WCW Wrestling

WCW Wrestling (a.k.a. World Championship 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.
==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 puroresu, 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, including Giant Baba, Antonio Inoki, and Stan Hansen. 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 only two wrestlers to appear in both Super Star Pro Wrestling and WCW Wrestling are Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal.
==Featured wrestlers==
Note: many of the finisher names in WCW Wrestling are inaccurate. For clarity's sake, the "real" name of the move will be given in parenthesis.
*"Nature Boy" Ric Flair
**Specialty: Jumping Neck Breaker Drop
*Lex Luger
**Specialty: Neck Wringer (Octopus Hold)
*Mike Rotunda
**Specialty: Double Arm Suplex (Tiger Suplex)
*"Taskmaster" Kevin Sullivan
**Specialty: Brain Buster (Powerbomb)
*Sting
**Specialty: Scorpion Death Lock
*Rick Steiner
**Specialty: Belly to Belly Suplex (Capture Suplex)
*Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
**Specialty: Flying Body Press (Running Knee Drop)
*Road Warrior Hawk
**Specialty: Lariat
*Road Warrior Animal
**Specialty: Powerslam
*"Dr. Death" Steve Williams
**Specialty: Oklahoma Stampede (Avalanche Hold)
*"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert
**Specialty: Jumping Elbow Drop
*Michael P.S. Hayes
**Specialty: DDT (Brainbuster)
*WCW Master
**Specialty: ? (Jumping Hip Drop)
==Trivia==
*WCW Wrestling was originally a 1989 Japanese game called Super Star Pro Wrestling. The game featured several wrestlers legendary in Japan, such as Big Van Vader, Abdullah the Butcher, Giant Baba, and Antonio Inoki. It also featured Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk, who are the only two wrestlers to appear in both Super Star Pro Wrestling and WCW Wrestling. On Super Star Pro Wrestling's character select screen, the left column of names are Japanese wrestlers, while the right column are American wrestlers. This is why some of the WCW wrestlers have odd finishers - they're using the moveset of their often-inappropriate Japanese counterparts:
**Lex Luger is based on Antonio Inoki
**Ric Flair is based on Giant Baba
**Mike Rotunda is based on Jumbo Tsuruta
**Kevin Sullivan is based in Genichiro Tenryu
**Sting is based on Riki Chōshū
**Rick Steiner is based on Akira Maeda
**Ricky Steamboat is based on Bruiser Brody
**Road Warrior Hawk is based on Stan Hansen (Yes, even though he's in both versions, the WCW Wrestling version of Hawk is not based on the Super Star Pro Wrestling version. This is why the US version uses Hansen's trademark Western Lariat as a finisher)
**Michael P.S. Hayes is based on Road Warrior Hawk
**"Dr Death" Steve Williams is based on Big Van Vader
**Eddie Gilbert is based on Abdullah the Butcher
**Road Warrior Animal is the only one that remains unchanged.
*WCW Master is based on André the Giant, who also appears as the boss of Super Star Pro Wrestling. His mask is reminiscent of André's "Giant Machine" gimmick.
*While WCW Master is an "unplayable" boss character, it is actually possible to play as him using a (possibly unintentional) cheat code. The password N5-J 1BT5 RZD/ will start you off as WCW Master with a 20-0-0 record (however, the graphics becomes very glitchy when WCW Master is used).
*In the game, Rick Steiner's first name is incorrectly spelled with no k.
*The digitalized voice sample at the title screen that says, "World... Championship... Wrestling!" was performed by Paul E. Dangerously.
*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.
==Other games==
WCW Wrestling was the working title 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).
==External links==
*GameFAQs game info page for WCW Wrestling
*A Japanese review for Superstar Pro-Wrestling, the basis for WCW Wrestling
*WCW Wrestling at GameFAQs
Category:Video games
Category:World Championship Wrestling video games
Category:Wrestling video games