Ranking (Mostly) Every Wrestling Game!

From WWE to TNA to WCW, we look at (Mostly) Every wrestling game and rank them in a tier list from worst to best. Do you agree?
0:00 Intro
0:55 Tier 7- Miscellaneous/didn't play
1:43 Tier 6- Jobber
3:10 Tier 5- Lower Card
7:18 Tier 4- Mid carder
12:03 Tier 3- Main eventer
17:50 Tier 2- World champion
20:55 Tier 1- Hall of fame
23:31 Outro
Twitter: / gamedayonyt
Tier list: tiermaker.com/create/gamedays...

[@GameDayonYT]

Okay so I forgot to add SvR 2007. The game would be slotted in the "Main eventer" tier after the the first SvR game. I'd probably move WWE 12 a little higher now that I've thought about it some more. There's no dislikes, proving that this is the definative wrestling game rankings.

[@WolfpackEntertainmentYT]

umm wm2000 was before Revenge. And No Mercy

[@skittlydoo2326]

I was going to ask where SvR 07 was 😂

[@ypgdomo]

Wwe 2k20 lmao

[@sladejosephwilson2300]

Where would you rank 12 now?

[@jayblack7804]

N64 had best wrestling games All play station wrestling games all asss & overrated & to bright

[@PoonamSharma-ov9oq]

wrestling Empire is legend of legends.

[@raahimkhan9643]

True most addicted game

[@falsevektor]

True, I play this and other MDickie wrestling games more than I've played any WWE 2k game

[@POPCATthe3rd]

Virgin 2k players vs chad wrestling empire enjoyers

[@aritrapathak2219]

Yup

[@thatmobi]

Yes

[@krizzi3king95]

Man I can’t believe this guy. This game ranking is crazy

[@beanpodgaming3875]

Agreed. He has no clue what he's talking about

[@miserlyeel]

​@beanpodgaming3875 Ever heard of the term "opinion"?

[@in4mus85]

Like 2 minutes in I scoffed. 4 minutes in I'm disgusted.

[@in4mus85]

​@miserlyeel true but maybe he could have chosen a better genre of games more suited to his opinions.

[@MisterKidd555]

SvR 2006 is still the best ever, as far as I'm concerned. It's literally the only game I play, even almost 20 years later. Give me a way to mod/program a game where I could combine elements of SvR 2006, HCTP, SvR 2011, and No Mercy, using the THQ/Yuke's engine with the old school button/controller layout, and a way to customize everything (I'd probably wind up making a roster comprised of wrestlers from like 1983 to 1994 or something), and I will give you an instant classic. I wanna see MDickie go big with his vision. His sh*t is golden, just needs some tweeks with the gameplay.

[@bravo_steve]

Fire pro wrestling world is a gem. It was more meant for cpu simulation than player vs player or player vs cpu which I don’t like. But after understanding how the game was supposed to be played, it’s a heck of an amazing game. Especially with the modding community doing an excellent job on mods.

[@TheCamSays]

Stumbled upon this channel thanks to the EA Big videos and now found the wrestling game content. Good stuff here. Have a subscription.

[@jaredgilmore5792]

Love your channel, love your work. I think the pinnacle of yuke’s games is ufc ud3.

[@CallMeLilDee]

This man is Lucky he said mostly every wrestling game, cause if not man would have been jumped in the comments by angry fans of, wrestling Mpire

[@MrSkerpentine]

Pretty sure the new MDickie wrestling game was technically a Switch exclusive at launch so it would semantically qualify

[@CallMeLilDee]

@@MrSkerpentine Mpire not empire two different games

[@lja8187]

Great as always. Please do more on "Soccer" games. Greetings from UK.

[@makmakg242]

"Has acclaim has ever made or published a great game in the history of their existence?" Burnout, the first game was good, bur it became a great game through sequels after sequels, where Burnout 3, Revenge, and Paradise (post-bankrupt era) are considered the best of the main line.

[@thatoneguyyoulove4512]

I think the predator mode for wwe 12 was literally just the wakeup taunts

[@hunte5748]

Not true it added fast pace gameplay, new and better controls, and just some other bits of details

[@crowfather0249]

@@hunte5748 New and better controls? Dude, I just played WWE '12 earlier today, and trust me, while it isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, that game could only dream of having half as good control as even SvR '09.

