10 Landmark Wrestling Video Game Firsts

6. First Actual WWE-Branded Title (WWE SmackDown: Shut Your Mouth)

wrestling video game firsts
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May 5, 2002 was a massive day in the history of professional wrestling. As the name most readily-available to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre, the World Wrestling Federation ceased to be. The McMahon family didn't go out of business, far from it, they simply rebranded as World Wrestling Entertainment.

This took a bit of getting used to for everyone involved, including fans. It was strange to watch WWE programming on television, then return to playing WWF SmackDown: Just Bring it, which had only come out at the tail-end of the previous year. The next game would set that right and update the branding.

WWE SmackDown: Shut Your Mouth was released exclusively for the PS2 in the latter months of 2002. By that time, the WWE name had started to sink in a little more and the game itself was wonderful, but Shut Your Mouth was historic for more reasons than simply being a great release.

It was the very first wrestling video game to feature the WWE brand, doing away with the long running WWF logo being splashed across box art.

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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.