Five Nostalgic WWE Games To Get You Pumped For Raw 25

Tonight is a big night for World Wrestling Entertainment fans, as it marks the 25th anniversary of Monday Night Raw. Along with a number of big name superstars from today’s era, the show will also feature many WWE legends, including The Undertaker, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, the APA, Chris Jericho and many, many more. In fact, we’re trying to figure out how they’ll all be crammed into a three hour timeframe.

While you wait for the show, however, it helps to get in a pretty good mindset for it by playing something from the olden days of gaming. Sure, you can enjoy WWE 2K18 as much as the next guy and see how well Shinsuke Nakamura can handle “Macho Man” Randy Savage (the cream of the crop!), but you can also delve into a number of older favorites and have a good time with your friends.

Here now are five classic WWE (and WWF) gaming experiences that will get you in the mood for Raw 25!

WWE All Stars (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii)

Released in 2011, WWE All Stars definitely leans more towards the goofy style of wrestling, with over-jacked dudes coming to the ring and delivering the kind of high-flying slams that you just don’t see in real life. But the game is a blast, featuring a loaded roster of old and new superstars alike, as well as power moves that are just as much fun to watch as they are to execute. Plus, there’s also Fantasy Warfare, which creates iconic match-ups that just wouldn’t happen in real life. Of course, you can create your own and answer the question, “Hey, who would win in a fight between C.M. Punk and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin?” If you don’t mind John Cena and Hulk Hogan looking like bodybuilders from hell, then you’ll find these All Stars to be right up your alley.

WWF Wrestlemania 2000/WWF No Mercy (Nintendo 64)

When it comes to wrestling dominance on a video game console, nothing could beat the Nintendo 64. It’s gotten its fair share of great grapplers, like WCW vs. NWO World Tour and Revenge. But the WWF era was kind to the system as well, producing not one but two great classics loaded with solid rosters (The Rock! Stone Cold! The Road Warriors!) and various modes in which you could beat up your friends like crazy. The graphics look a little dated nowadays, but there’s no question that these games are as fun as ever. 2K Sports could learn a lesson here, and team up with AKI Corporation to create its own arcade-style wrestling spin-off. As Sean Connery once said on the Celebrity Jeopardy sketch, “You’re sitting on a gold mine, Trebek!”

WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game (PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Sega Genesis)

Some may argue that WWF Wrestlemania doesn’t live up to other games that were released because of one key reason – its very small roster. And it’s true, it only has seven playable characters when it could’ve easily had like twenty or so. But Midway does a lot with very little, making each wrestling match-up in this Arcade Game way more fun than it deserves to be. The controls are not only responsive, but a fun balance of in-ring tactics and arcade moves; and the graphics are fun to watch too, especially when Doink the Clown literally electrocutes someone in the ring with his joy buzzer. Plus, the commentary by Vince McMahon (yep, that’s him) and Jerry “The King” Lawler is hilarious. “Hit him. Hit him!”

WWF Wrestlefest (Arcade)

Older WWF/WWE games are hard to recommend because, well, most of them weren’t that good. But there was something magical about WWF Wrestlefest, the arcade game released by Technos in 1991. This game has replay value galore, whether you’re wrestling alone against some tough AI-driven opponents, or going up against friends in a full-blown contest of body slams and dropped elbows. Plus, the roster is loaded with all kinds of superstars, including Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, and they all perform up to the standard of their original counterparts. Oh, and did we mention the game is a complete blast in multiplayer? This game deserves some form of re-release, and I hope we get it.

WWE Crush Hour (Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube)

A WWE game that isn’t a wrestling game? Believe it or not, yes. In 2003, THQ released this game, putting wrestlers in control of big, super-sized vehicles as they duked it out in vehicular destructive fashion. It was an unusual theme for the wrestling league, and one that didn’t quite sit well with certain fans, but there’s an undeniable charm to it. Plus, you actually get to see “Stone Cold” Steve Austin tool around in a vehicle that lives up to his “Oh, hell yeah!” persona – even though Undertaker’s car is pretty damn sweet, too. It may not be our top pick for wrestler-oriented fun, but if you’re looking for an off-shoot that has surprisingly good multiplayer, you could do far worse than getting behind the wheel with this one.