8 Cancelled Wrestling Video Games

2. Super Mario Spikers

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Nintendo

Next Level Games just wouldn't give up - but nor could they catch a break. Some years after THQ nixed their out-the-box WWE Titans: Parts Unknown idea, the studio again tried to get a non-traditional fantasy wrestling sim off the ground. Again, it failed to launch.

Nintendo were absolutely chuffed to bits with the studio's efforts to combine the beautiful game with their best boy Mario for the Wii's Mario Strikers: Charged, and offered them an increased budget and greater creative freedom for their next project. Next Level began development on another Mushroom Kingdom sport sim, this time based around volleyball, but once more they couldn't resist the pull of the squared circle.

Super Mario Strikers gradually transformed into a volleyball/wrestling hybrid, featuring hyper-pronounced arenas based around the franchise's established characters. Sadly, Next Level's dreams were to be dashed a second time; Nintendo refused to greenlight the game, with one of the developers enigmatically citing that it was down to "a Japanese honor thing."

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.