Best Wrestling Games All Time, Ranked

[BayRaider]

I've done this for NFL, MLB, and NBA, time to do it for wrestling. However, I haven't watched wrestling for years and can't judge the more recent games.

Just like with the NFL, the golden era of wrestling belonged on PS2. I haven't played many of the WWE 2K wrestling games, but I have heard they are all abysmal minus the first one (which they didn't actually make themselves), including WWE 2K20 being the worst wrestling game ever. Basically, a very similar path as EA Sports/Madden: Past seven years being terrible with the most recent installment being debated as the worst game of it's genre ever made.

I'm not gonna rank every game ever like I did the other sports, instead, I'm going to do the Top 10 all time.

The Elite Four:

1. Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth (PS2) (2002)

Rating: 10/10

This game had everything. Tremendous roster. Greatest Story/Career Mode for any wrestling game ever. Great gameplay. The game also had no limits, you could go anywhere you want, parking lots, street, top of the titan-trons, there was literally no limits or restrictions to the game in any way. Very rarely do I give a game 10/10, but this game had EVERYTHING. Almost every match type that has ever existed. They literally gave you everything you could possibly ask for, and the story/career mode is nearly flawless. Crazy that this game is approaching its 20th anniversary.

2. Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain (PS2) (2003)

Rating: 9.75/10

This game is actually most people's #1. It is basically an Expansion Game to Shut Your Mouth.

Shut Your Mouth Pros:

- Better Career/Story

- Better Roster

Here Comes the Pain Pros:

- Better A.I.

- Introduces Blood

- Slightly better gameplay

3. WWF No Mercy (N64) (2000)

Rating: 9.5/10

This game is legendary. Not just one of the greatest wrestling games ever, but one of the greatest N64 games. Absolutely phenomenal career mode. And the gameplay is the best of any wrestling game ever made IMO. A.I. is great. This game has almost no flaws and tonsssss of replay value.

4. Smackdown vs RAW 2006 (PS2) (2005)

Rating: 9.5/10

Now this game is probably the greatest roster of any wrestling game ever assembled, easily. You got all the Late 90's guys, all the Mid 2000's guys, and all the Legends. The roster is huge. Gameplay is also extremely good. Now, I'm not a big fan of the story/career mode in this game, but what makes this game legendary is the GM Mode. Easily the best GM mode of any wrestling game. So if creating shows, PPV, matches, watching it all unfold, is your type of thing, then this is the game for you. GM Mode is unlimited and gives you unlimited creativity and flexibility.

Great Games:

5. WWF WrestleMania 2000 (N64) (1999)

Rating: 9.25/10

Precursor to No Mercy. Absolutely tremendous game with a legendary story mode.

6. WCW/nWo Revenge (N64) (1998)

Rating: 9.0/10

Easily the best non WWF/WWE game ever made. Obviously is very similar to No Mercy and WrestleMania 2000, but with whole WCW and nWo feel to it.

7. Smackdown 2: Know Your Role (PS1) (2000)

Rating: 8.75/10

Great game that was leaps and bounds better than it's predecessor Smackdown 1 in 1999 which was a very below-average game, even for its time.

8. Smackdown vs RAW 2007 (PS2/360) (2006)

Rating: 8.5/10

Basically same game as SvR 2006, but the roster is worse, and they ruined GM Mode. Other than that, very solid game.

9. WWE 2K14 (PS3/360) (2013)

Rating: 8.5/10

The best PS3/360 wrestling game. And the only good wrestling game 2K ever produced. And why is that? Cause 2K didn't make it. They bought it from THQ and slapped their name on it and used their engine. WWE 2K15 was the first game 2K made, and 2K15-2K20 are all hot steaming garbage. The roster in this game is legendary and on par with SvR: 2006. Gameplay is great. Although it lacks many modes from the PS2 days that made wrestling games (and sports games in general) so legendary, like GM Mode, and an Advanced Career Mode.

10. WWE Day of Reckoning (GameCube) (2004)

Rating: 8.5/10

This was GameCube's exclusive and only wrestling game, and it also a very solid game.

Worst Games Ever: WWF Warzone (N64/PS1) (1998), WCW Backstage Assault (N64/PS1) (2000), WWE 2K20 (PS4/One).

 

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by BayRaider

[Troy Brown]

The AEW game will have the highest expectations of any game ever

[BayRaider]

1 hour ago, Troy Brown said:

The AEW game will have the highest expectations of any game ever

Don’t know anything about it. Assuming it can’t be worse than the WWE 2K series. 

[djw4bucs]

WWE 2k19 me and my friends played soo much of and still play it to this day, it was sooo good at being dumb and bad which was always fun to see fun bugs online.

But the GOAT is Smackdown Here comes the pain.

