Bumps, Heels, and Faces: Building a Wrestling Empire

Wrestling Empire is a game created by a diehard wrestling fan (literally) for diehard wrestling fans all over. Wrestling Empire isn't a fighting game, and it's not quite a sports simulator either, but a canvas for mayhem inspired by the most make-believe sport on the planet. From the time it launched in January 2021 to where it is right now, the game has literally quadrupled in size, with more content and updates yet to come. As long as creator Mat Dickie keeps delivering those generous updates to what was an already brilliant base game, most of us will just keep playing.

At this point it has gone beyond just being one of my favorite games from 2021; it's also likely to be my most-played game of this decade (I have 500 hours clocked at the time of this story being published). I have no doubt I will look back on the game years from now as an all-time favorite.  

The popularity of pro wrestling video games really peaked during the early 2000s. For many of us, pro wrestling at one point became a widely watched TV product. Naturally, the video game tie-ins were inevitable, which was probably a great way to prevent kids from trying wrestling moves at home (from experience, we copied the stuff from TV regardless). Back in the day, those of us with N64s were having an absolute riot playing WWF No Mercy with friends in between rounds of Mario Kart 64 and GoldenEye.

Those over on the PlayStation front had the hugely successful WWF SmackDown! (an IP which now survives under the guise of WWE 2K) when taking a break from highly competitive rounds of Tekken 3. Wrestling games were once the ultimate couch multiplayer romp, and it also helped that you could use the games’ creation suite to invent your own comical wrestlers. More often than not, these creations were our alter egos brought to life.

Wrestling as a video game genre is a bit like playing with action figures, powered by a virtual overdrive of imagination. For those of us who love the spectacle of the sports entertainment product on TV, and also the creative energy of the games, the lines of all the make-believe blur so much that the wrestling video game almost feels synonymous with the real thing. At its best, a wrestling video game provides players a canvas for their own creative mayhem, whether it involves getting into multiplayer shenanigans with friends or creating a fantasy wrestling career and universe without any restrictions. Although the genre itself hasn’t quite received the same praise in recent years, Wrestling Empire as a game encapsulates everything that made the art of virtual grappling so endearing in the first place.

The popularity of pro wrestling video games really peaked during the early 2000s.

Of course, the game's less-than-stellar Metacritic score (not to mention limited professional critic reviews) paints a rather unflattering picture, and yet the player reception has been the complete opposite of the critics. Where the dedication of the game’s intended audience speaks for itself, the community continues to grow with creators experimenting with the sandbox of tools in fun and inventive ways, with plenty of content creators on YouTube, Reddit, and X achieving things with the game that seem almost impossible. It's no doubt an ever-expanding game that is built to last.

Wrestling Empire is, for the lack of a better term, absolutely bonkers. It’s a game where players can use the wrestlers to do some pretty cool things, such as stacking 10 tables on top of one another and then body-slamming their foe as they come crashing down onto the ring canvas. There are steel cages and even explosives too, and so it’s hard not to be entertained when the game allows players do whatever it is they want to inside the squared circle. As Mat Dickie so eloquently puts it: the game can be pure magic if you allow it to be; Good or bad, you see what you want to see.

Being a professional wrestler

Although a spectacle with bright lights, rock music, and crazy stunts, wrestling is a strange art form, where the wrestlers are essentially actors who perform all their own stunts in front of a live audience. Certainly, it is scripted or even “fake” if you wish to be very blunt about it, but the pain and endurance it takes to be successful in the unforgiving pro wrestling industry are as real as it gets. The Wrestler (2008) starring Mickey Rourke was a sincere and honest insight into the incredible highs and crushing lows that come with pursuing the pro wrestling dream; though Wrestling Empire allows you to do all the fun and crazy stuff, the career mode in the game presents a more grounded experience, with life lessons aplenty. Those lessons are not just what happens inside the ring, but also things that occur in back offices and radio stations, and even battles that take place in the courtroom!

In navigating the career mode, simply learning how to play the game well enough to win matches is just a small part of what it means to succeed. As part of the complete pro wrestling journey, Wrestling Empire will have you negotiate contracts, navigate workplace politics, secure your employment, and above all else, look after your health.

Much like the real thing, health and longevity are crucial in the career mode of Wrestling Empire as well. Sure, you can put your wrestler’s body through tables or have them jump off the roof of cage structures for all the thrills, but it’s all fun and games until your virtual wrestling creation gets seriously hurt. Injuries occur in real-time during a match and can have sudden, high-stakes consequences on a wrestling career.

