graded. The current one-year average for a sealed WATA-graded 9.6 is $21,000. Complete in-box and ungraded copies are much more affordable and can be found for under $100 on eBay.
4) WWE 2K19
WWE 2K19 was the game that brought me back into the world of sports entertainment video games. The 2K19 edition featured AJ Styles on the cover, but there was also a special Ric Flair cover for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. AJ Styles has been a personal favorite of mine since his time with New Japan's Bullet Club faction, and his star power continued to rise when he joined WWE.
This game was an improvement over prior years and gave players a chance to play in a showcase mode, which follows the career of Bryan Danielson. The graphics, gameplay, and attention to detail were great in this game. Currently, there is little sales data for graded copies of this game, but a sealed Ric Flair 2k19 edition for the PS4 sold for $184.95 on eBay in June 2023. A regular sealed PS4 copy sold for $84.99, also on eBay in June 2023.
3) Fire Pro Wrestling World
The iconic Fire Pro Wrestling series started in 1989 with Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag, and the latest release, Fire Pro Wrestling World, was released in 2017. This series has a long-standing tradition of being fun and engaging, and FPWW is no exception.
With licensing by New Japan Pro Wrestling, this game features some of the best wrestlers in the world, including Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, SANADA, and Will Osprey. The game is a ton of fun, but was only released for the PlayStation 4 and Steam. This game goes for under $50 on eBay, making this an affordable game for collectors.
2) WCW/nWo Revenge
If you're reading this, chances are you lived through the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s. The Monday Night Wars referred to WWF's Monday Night RAW and WCW's Nitro airing at the same time on competing cable networks. As a kid, I was a huge WWF fan and would get angry when my dad would switch between both brands.
But once Scott Hall and Kevin Nash joined WCW my opinion on the brand softened. And then came the New World Order, one of the best stables in modern wrestling.
WCW/nWo Revenge was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998 and was a popular game among my peers. Thanks to an impressive roster, game control, and graphics that were - at the time - good, this game was critically acclaimed. This game does well for collectors but is still somewhat affordable.
The one-year average for a sealed WATA-graded 9.6 is $457, while on eBay a sealed WATA-graded 9.4 sold for $1,199 in May 2023. A sealed raw copy sold for $450 in June 2023.
1) WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game
In 1995 Acclaim's WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game cabinet hit arcades. The game was then ported to a number of at-home consoles, including the 32X, the Sega Genesis, PC, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and the Super Nintendo.
This game had very realistic graphics thanks to digitizing, and frankly, they still hold up today. Many games in the mid-1990s used this technology, but not every one of them could pull it off. This game was well-received overall, but the PlayStation version was highly celebrated.
While there are not a ton of graded copies, ungraded copies of the game fare well on eBay. In March 2023 a sealed SNES version sold for $269.99. In April 2023, a CIB 32X copy sold for $149.95. A single 32X cartridge sold for $179.99 that same month.
