Originally founded by the McMahon family in 1953 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, what we know now as WWE was part of the piecemeal wrestling scene of the US. 

They became known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979, although this appears to have just been a marketing decision it marked the beginning of the Vincent K McMahon era of the company. In 1980, Vince K bought his father out of the company and began to increase revenue of the company by getting it on syndicated TV all over the US. He managed to sign some even bigger names like Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper and Andre the Great. 

In the 1990’s, the Monday Night Wars started and more and more fans started getting involved. WCW and ECW tried to compete with what the WWF were doing.

In fact, even with another name change in 2002 (from WWF to WWE), names like John Cena, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley and CM Punk propelled the brand to new heights that even recent negative media attention doesn’t seem to be reducing. 

Today, UFC’s parent company Endeavour and WWE have come together to create a publicly traded company called TKO and marks the first time in the company’s history that WWE is not majority controlled by a member of the McMahon family. 

With all this history – and so much more detail that hasn’t been mentioned –  it is no surprise that WWE is the most recognised wrestling company in the entire world. 

The Best Wrestling Games

WCW Vs The World

This was a game that allowed you to choose from 60 pro wrestlers to play as. While the WCW wrestlers were the right characters, it was the fictional wrestlers that represented ‘the world’ that were the most fun – they had fake names and designs, but instantly recognised move sets of real stars from other promotions. 

This game was released in 1996 for the PlayStation One, and while it wasn’t owned by WWE at the time of release it counts as a WWE game now. 

WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain

Released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, this was the fifth game in the SmackDown! Series to be released in just three years. 

This is the game that managed to balance not only a new grappling system alongside 50 playable legends and active stars, but it also introduced an RPG-like attribute system that brought a different dimension for the players in the best-looking wrestling game of the time. 

WWE SmackDown! VS Raw 2006

By 2005, there was a move away from the frenetic arcade-style games, and this is the WWE game that started to really differentiate between how wrestlers moved and fought. Characters were in 3D, and you had to be more strategic about how you played to use both the stamina and momentum bars. 

This is also the game that introduced the wildly popular GM mode that allowed you to run either Raw or SmackDown!

WWF No Mercy

Released back in 2000 for the Nintendo 64, this is a game that remains popular despite the obvious lack of graphical superiority – people are still making mods and playing this game more than 20 years later!

Simplicity is the key here; it is rewarding for players of all levels which makes it popular and accessible for even non-wrestling fans, finding that sweet spot between playability and depth that even modern games struggle to emulate. 

WWE 2K19

We had to finish this list with a more modern entry. This is the only decent WWE game released by 2K (although it remains to be seen what 2K24 is all about). 

Released in 2018, this is the final game released by Yuke’s, and most people think that this is the best wrestling game to be released in the last decade. 

You’ll find wacky match types and a stellar roster which adds up to fun gameplay with nice graphics and tight controls that have yet to be matched in the more recent games.

Stay tuned to WrestlingAttitude, WA.Com On Twitter and Google News for more.

Popularity of WWE Video Games