WWF: WrestleFest was released in 1991. To the shagrin of many fans, this arcade game never made it to home consoles. The game offered a a roster of some of the top superstars of that era, as well as gameplay that was impressive at the time (and to some extent, still is). The game featured signature moves, taunts, steel cages, and even weapons. Although a button masher, the gameplay was relatively easy and the moveset was pretty diverse.

WrestleFest was the successor to the arcade game “Superstars.” The game featured Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Big Boss Man, Jake “the Snake” Roberts, Earthquake, Mr. Perfect, Sgt. Slaughter, Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, Demolition, and the Legion of Doom (typically non-playable). Very simply, the players had energy bars which could be refilled by inserting coins. The controls consisted of two buttons and the joystick. The game depth was surprising considering only two buttons were used. There were two basic game modes, Royal Rumble and Saturday Night’s Main Event. Royal Rumble was much like its real life counterpart, complete with new competitors running in every few seconds and even cutting promos in a small picture in picture frame (albeit muted). The one change in the rules was the added ability to pin your opponents in the ring as well as toss them over the top rope to eliminate them. Saturday Night’s Main Event saw tag team action progress you towards winning the championship from the Legion of Doom. It was in this mode where some more diverse game play could take place, such as out of the ring action, weapons, steel cages, etc…

The control allowed you to grapple as well as brawl while standing. Pressing both buttons allowed you to run and perform attacks as well. As your opponent would tire, you would be able to (easily) execute your trademark maneuvers. Playing as Hulk Hogan (for example), a simple press of the attack button at the head of your fallen opponent would execute the Hogan Leg Drop. One small enhancement which I have yet to see in another wrestling game to date was the ability to have several bodies pile onto a fallen opponent for a pinfall attempt.

Perhaps the 8-bit NES was not capable of handling this game, however the Super NES or Genesis could have without doubt. Sadly, the game died in the arcades. Instead we were given a new engine from Acclaim, which was enjoyable, but paled in comparison to WrestleFest.

Any time I chat with fellow fans about wrestling video game, WrestleFest always comes up in conversation as one we all loved and miss dearly. We all agree that if this game were to be released for Xbox Live Arcade, we’d buy and play it in a heartbeat.

Here is what I wish to accomplish: GET WRESTLEFEST ONTO XBOX LIVE ARCADE. Clearly I’m not alone in my desire to see this game revived, and this is a message we need to send to the powers that be as a unit. I hope that if we band together in one centralized place, our voices will be heard loud and clear. Please help me in this quest.