[@hunte5748]

@@crowfather0249 dude they are much simpler and easier to navigate you just gotta get used to it

[@crowfather0249]

@@hunte5748 Nah man. I've been playing that game for years and I can say without a doubt that the controls feel a lot less smooth and more clunky than most of the games to come before it and even some of the games after it. For 1, running feels atrocious and it takes like 5 tries to hit someone with a running attack. And when you do, it rarely ever hits completely, so you just fall to the floor like an idiot while your opponent barely flinches. Also, the controls may be "streamlined," but that doesn't mean that they're better. It just means that there's less attack options, making matches feel samey. The targeting is awful. The game for whatever reason has it set to automatic by default. Which is a pain in multi man matches, since it'll switch from target to target at seemingly random intervals. And the manual targeting ain't much better, since it barely works most of the time and you have to press the button like 10 times before it registers. And finally, tag team matches are a pain that I always avoid playing, because for what ever reason, the game doesn't allow you to play as your tag partner, and the A.I. is so bad, that they'll literally just sit there and do nothing to stop the opponent's partner from breaking up pins and submissions. Like I said, WWE '12 isn't a bad game, but the controls are the last thing that I'd use as a positive for it.

[@crowfather0249]

@@hunte5748 Also, sorry for the long comment.

[@sergiodbd]

You haven’t lived until you got 4 people playing Wrestlemania XIX, Fatal 4-way, Elimination rules, in one of the Parking Lot stages - and the only move you’re allowed to do is Irish whip. Only way to win is throwing your opponents into traffic. I think I still have one of our matches on VHS 😂😂😂😭

[@thewhitewolf58]

10:40 as someone whos been playing since 2k18 i feel that 2k22 tossing the reversal limits out the window was one of the best changes made in the series. On top of that its got a gimmick that if you press the same attack button as the player or npc (each attack type has certain animations that eagle eyed players can catch) you will auto reverse their animations.

[@LuchaGangsta]

2k22 definitely took some influences from the DoR games and the Wrestle Kingdom games for sure. If he did overseas games u gotta put king of colosseum 2 and all star pro wrestling 3

[@puffdutchtwo]

22 is amazing

[@matthewchristie2186]

​​@@LuchaGangstall star 3 and kings 2 are my fav of all time I do MMA matches all day even Wrestle Kingdom or win the GP beating the fuck outta cunts with Vader such a great game even today graphics are good for the ps2 insanity Graphically

[@calebcalvin]

just discovered this channel and I love I've almost watched every video lol

[@GameDayonYT]

Welcome!

[@brianlee2646]

The commentary is hilarious. Good job

[@SanDmaNTheFreakTrucker]

Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain is easily the GOAT.

[@viktorriquelme3735]

Indeed

[@NateTheGnat]

As much as I love Revenge and 2000, a big reason I prefer No Mercy (although it is slower) is because that game has a running grapple. But overall I think VPW2 is the pinnacle of wrestling games. The Yukes smackdown games are okay but just feel too loosey goosey compared to the tight AKI ones.

[@trustnoone3007]

That running grapple is money!

[@sergiodbd]

5:01 - rumour has it the foundations of that WCW sequel actually turned into DefJam Vendetta 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@DaPhoenix777]

No mention of SDVR07?

[@eviii1752]

You should do a video doing booker mode in Empire!

[@duderino7382]

Great video as usual! Rumble Roses was fun but (obviously) full of service. The game looked great for its time. Having heel and face versions of each character made for a deeper roster. The mud wrestling mode was gross and unconvincing, it looked like diarrhea. I don't know where I'd rank it, which means it was mediocre. Now the Simpsons game... it was absolute garbage. Hilariously broken and with nothing to offer. It was unfun, but as a kid, I played it until I got bored.

[@mynamewastakin]

Rumble Roses was actually a very competent game. The second one was actually better mechanically but worse overall if that makes any sense, lol.

[@theatbfshow7049]

If u fully played thru WWE 13, 2k14, Def Jam & Fight For NY you'd understand how underrated it is

[@hunte5748]

Yeah 2k14 is such an addictive fun filled and feature packed game, definitely in the Top 5

[@BardiXOfficial]

2K14 was the best send off, although 2K15-17 for the PS3 and X360 are literally 2K14 with an updated roster and more features, and are better than their PS4 counterparts

[@HALFSQUASHED]

@@BardiXOfficial So if i don't have any of them and was planning on getting 2k14, should i get 2k17 instead because it is newer and presumably has better graphics?

