8 PC Wrestling Games Only True Fans Will Remember

8. Rock'n Wrestle

1985's Rock'n Wrestle by Australia's Melbourne House has the distinction of being the first wrestling video game ever released for personal home computers. Known as Bop'n Wrestle in the U.S., this 8-bit brawl fest was notable for featuring sampled sound effects including a referee's three count and a ringing bell. The inclusion of sampled audio in home computer games was fairly rare at this time.

In singles mode, gamers would play as a stereotypical, muscle-bound wrestler named Gorgeous Greg. Greg would compete against a rogues' gallery of 1980s wrestling archetypes including a punk rocker, a masked luchador and a hillbilly. As a product of its time, each wrestler had an identical move set, with only their head sprite and attire color serving as distinguishing physical attributes. In two-player mode, gamers were allowed to choose which wrestler they played as, though for all intents and purposes this didn't really mean anything.

Despite breaking new ground,this game was not well received upon its release. The controls were understandably limited and the wonky ring view during game play coupled with the wrestlers' inability to move diagonally has prevented this game from ageing well. That being said, this piece of wrestling video game history from Down Under is still worth exploring for vintage video game enthusiasts and professional wrestling historians.