Sometimes an injury results in being out of action for a few months, even if it means losing a hard-earned spot on the proverbial ladder of a wrestling company, while other times it can force an early retirement which usually leads to a career in acting. Yes, the risks involved in wrestling are very much real, and the performers truly defy death in many instances. Sadly, throughout its history, the performance has led to many deaths, both in and out of the ring. It takes one misstep to cause a severe accident, at times even barely making it out alive, only to live with lifelong paralysis. Pro wrestling is a scary and often deadly business, and Wrestling Empire does in fact capture this harsh reality in its career mode.

Although a spectacle with bright lights, rock music, and crazy stunts, wrestling is a strange art form, where the wrestlers are essentially actors who perform all their own stunts in front of a live audience.

Running a wrestling promotion

In professional wrestling jargon, the term “office” refers to all the powers who work behind the scenes, the individuals responsible for not just putting on the show, but also quite literally writing the very fate of the wrestlers involved. The pencil has long served as the symbol of the pro wrestling “booker”, the person in charge of the creative direction of the wrestling product.

More than big muscles and athleticism, it is the pencil of the wrestling promoter and booker which seals the fate of the spandex warrior. The late Brian Pillman (1962–1997) famously shattered the illusion when he uttered the words “I respect you, booker man” on live television before going on to wrestle, quite literally, a giant pencil while in the buff. Be sure to check out Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2 of Dark Side of the Ring if you wish to learn more about this infamous performer who broke barriers.

Unlike the wrestling side, the booking career mode puts players behind the desk as the booker in charge of running the wrestling show and, quite literally, building a wrestling empire (hence the title of the game)! Video game fans are probably familiar with the subgenre of sports management, with games like Championship Manager notorious for their addictive loop, and even just the general culture surrounding fantasy sports teams for leagues like the NFL and NBA.

Fantasy booking in pro wrestling is a completely different beast, and if you look at the fandom today, most aspire to write a pro wrestling narrative rather than ever take a bump in the ring. Go on X or YouTube following a major wrestling pay-per-view, and you will find numerous fans presenting how they would have done things differently. It would almost be as if the audience controlled the direction and narrative of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The audience is the lifeblood of the show, and so their opinion and involvement matter. It takes the notion of “audience participation” as fan feedback and input that can shape the narrative. If fans are not buying someone as the world champion, then it just doesn’t work, and more often than not the wrestling promoter needs to deliver what the paying customers want. If the live audience is rooting for their hero to overcome the odds and win the big one, then any other conclusion would likely incite a riot. If this sounds like an exaggeration, then just look up the WWE Championship match between John Cena and Rob Van Dam, which took place in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on June 11, 2006.

The role of the wrestling booker is far more hectic than that of any ring performer. If the wrestling career mode wasn't already dramatic enough, then the booking career mode takes the drama and politics to a whole other level. When you’re the one in charge, every wrestler’s problem becomes yours. In the game, you have to focus on maintaining the morale and health of your wrestling locker room, all while competing against rival wrestling companies as you build your audience all over the globe.

You literally scour the world map here, everywhere from the United States to Japan, Australia all the way to Greenland. It’s about figuring out where you want to build your audience, but you don’t want to spread yourself too thin, nor do you want to go on a conquering spree as the taxes start to add up quickly.

As a booker, your true enemy is the budget, on top of which the company owner constantly breathes down your neck by setting unreasonable deadlines. Sometimes these intrusions can even be regarding your creative plans, where the owner may ask you to do the uncomfortable task of firing someone, or even decide that the world champion you carefully built up needs to be replaced immediately by someone else. Anyone who follows the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the wrestling business will find this all too familiar.

With budgets come wrestler contracts, requiring careful negotiation with each talent on the roster. Everything is on the table, from appearance fees to upfront payments and additional clauses such as downside guarantees, health insurance, and even creative control. The contract negotiation can be quite the back-and-forth chess match, and things get especially tricky if the wrestler also happens to hold one of your championship titles, giving them the upper hand in the bargaining process.

More than big muscles and athleticism, it is the pencil of the wrestling promoter and booker which seals the fate of the spandex warrior.