[@UndisputedCam]

14 can't be underrated when people overated the hell out of it because of the next gen version of 15

[@UndisputedCam]

​@@HALFSQUASHEDid say 15 is good the showcase mode.is really good and theirs a mode that called go to nxr or something that's only on the PS3 and 360 versions

[@XBC3-4GOTY]

WWF Attitude on PS1 is an Underrated Good Game

[@in4mus85]

Exactly

[@sergiodbd]

1st, love your videos 2nd, I am a fan of the LJN SNES wrestling games and I defy you sir, I defy you 😂😂 Edit: Me and my brothers playing Nitro/Thunder back in the day: Test of Strength > Vertical Suplex > Vertical Suplex > Vertical Suplex > Vertical Suplex > Vertical Suplex > Pin fall victory > real life fist fight

[@GameDayonYT]

I think the LGN games gave me more blisters than Mario Party.

[@sergiodbd]

@@GameDayonYT think of them as war wounds, signs of life 😂

[@russfn.]

putting 19 at mid carder is insane

[@ultraexcalibur1728]

Not really.

[@russfn.]

@@ultraexcalibur1728 how so?

[@russfn.]

@@ultraexcalibur1728 its at least top 5 at least of all time

[@jmbdamvp4330]

My favorite part was that Sting edit around 2:20

[@KingZero000]

Wcw/nwo thunder was 1 of my favorite ps1 games. The input commabds for moves made it more fun and challenging

[@nikolozgilles]

ahhh yes fresh off the press, i would break out a bag of chips if i hadn't already eaten all of them yesterday

[@LuchaGangsta]

If you included japan wrestling games. I could see them in world champion or possibly HOF tier. The 1st wrestle kingdom game, king of colosseum 2 is basically fire pro in 3d and all star pro wrestling 3

[@bichchulko5984]

Finally somebody who sees my sight on the 2K games but 2K 22 was actually really good but really man I'm mad Day of reckoning 2 belong in at least near the top of tier two that game was amazing just everything about it

[@polisanamgaming10]

nah man wrestling empire, wrestling revolution 3D and other wrestling games developed by the legend Mat Dickie are so underrated, these are the best wrestling games

[@daimian_j226]

Svr 2010 was my fav Cuzz I used to love using Superstars Threads with Jeff Hardy

[@makmakg242]

Wait, where's WWE SVR 2007?

[@GameDayonYT]

Ah shit.

[@makmakg242]

@@GameDayonYT if you can translate your thoughts about SVR 2007 being a "Main Eventer", what makes it certified to be on that tier?

[@GameDayonYT]

From my script SvR 2007 is once again an improvement to the previous entry. It's as fun as ever, but its also a very safe game. The only new things that were really added was this small area in the "crowd" where you can fight and ultimate controls which I think is hit or miss because if you try to do these ultimate control moves early on in the match, you get reversed, if you try it later on in the match guess what? You run out. Of. STAMINA. yay. GM mode is awesome and the best in the series though.

[@makmakg242]

@@GameDayonYT btw isnt there an option from the previous games to remove the stamina system?

[@megatron9339]

On WCW Nitro I always thougth Sting's Rant will always pop his nerve! 😂😂😂

[@JoshCarlos1998]

I’ve seen people complain about 06 & 07 stamina meters. Lol in the options you can turn it off, that’s the best way to play honestly.

[@timboslice1503]

Have you ever played Power Move Pro Wrestling or WCW World Tour on PS1? Neither one would be in your top 2/3 tiers but both were super fun in their own way

[@timboslice1503]

I’m sorry it was called WCW vs The World

[@WarPaintClub]

Check out Ultra Pro Wrestling if you're a fan of the N64 AKI games! Hopefully that one will be a legendary title.

[@GameDayonYT]

I backed their Kickstarter!

[@Jrz8270]

Okay but 17:10 had me bust out laughing and I hate that nobody else is commenting on it 😂

[@shadowguy20004]

What about WWE ‘13 and 2K14 ?

