10 Best Wrestling Video Games Ever

2. WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain (Playstation 2)

The fourth and undisputedly best game in the original Smackdown series was already bolstered by the company boasting the most stacked roster in its history €“ and it shows. The Rock, Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero...all current competitors at the time and playable here, and that's just the start.

Of course, it'd mean nothing if the game itself didn't measure up, and oh boy, did it deliver. Here Comes The Pain merged the series' hallmark fast action with an added level of technical nuance, improving grappling mechanics and introducing key components like weight detection, damage display and submission metres that made for a near-perfect gaming experience.

Add to that the solid as hell storyline mode, crap-tons of match types (including debuts for Elimination Chamber and, erm, Bra and Panties matches) and near endless replayability value courtesy of both of the above, and you have about as close to perfect a wrestling game as you could wish for. Plus, you could elbow drop people from a helicopter... A HELICOPTER!!!!