The original PlayStation’s range was lackluster regarding quality wrestling games except for a few. However, what it did have was choice and there were several to choose from offering different gaming styles. Today’s wrestling title range grows with theAEW Fight Foreverand upcoming indie wrestling games likeUltra Pro Wrestling,andthe Wrestling Code.However, theWWE 2Kseries still dominates the wrestling game market.
TheFire Pro Wrestlingseries still enjoys a cult following and there are hopes that theUPWgame will recapture the magic of the AKI classics likeWCW vs. NWO RevengeandWWF No Mercy.In the meantime, it’s good to look back at what the older consoles offered and see how good the wrestling games were on the original PlayStation.
Updated July 04, 2025, by Michael Llewellyn:The original PlayStation wasn’t the best platform for wrestling games, but it does have an interesting history of being the starting point for the WWF Smackdown! series and the beloved WCW vs. games on the N46. This article has been updated to include game specifications and another wrestling title that deserves recognition.
11WCW Backstage Assault
GameFAQs Score 2.36/5
WCW Backstage Assaultwas released and developed by Electronic Arts in 2000. The entire game centers on the Backstage Brawls that become overdone on the televised product. Unfortunately, like the televised product, relying on the novelty of fighting backstage in hardcore brawls wears thin, and the gameplay was awful especially compared to theWWF Smackdown!games that launched the same year.
Backstage Assaultshowed a lack of understanding by EA about what a wrestling fan wants from a grappling game. Furthermore, despite having interesting-looking animations the character models were hideous and many of its marqueeWCW starswere unrecognizable.
10WCW Nitro
GameFAQs Score 2.66/5
WCW Nitrowas released and published by THQ but wasn’t developed by Asmik Ace who worked on its predecessorWCW vs. The World.Instead, it was created by Inland Productions whose only game beforeNitrowas a fishing game, and their lack of experience in the genre was evident here.
The wrestlers came in two categories high flyers or heavyweights which meant there was nothing unique about any of the performers. It lacked the exciting back-and-forth matches of its predecessor and played more like a clunky fighting game. Its sequelWCW Thunderlaunched to promote WCW’s Thursday night show, but it wasn’t well-received by fans or critics. It was identical in gameplay toNitroand marked a severe decline in quality from the AKI-developed titles.
9ECW Hardcore Revolution
GameFAQs Score 2.44/5
ECW Hardcore Revolutionwas developed by Acclaim. It was their first wrestling game since losing the WWF license to THQ. Despite being a game based on the most hardcore mainstream wrestling promotion on television there was a surprising lack of hardcore wrestling mechanics. The gameplay was still arcade-like in its execution, with up-down-left-right inputs that felt awkward and unsuited to a wrestling title.
ECW Hardcore Revolutionplayed identically toWWF WarzoneandWWF Attitudeexcept for a few underutilized match types like the Barbed Wire match.Furthermore, the graphics looked worse than Acclaim’s previous wrestling titles.
8ECW Anarchy Rulz
GameFAQs Score 2.58/5
ECW Anarchy Rulzwas launched just six months after its predecessorECW Hardcore Revolution.The game was once again developed by Acclaim and very little had changed from their previous efforts in the wrestling genre.
Anarchy Rulzdid introduce some interesting features like stable creations, Backlot brawls, and several other new arenas to wrestle in. Unfortunately, the most important aspects of a wrestling game were missing from this game. The controls were unresponsive, the targeting was horrible and the moves once again required complicated button presses and combinations. It did, however, feature some improvements to the artificial intelligence in single-player matches.
7WCW Mayhem
GameFAQs Score 3.01/5
WCW Mayhemwas EA’s first game published for the WCW brand since THQ moved on to the WWF games withWWF Smackdown!on the PS1 and AKI series on the N64. It was a better game than EA’s second effort withWCW Backstage Assaultbut it didn’t come close to what Asmik Ace and AKI developed.
WCW Mayhemhad some strong points like wrestling introductions and impressive commentary for the time. However, the momentum meter helped add some authenticity to the wrestling matches and a similar mechanic is still used in today’sWWE 2Kgames.
6WWF War Zone
GameFAQs Score 3.07/5
WWF Warzonewas Acclaim’s answer to the far superiorWCW vs. NWOtitles on the Nintendo 64. The game featured the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bret The Hitman Hart, Owen Hart, The Undertaker, and Kane.
While the game still plays better than its ECW successors, the controls were still needlessly complicated. The game’s fighting system was more arcade-like than a wrestling sim and had no tactical or timing-based mechanics but it was one of the better WWE wrestling games on the PS1 at the time. It had better commentary than the N64 version, but the graphics were noticeably worse on the PS1.
5WWF Attitude
GameFAQs Score 3.2/5
WWF Attitudeis the sequel toWWF Warzoneby Acclaim. From a mechanics standpoint, very little had changed from the previous entry the wrestlers still moved and looked the same as they did inWWF Attitude.
What had improved, however, was there was more emphasis on reversals seemingly taking cues from the AKI-developed WCW wrestling games. Crowd noise felt more natural and reactive adding to the arena’s atmosphere and the commentary was improved from its predecessor. However, the PS1 port looked and performed badly compared to the Sega Dreamcast version, which despite being a better game, may have led to a less positive reception.
4Power Move Pro Wrestling
GameFAQs Score 3.38/5
Power Move Pro Wrestlingwas developed by Yukes, the team responsible for nineteenSmackdownandWWE 2Ktitles. Those familiar with the Yukes-developed wrestling games will instantly recognize the wrestling engine behind the game.
Unfortunately, the character model’s limbs would disembody and resemble hot dogs in tights and the wrestlers skate rather than walk across the ring. Regardless of the janky controls, the old-school wrestling mechanics provide gamers with technical Japanese-style wrestling in the game.Power Move Pro Wrestlingwas better than the games from Akklaim. Interestingly,Power Move Pro Wrestlingwas originally an NJPW title calledToukon Retsudenin Japan. However, despite retaining their movesets all Japanese wrestlers were replaced with fictional characters.
3WWF Smackdown!
GameFAQs Score 3.65/5
WWF Smackdown!was the first WWF wrestling game from Yuke’s. It was similar toPower Move Pro Wrestlingbut featured faster and more accessible gameplay. The wrestling felt smooth with fluid animations, with everything from arm drag takedowns to the People’s Elbow looking great on the PS1.
It was more arcade-like than theWWF gamesfrom the AKI on the N64, but there was an element of back-and-forth action that felt great for wrestling fans. Moreover, the popularity of Yuke’sSmackdown!series meant Yuke’s games would become the leading wrestling games for three generations until Visual Concepts took over withWWE 2K20.
WWF Smackdown! 2 Know Your Rolewas released less than a year after its predecessor in 2000 and improved on nearly everything in the first game. Developed by Yukes, the game pushed the PlayStation to its limits and was easily the best-looking and animated wrestling game of its day.
Smackdown! 2’sgameplay wasn’t as good or as technical asWWF No Mercyon the Nintendo 64 but the presentation captured the Attitude Era perfectly.The game featured more storylines and a multiplayer season mode. Moreover, the wrestler’s entrances captured the theatrics of the stars like The Undertaker, Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, and more in their prime. Additionally, it featured several create modes like create a wrestler, create a manager, create a stable, and create a taunt.