[@bflw9118]

i’ll recognise that bully soundtrack anywhere

[@SPAZZZZZZZ]

Btw GameDay free roaming will be added in wrestling empire soon

[@SiCxNeMeSiS]

I watched this video to see if any modern wrestling game can top my all time favorite wrestling games in which he has them in the Hall of Fame Tier. As a kid, I started with wrestlemani 2000 and I couldn't wait for No Mercy but the ring entrance missing was disappointing but then Here comes the pain that blew me away! Here comes the pain is my all time favorite! I wan't a remake of here comes the pain can any one suggest me a modern game that comes close like that game I have a Xbox Series X

[@bichchulko5984]

Yes

[@booboodafoo3247]

Bro those TNA/WWE comparisons of Booker T are jaw dropping. Incredible likeness. Why do todays devs suck so bad? Are they even trying anymore?

[@PKSunset]

For wrestling games, Dont pull us into this lol

[@RockerNathan97]

‘13 and 2K14 one of my favorites of all time 👀

[@Resu-ml2qn]

i want part 2

[@mkproductions2.042]

my fav pro wrestling videogames--- WWF Royale Rumble (1993),WWF RAW(1994),WCW Mayhem (1999), WCW vs. nWo(1998), WWF Smackdown games 2000-2011, & WWF No Mercy!!!!! best overall for me!!

[@HonkeyKong54]

Not putting the WCW n64 games in the highest category is.....no

[@in4mus85]

Yeah this dude is not a wrestling connoisseur

[@ble7330]

3:54 Turok 1 and 2. That’s pretty much it

[@Footballer_2213]

I think we can agree on 1 thing here, SVR series and Smackdown HCP is the goat

[@ReinEngel]

I bet you love Fight Forever's CAW, huh?

[@rolandobaluja7504]

I would put here comes the pain above no mercy for the backstage match time and game engine. I would pu svr2006 above both for the fact that it is basically here comes the pain with weaker backstage matches but more options to create Lockerroom, belt , and ppv. Those are awesome features.

[@iketurner8212]

Hctp is way better than No mercy. No mercy is overrated, dated, and a Nostalgia magnet. Hell even shut your mouth is better than no mercy.

[@mymyMelly]

Raw 2 for Xbox was class 🤣

[@booboo4ever24]

Not having Here Comes the Pain and Shut Your Mouth 1 & 2 has me questioning

[@bdedwards87]

You forgot WCW Vs The World.

[@solidcumbyhaha702]

You didn't add any of the ultimate muscle games? Beautiful AKI games bro redo the list again

[@demonocusmetalocus3558]

Here comes the pain is better than no mercy

[@_fadingcolors]

The only platinum you have is the one that requires 1004 signature moves?

[@VSDeluxe]

great acclaim game: Burnout 1+2, Vex, ATV Quad Power Racing 2

[@CsanadCzToth]

3:50 Re-Volt is pretty decent

[@NeroTP]

WWE 13 has absolutely the best showcase, definitely the best ps3 era game

[@Orozco694]

WWE 13 is AT LEAST world champion tier

[@xirion11]

Saturday Night Slam Masters?

[@dominationwarrior79]

nice to see WMXIX so high

[@kvltprince]

I actually searched for cheeserolling 2005💔

[@The_Noctu]

3:53 The only good ones that i remember from Acclaim were Re-Volt and Extreme-G

[@in4mus85]

Re-volt was fun

[@murmanpoet]

what about 2K14?

[@shaneg75]

2K19 is better than 16/17 and 18. Gameplay was faster and more fluid.

[@teagueroellchen2634]

There’s no way this dude forgot about SVR 2007, hall of fame game and didn’t even mention it

[@MR.__G]

Just know that def jam fight for New York is the highest tier. That game was an instant classic & def jam vendetta was also a great game. Those were the last 2 great aki games

[@jaripeoymusica1418]

2k14 was imo the best one that 2k made.

[@kazallroberts]

It is

[@KingOfHarts8]

THQ made the game but 2K slapped their logo on it

[@josephprreyes9581]

6:47 I actually like the game

[@ajmoore2201]

Svr 2007?

[@user-vo9ou5pg1z]

❤

[@matthewbenoit2066]

Here comes the pain had the best overall roster. Almost all main wrestlers from the attitude era!!! Almost all * !

[@nightnight4575]

Yes! N64 WWF No Mercy is the best! 😎❤💯

[@demetriousfish7389]

Wrestling empire is the God of wrestling games

[@apanapane]

I disagee with this ranking. Since I haven't played any wrestling game, all games should clearly end up in the haven't-played category.

[@chupisto2788]

What about AEW Fight Forever?