If all the backstage logistics weren’t demanding enough, there’s also a show to put on. As the booker, your job is to produce and direct compelling in-ring competition that can win over the fans, and depending on where you are on the map, the audience expectations will be different. It’s all about reacting to the audience, everything from the type of match to the style of performers who appear on the show.

Wrestling can be quite diverse, and the numerous wrestling promotions that exist today are proof that there’s something for everyone. Whether you're after the grandiose entertainment style of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the almost sumo-like discipline of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), or even something really out-there like the “Death Match” shock value of Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), it’s all available.

The ring is where the real magic happens, and as the booker you want your talent to put on the best show possible for the live audience. This isn’t just to draw big crowds to earn that gate revenue but also to get high TV ratings. In Wrestling Empire, each contest is scored on a 5-star rating system, adapted from the conventional rating system popularized by the long-running publication Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and there are several ingredients that go into making a wrestling match.

First, there needs to be chemistry between the competitors, preferably a longstanding feud, and a little microphone drama helps too. Then the action needs to be paced to keep the audience engaged, making sure each competitor gets sufficient ring time with a variety of wrestling maneuvers. It also helps to plan out a few key sections where the violence is turned up a notch (mostly involving steel chairs!), and finally making sure that the match doesn’t overstay its welcome.

The way this all translates into gameplay is where Wrestling Empire succeeds in creating the most immersive and involving pro wrestling experience on a virtual canvas. The game lets you take control of all the participants, including the referee, switching between the performers and building a compelling contest to a satisfying crescendo. It’s both challenging and satisfying as you watch the 5-star scale fluctuate in real time, and it’s especially heartbreaking when the rating takes a dive just when you thought the crowd was in the palm of your hand.

Hitting the fifth star and breaking the scale is where it all pays off, but if you’re struggling then it’s worth calling it home early while the match is still hot. There’s a little risk and reward involved here: do you play it safe with a reasonably engaging match, or do you take chances to hit the highest rating even if the effort could backfire?

As you go up against rival wrestling companies, it's a battle of ratings, crowd attendance, and territories. As part of the vicious nature of the business, it’s also about stealing top talent from other companies with an offer too good for them to refuse. It’s certainly difficult to succeed in all of these areas at the same time, and sometimes the price of being the #1 company can be quite high, as production costs get out of control and wrestlers demand higher salaries. And yes, should you fail to meet expectations, you can indeed get fired from your managerial role. If you want a real-life case study, look no further than the turbulent history of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as retold in the bestseller Death of WCW (ECW Press).

Wrestling Empire succeeds at providing the most involved and hands-on video game experience as a wrestling promoter, with all of the ins and outs. For wrestling fans, this is the sort of experience they can lose hours into. It is a completely different gaming experience to the wrestler career mode.

As you go up against rival wrestling companies, it's a battle of ratings, crowd attendance, and territories.

Pro wrestling is an art

What made wrestling as a video game genre so unique back in the day was how it basically felt like playing with virtual action figures. Wrestling is, in a sense, a bunch of men in spandex pretending to be superheroes, and so this translated extremely well into a video game setting. Early on, the games allowed players to really have their way in terms of the characters they wanted to create, and all the wild things they could do in the ring. Over time the games became more realistic to simulate wrestling as a "sport", and although the creation options became advanced, the experience eventually became far too cumbersome for its own good. Wrestling games were all about making things as simple or complicated as the player wanted it to be, and while they were great as a sandbox for players to enjoy on their own, the games were equally as chaotic and fun in multiplayer too, where more was always merrier. As time went on, the developers started to control too much of the experience by dictating how the game should be played, rather than letting the player dig through and uncover things on their own.

More than just an homage to wrestling games of yesteryear, Wrestling Empire is the outcome of a genuine passion project by one man over a period of two decades, and it also serves as a reminder of what made wrestling as a video game genre so distinct from anything else in gaming. Originally launching for PC under the name of Wrestling Mpire as a culminated evolution of smaller wrestling game projects, the same game went through subsequent iterations on PC and mobile devices (most notable being Wrestling Revolution 3D) before finally reaching its current state as Wrestling Empire on Switch.

The simple visuals also complement the deceptively simple gameplay, where things can be easy to get into but offer plenty of room for inventive gameplay. Modern wrestling games have featured all sorts of superficial systems and mechanics, everything from stamina bars to reversal meters, but in Wrestling Empire the core gameplay is kept intuitively simple on the surface, yet allowing numerous possibilities in execution. For newer players, it is worthwhile heading into the training mode which serves as a pretty cool wrestling camp. All the actions and commands are mapped perfectly onto the Switch controller, and while there isn't a huge move set for each wrestler, you're still able to create a lot of awesome wrestling moments with freedom.

