10 Landmark Wrestling Video Game Firsts

7. Steel Cage Matches On Consoles (WWF WrestleMania: Steel Cage Challenge, 1992)

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Few of age will ever forget playing WWF WrestleFest in arcades for the first time. Bright, vibrant sprites and arcade-friendly action made the game an instant classic when it was released in 1991. Aside from pulsating singles bouts, tag-team matches and the Royal Rumble, players could also contest a Steel Cage encounter.

In the 1980's and into the early years of the 90's, it was all about the convenience of taking the arcade experience into the home for the video game industry. The idea of playing a Steel Cage Match in WWF WrestleMania: Steel Cage Challenge was the main selling point of the game, released in 1992 on NES, Sega Master System and even the handheld Game Gear platform.

Like many others on this list, the game hasn't stood up to the test of time, but that's not necessarily the point of inclusion. It was the very first console wrestling game to feature a steel cage, something surely considered notable.

The titular Steel Cage bouts weren't really helped by the empty gameplay (no finishing moves?!), but it was a key feature if nothing else.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.