[Troy Brown]

1 minute ago, BayRaider said:

Don’t know anything about it. Assuming it can’t be worse than the WWE 2K series. 

It's being made by the same people who made No Mercy

[BayRaider]

1 minute ago, Troy Brown said:

It's being made by the same people who made No Mercy

So great gameplay and A.I. that’s super smart and difficult at a bare minimum then. 
 

Hopefully they have a great career and/or GM mode though. That’s what most sports games have been lacking since the PS2 Era. 

[Troy Brown]

Just now, BayRaider said:

So great gameplay and A.I. that’s super smart and difficult at a bare minimum then. 
 

Hopefully they have a great career and/or GM mode though. That’s what most sports games have been lacking since the PS2 Era. 

Well, Omega has a hand in everything and he's apparently a gamer's gamer so if they follow through with what they're saying, it should be great. There is early gameplay on youtube if you wanna take a look 

[Malfatron]

Royal Rumble for SNES was pretty fun

[43M]

23 hours ago, Malfatron said:

Royal Rumble for SNES was pretty fun

I loved it back in the 90s.   I played it a couple years ago and it...hasnt aged well.

[43M]

The N64 WCW and WWF games will always be at the top for me.

I never enjoyed the Yukes games much.   Some were decent, but they always felt somewhat clunky and unresponsive.....even the better ones.

I played WWE 2k19 and it was pretty decent.    Not great, but it had enjoyably elements.    Then, I guess they destroyed 2K20.  

2K took last year off and said they were committed to making a great game with many features that fans have been asking for...like GM mode.   Ill believe it when I see it.  

[43M]

On 2/6/2021 at 1:03 AM, Troy Brown said:

It's being made by the same people who made No Mercy

Well, its actually being made by Yukes (who used to make all the WWE games NOT on N64.     However, one of the developers who worked on No Mercy is working on the game as well, so we may see a hybrid.

However, I really hope the crap graphics they showed in the trailer arent the actual in game graphics.     It could still be a fun game, and graphics arent really a HUGE issue if the game is great, but the character models were just hilariously cartoonish.      Its still pretty early in development, so we will see.

[Troy Brown]

4 hours ago, 43M said:

Well, its actually being made by Yukes (who used to make all the WWE games NOT on N64.     However, one of the developers who worked on No Mercy is working on the game as well, so we may see a hybrid.

However, I really hope the crap graphics they showed in the trailer arent the actual in game graphics.     It could still be a fun game, and graphics arent really a HUGE issue if the game is great, but the character models were just hilariously cartoonish.      Its still pretty early in development, so we will see.

The gameplay was super early, didn't even have young bucks models yet. I've gotta hope that was the reason for the graphics but isn't really a deal breaker for me anyway, at least. As a wrestling company, they've taken fan feedback to improve on things so hopefully they'll do the same with their game

[BayRaider]

What got me hooked on wrestling games was WCW/nWo Revenge in '98. Man, that game was phenomenal, and turned me into a wrestling fan lol. I didn't even watch wrestling yet.

Also, obviously if you talk to most people, they will say Here Comes The Pain is the GOAT. (Or No Mercy, but most will say HCTP). However, a lot of these people don't know that Shut Your Mouth and Here Comes The Pain are almost the same game with minor differences. It all depends what is more important to you. Like I said in my original post, Shut Your Mouth has the better roster and better story/career mode. Most would say it's the best story/career of any wrestling game. As for Here Comes The Pain: They introduced a new grappling system, the A.I. is better/smarter, they introduced blood, and they introduced the Elimination Chamber Match. Those are literally the only differences from the two games.

[BayRaider]

7 hours ago, 43M said:

The N64 WCW and WWF games will always be at the top for me.

I never enjoyed the Yukes games much.   Some were decent, but they always felt somewhat clunky and unresponsive.....even the better ones.

I played WWE 2k19 and it was pretty decent.    Not great, but it had enjoyably elements.    Then, I guess they destroyed 2K20.  

2K took last year off and said they were committed to making a great game with many features that fans have been asking for...like GM mode.   Ill believe it when I see it.  

Amazing how sports games never give fans what they request these days. GM Mode is the only mode I'd care about these days, even a bare bones one. It's what made SvR 2006 so good and so ridiculously replayable. GM Mode + Tremendous Roster. They even made it so you can challenge titles in Exhibition to if you wanted. They killed GM Mode in 2007 when they made it super complex. Every match had to have a storyline, and a minimum time length. Also Faces couldn't face Faces and Heels couldn't face Heels. Just let me make my matches.... SvR 2006 is probably the only competent GM Mode ever made. It may be bare, but it was unlimited freedom.

[Jeezla]

The elite 4 are all the AKI N64 games.