Image result for fire pro wrestling world
If you're on this blog, you're likely a pretty diehard wrestling fan. Perhaps you're also a gamer? The two tend to go hand in hand, don't they? So, outside of WWE related games (including WCW and ECW since they are now properties of Vince's empire), let's take a look at the five very best releases. With luck, you'll find a new favorite. Note that I am only including titles released in North America here, but will post about foreign titles later. I'll also post about the best WWE games later, too.

-Fire Pro Wrestling World
The newest release that will be covered here, Fire Pro Wrestling World is available on both PC and PS4. The biggest thing this title has going for it is a license agreement with New Japan. The game play is strategic, relying on timing and focus to overcome your enemies, and the level of customization seen here is unparalleled by any of the contemporary releases. I strong recommend checking this one out!

-Def Jam: Fight for NY
The best game of the series, Fight for NY is pure fun. It, of course, helps if you are a fan of the rappers that make up the roster, but the over the top violence makes for pure entertainment either way. The fact that Henry Rollins has a part in this makes it even better. If you want to give this one a spin, it was released on the PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox.

-Saturday Night Slam Masters
This classic Capcom arcade release was a gem that seems to have been largely forgotten, with WWF Raw being released around the same time. That said, there are several fun connections with this one to other fighting games, and it's a fun game that doesn't take long to get the hang of.

-Tecmo World Wrestling
Released of the NES, this one was revolutionary at the time with replays, commentary, huge movesets, and more. Beating the Blue King was one of the most memorable fighting game moments for me when I was young and, upon replaying this title recently, I can say it is still a nice title even today.

-Rumble Roses
Say what you will about this over-sexualized game (released around the same time games like BMX XXX was coming out) but it was actually a solid release and I appreciated that it was had an all female roster, even if they thought it was a good idea to include mud wrestling options. Because kids were embarrassed to play this, fearing their parents might ask questions, it seems to have been lost to time. The mechanics made this better than it should have been, and I wouldn't mind a modern take on it if they were to give it a feminist twist.