[@nermax7022]

mid card, great gameplay and roster but literally nothing else

[@christopherkaiser8369]

Showdown low key slaps.

[@vijayenigma4602]

WWE 2k19 is Awesome and everything is Elite Flawless Gameplay

[@LuchaGangsta]

The new aew game coming out soon looks like hctp and no mercy had a baby.

[@trustnoone3007]

How is Fight Forever if you have the game and does it live up to your quote?

[@LuchaGangsta]

@trustnoone3007 its ok definitely closet to no mercy and they just need to work on the reversals and kickout system. Other than that its fun and wven better with a group of friends. Tons of laugh

[@tonybaloney5922]

Never played the first Raw game for Xbox but heard it was trash Raw 2 however so many hours spent in just the creation menus alone 😂

[@Maxx_XIII]

Disqualifying handhelds... you eliminated two really good wrestling games, Fire Pro Wrestling 1 and 2, which were America's first official exposure to the Fire Pro Wrestling franchise and were only beaten in popularity by Fire Pro Wrestling Returns on the PS2 5 years later.

[@loboneiner1034]

You need to change the title to ranking mostly every American wrestling game because Japanese wrestling games are top tier. Virtual Pro Wrestling 2, King of Colosseum II, Fire Pro Wrestling World and Wrestle Kingdom are all in my top 10

[@KakarotOwns]

Wrestlemania 18 on gamecube is a really fun game, people don't give it a proper chance but i put so much time into it, there's a lot of fun to be had with it.

[@aritrapathak2219]

Wow

[@nicholausbell2749]

U seriously played 2k15 over 2k14

[@Mrcric134]

For me the following games come under HoF: Shut Your Mouth (insane roster) Here Comes the Pain Smackdown 2 I bought 2k14 and have to say I've never been disappointed with a wrestling in my life, super slow and controls felt horrible.

[@Damackism]

All your issues with the WWE 2k games from 2k15 to 2k19 is easily fixed. Turn off the reversal limit option ( which I do) and turn off stamina. Even still since your an AKI lover it wouldnt have mattered lol. I didnt start playing and collecting wrestling games until my 30,s. So I have no childhood nostalgia. I own and played No Mercy. To me its meh. I can see why many like it. But graphics, presentation, better looking female wrestlers and creation options is what I prefer in my wrestling games. Solid ranking though. It was hard to take it seriously. Until I caught the "mostly" part of the title. And I agree with quite a few of your ranking choices. Its a shame you never played WWE 13 and 2k14. Both are good games. Rumble Roses games are decent. Especially the first game. Once I saw and heard how you feel about bra and panties matches being in Here Comes The Pain. I figured that you not playing the Rumble Roses games were based on a personal bias against anything sexy, And female wrestling is just not your preference.

[@1983jcheat]

I agree with 90% of your rankings. Those acclaim games were terrible. 😢

[@in4mus85]

WwF attitude was good fun

[@jjarvicious]

I wish u didn't lump 2K19 in wit da other 2Ks, 2K19 is easily da best of da 2K series & I think it shoulda been inna higher tier but I understand alotta ppl don't like da 2K games jus in principle

[@GameDayonYT]

Yeah looking back I did have more fun with 19 then I did the other 2ks. I was harsh, but overall I should have put it a tiny bit higher.

[@jjarvicious]

@@GameDayonYT yea bro I was still faithfully playin 2K19 ova 22 & 23 until ma internet went out & da 2K servers wiped all damn progress & content so RIP 2 dat lol smh

[@altrujillo7947]

Firepro belongs with no mercy and here comes the pain also smack down 1 was incredible and way better than no mercy

[@laylowtrappin2559]

Chill on Def Jam bro 😂

[@fatrat600284]

Good video overall, i do disagree on 2k15 -19 being slow, the grapple and revises grapple system was cool, they were trying to implement a actual (real olympic wrestling) system to the game.

[@herbertpocket8855]

YEAH WRESTLING EMPIRE MDICKIE IS THE BEST

[@bichchulko5984]

The day of reckoning games were WAY better they were actually great

[@jjarvicious]

15:02 no ur not a 1st grader, ur jus Mac from Its Always Sunny lol

[@jaymthesn5981]

Rumble Roses is pretty good, gameplay wise.

[@keishonhill3345]

Not too many people played that but yes B-

[@matthewbenoit2066]

16:45 ?????? 😂