In trying to add layers of gameplay systems and mechanics, modern wrestling games tend to restrict the flow of action during gameplay, but in Wrestling Empire the simple yet effective tools allow players to create art on the wrestling canvas. Whether it is telling a story in a wrestling clinic, creating absolute chaos with weapons during hardcore matches (chainsaws included!), or even coming up with silly match types, whatever the player wants to execute during a wrestling match, the game allows it. This mad and unrestricted creative freedom makes the experience instantly gratifying from the get-go.

The best part is that the career mode can be tailored to however the player wishes to approach it. For me personally, it was all about chasing titles and the satisfaction of adding another belt to my shoulder. For some, it may be about landing at the right wrestling promotion or experimenting with the creative direction of their wrestling character. There are a lot of highs to enjoy, such as engaging in a competitive rivalry over championship gold, landing an amazing contract, or participating in non-wrestling segments. At the same time, players must also experience the lows of the wrestling business, whether it's rigid management, working with nagging injuries, or being betrayed by colleagues. All the triumphs and heartbreaks of the wrestling business are captured here.

More than just an homage to wrestling games of yesteryear, Wrestling Empire is the outcome of a genuine passion project by one man over a period of two decades, and it also serves as a reminder of what made wrestling as a video game genre so distinct from anything else in gaming.

What's great about the career mode is that you really feel like a part of a larger wrestling universe. There are multiple promotions across different countries, with each offering its own rosters, championships, and preferred style of wrestling programming. There are TV tapings to attend, pay per views to sell out, TV interviews to participate in, and occasionally you'll be offered steroids too. All while you are navigating the wrestling business, other wrestlers also have their stories unfolding at the same time too, as the industry news keeps you updated on all the developments, everything from new champions being crowned, to wrestlers changing promotions (or even getting fired!), and everything else in-between. Nothing is set in stone, because the business is constantly evolving and changing, and so to be part of a bigger picture really helps with the immersion. 

Where the wrestler career mode is fixated on wins/losses and achievements for a wrestling avatar, being a wrestling promoter completely changes the paradigm. Being a promoter means thinking about the bigger picture (easier said than done!) and managing several talents instead of just yourself. It's about building up your roster of wrestlers and managing the business side of things in terms of contracts and other workplace politics, and it's also about booking the right champions who can draw the crowds consistently. There is intricate strategy and planning that goes into all these aforementioned aspects, and things get especially dicey when an existing titleholder demands more money and perks during contract renegotiation!

The booking mode also requires playing through matches, and in fact, it requires you to play far more matches than the standard wrestling career. It is here you get to experience, firsthand, how pro wrestling actually works as a combat performance art, as you are literally in the director's seat. 

Being able to take control of all of the match participants, including the referee, means that you are producing the best possible matches for the live audience. The whole process is very organic, as reacting to the audience means paying attention to the time, the pace of the back-and-forth action, the degree of violence, and above all, the chemistry between the competitors.

All of this happens in real time, and no two crowds are the same in their expectations. It helps to go in with a plan, but for the most part, it's about "calling an audible", as so many times I've changed the finish and winner of a contest simply because of the crowd response. Sometimes feeding into the crowd impulse means breaking attendance records, even if it involves crowning a new world champion on their first match. But then, it's also about reliability and consistency, and so it helps to pay attention to your undercard performers who are putting on the highest-rated matches, and gradually prepare them to become reliable headliners.

Being able to take control of all of the match participants, including the referee, means that you are producing the best possible matches for the live audience.

To be a champion

Wrestling Empire is a celebration of all things pro wrestling, encompassing the good, the bad, and even the ugly of the wrestling business. For fans of the craft, this is a game for anyone who has ever been enamored by the larger-than-life make-believe that is sports entertainment. A true return to form for wrestling video games, especially for gamers reminiscing the golden age of virtual pro wrestling, they finally have a place to call home again. Wrestling Empire isn't a fighting game, and it's not quite a sports simulator either, but it is a canvas for mayhem inspired by the most make-believe sport on the planet.

Wrestling Empire by Mat Dickie @MatDickieDotCom is available now on Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and PC (via Steam).