WCW Wrestling
Encyclopedia
WCW Wrestling is a wrestling
video game that was released in March 1990
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
. The Japanese
version was released in 1989 under the name Super Star Pro Wrestling, with a different lineup of wrestlers.
It was the first (and to date, only) video game based on the National Wrestling Alliance
(at the time, WCW
was a member of NWA). After the Road Warriors
left WCW for the World Wrestling Federation
, they were replaced on the box front, instruction booklet, and cartridge label by Sting. To date, the game has sold over 100,000 copies.
, game made by Nihon Bussan
and published by Pony Canyon
for the Nintendo Famicom
system. Released December 9, 1989, the game features play for both one- and two-player modes. It was released a year later in the United States as WCW Wrestling on the Nintendo Entertainment System
, with different wrestlers.
The game featured several puroresu legends of the era. There are some inaccuracies in the game, mainly with the birthdates of some of the wrestlers, and Big Van Vader's hometown and date of birth are not listed in order to protect his gimmick. The correct information is in parentheses next to the information listed in the game. With the exception of Road Warrior Hawk, each wrestler's finishing maneuvers were their respective moves at the time the game was created.
for at least two other WCW games. One was a canceled game for the game.com
handheld system
. The other was a sequel
to Electronic Arts
' WCW Mayhem
, intended for release on the PlayStation 2
platform (the game was later renamed WCW Mayhem 2, and eventually canceled when WCW was sold to the WWF).
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
video game that was released in March 1990
1990 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*February 12 — Nintendo releases the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America...
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. The Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
version was released in 1989 under the name Super Star Pro Wrestling, with a different lineup of wrestlers.
It was the first (and to date, only) video game based on the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(at the time, WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
was a member of NWA). After the Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
left WCW for the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, they were replaced on the box front, instruction booklet, and cartridge label by Sting. To date, the game has sold over 100,000 copies.
Gameplay
Each wrestler in WCW Wrestling has eight "selectable" moves, two Irish whip moves, and a finisher.Selectable moveset
WCW Wrestling differs from most wrestling titles in that the player selected his or her moveset prior to the match. Each wrestler has a menu of eight moves (with each wrestler featuring a unique moveset), of which the player may choose four (each move selected is assigned to a direction on the D-pad).Irish whip moves
These moves are performed by first initiating an Irish whip (throwing the opponent into the ropes by pressing left and B or right and B) and then pressing either A or B when the opponent is near. Each wrestler has a different Irish whip moveset (though these moves are not selectable in the moveset menu).Finishers
Each wrestler has his own finisher move. These must be performed in the middle of the ring and can only be accomplished when the opponent had two squares remaining on his health meter. The move is performed by pressing A and B simultaneously. Finishers deliver significantly more damage than a regular move and are likely to end the match in a knock-out or submission.Super Star Pro Wrestling
Super Star Pro Wrestling is a 1989 Japanese professional wrestling, or puroresuProfessional wrestling in Japan
Puroresu is the popular term for the predominant style or genre of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of "professional wrestling" , which is shortened to puroresu . The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu...
, game made by Nihon Bussan
Nihon Bussan
Nihon Bussan Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game manufacturer, commonly known as Nichibutsu . The company uses an owl sign for the company's official logo. The company has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka....
and published by Pony Canyon
Pony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
for the Nintendo Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
system. Released December 9, 1989, the game features play for both one- and two-player modes. It was released a year later in the United States as WCW Wrestling on the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, with different wrestlers.
The game featured several puroresu legends of the era. There are some inaccuracies in the game, mainly with the birthdates of some of the wrestlers, and Big Van Vader's hometown and date of birth are not listed in order to protect his gimmick. The correct information is in parentheses next to the information listed in the game. With the exception of Road Warrior Hawk, each wrestler's finishing maneuvers were their respective moves at the time the game was created.
- Giant BabaShohei Babawas a professional wrestler and co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also known as Giant Baba. Baba, along with Antonio Inoki, became one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers of his era, with a popularity in Japan comparable to Hulk Hogan's in the United States of America...
(affiliation: All Japan Pro WrestlingAll Japan Pro Wrestlingis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
)- Specialty: Jumping Lariat
- Antonio InokiAntonio Inokiis a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
(New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
)- Specialty: Octopus Hold
- Akira MaedaAkira Maedais a retired Japanese professional wrestler, also known as Kwik-kik-Lee for his time on the British Wrestling show World of Sport. He helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s....
(UWFUniversal Wrestling Federation (Japan)The original Japanese-based Universal Wrestling Federation was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion from 1984 to 1986, formed by wrestlers who had left New Japan Pro Wrestling. It was a pioneer in the shoot-style of pro-wrestling, which emphasized realistic moves. It was revived as the...
)*- Specialty: Capture Suplex
- Genichiro TenryuGenichiro TenryuGenichiro Tenryu , real name Genichiro Shimada , is a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling...
(AJPW)- Specialty: PowerbombPowerbombA powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
- Specialty: Powerbomb
- Riki ChōshūRiki ChoshuMitsuo Yoshida , better known by his stage name Riki Chōshū , is a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a wrestler and a booker...
(NJPW)- Specialty: Sasori Gatame
- Jumbo TsurutaJumbo Tsuruta, better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta, was a professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling for most of his career, and is well-known for being the first ever AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National...
(AJPW)- Specialty: Bridging Belly-to-back Suplex
- Bruiser BrodyFrank GoodishFrank Donald Goodish was an American professional wrestler who earned his greatest fame under the name Bruiser Brody. Goodish was an All-State football and basketball player at Warren High School, Michigan, and played football at West Texas A&M University...
- Specialty: Running Knee Drop
- Road Warrior HawkRoad Warrior HawkMichael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
- Specialty: BrainbusterBrainbusterA brainbuster is a professional wrestling throw in which a wrestler puts his/her opponent in a front facelock, hooks his/her pants, and lifts him/her up as if he/she was executing a vertical suplex. The wrestler then falls onto his/her back so that the opponent lands on his/her head while remaining...
- Specialty: Brainbuster
- Road Warrior AnimalRoad Warrior AnimalJoseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
- Specialty: PowerslamPowerslamA powerslam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of his/her opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam and the scoop powerslam.-Emerald Flowsion:...
- Specialty: Powerslam
- Big Van Vader
- Specialty: Avalanche Hold (Front Powerslam)
- Abdullah the ButcherAbdullah the ButcherLawrence Robert "Larry" Shreve best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times The Madman from the Sudan, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time...
- Specialty: Sudanese Meat Cleaver (Running Elbow Drop)
- Stan HansenStan HansenJohn Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
- Specialty: Lariat
- André the GiantAndré the GiantAndré René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
- Specialty: Jumping Hip Drop (Seated Senton)
Other games
WCW Wrestling was the working titleWorking title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
for at least two other WCW games. One was a canceled game for the game.com
Game.com
The Game.com is a handheld game console released by Tiger Electronics in September 1997. It featured many new ideas for handheld consoles and was aimed at an older target audience, sporting PDA-style features and functions such as a touch screen and stylus...
handheld system
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
. The other was a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
' WCW Mayhem
WCW Mayhem (video game)
WCW Mayhem is a professional wrestling video game by Electronic Arts, which shares its name with a World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view event. The first WCW game produced by EA, it was released for PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in 1999 and for the Game Boy Color the following year.The game...
, intended for release on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
platform (the game was later renamed WCW Mayhem 2, and eventually canceled when WCW was sold to the WWF).
External links
- GameFAQs game info page for WCW Wrestling
- A Japanese review for Superstar Pro-Wrestling, the basis for WCW Wrestling
- WCW Wrestling at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...