Creating The Ultimate Wrestling Game

6. Nostalgia!

Aew Vs Wwe Game
2K Games

Who doesn't love a bit of nostalgia from time-to-time?

Relying purely on nostalgia to sell wrestling is only going to last for so long, but if you can mix in that nostalgia with a more modern approach to the industry, that can prove to be complete gold.

By just casting your eye over the past year of the wrestling business, there's WWE bringing back the In Your House set for NXT, there's AEW doing a Bash at the Beach special, there's the brilliance of the relaunched NWA, and there's even the RetroMania video game on the way that pays homage to the beloved WrestleFest.

Whether it's legends, classic arena setups, or even the inclusion of defunct promotions of yesteryear, having a nostalgia factor at play in a wrestling game is always a welcome inclusion amongst gamers - particularly those gamers of a certain vintage.

Of course, as WWE and 2K Games have often used as a marketing tool, including elements of nostalgia in a game can also deliver the lure of so-called dream matches - with WWE '13 famously using the prospect of CM Punk vs. Steve Austin as the lead part of its promotional push.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.