Pro Wrestling is a 1986 pro wrestling video game. Nintendo developed and published Pro Wrestling for the Famicom Disk System and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The original game was first released in Japan on the Famicom. In the following year, 1987, the NES version came out in America and Europe. Pro Wrestling wasn’t the first wrestling-related game to come out on the NES. M.U.S.C.L.E. (1985) and Tag Team Wrestling (1983) both came out before Pro Wrestling. This proved that, at the time of Pro Wrestling’s release, wrestling-related video games were in high demand. Pro Wrestling supports both solo gameplay and multiplayer gameplay.
Today, Pro Wrestling is relatively easy to get ahold of. Gamers can pick up a second-hand copy of the Pro Wrestling cartridge on Amazon for under $8. Of course, gamers will need to have a console to play a physical cartridge, but they can pick up the Hyperkin RetroN 1 AV Gaming Console for NES for around $25. This is a great modern alternative if getting a classic NES proves too difficult. Plenty of other resellers and second-hand shops have Pro Wrestling. Steel Collectibles has the cartridge for $12 and The One Stop Shop has it for $12.99. Players can also find Pro Wrestling in the Nintendo Entertainment System™ bundle for the Nintendo Switch. Players need a Nintendo Switch Online account to access this NES classics bundle.
For gamers who don’t want to invest in a physical cartridge and/or console, Pro Wrestling is also online. RetroGames.cz has an online version of the game that is completely free to play. RetroGames is a great online resource for classic games. It has a massive catalog of retro games that can be played for free without a download. RetroGames’ catalog includes games like Rambo: First Blood Part II (1986), Out Run (1986), and EarthBound (1994). Potential players can also find Pro Wrestling on other websites like Free 80s Arcade.
At the time of Pro Wrestling’s release, the game received high praise. Computer Gaming World, an American gaming magazine that ran from 1981 to 2006, said Pro Wrestling was Nintendo’s Best Sports Game of 1988. Computer Gaming World went as far as to say that Pro Wrestling was “the only wrestling game that really understands what it is simulating.” It was praised for its action-packed gameplay, visually appealing graphics, and realistic moves. Other publications continued to praise the game years after its release. In 2001, Game Informer ranked it 79 on a list of best video games ever made and claimed it was a trailblazer in its genre.
Pro Wrestling Premise
As the name suggests, Pro Wrestling is a wrestling simulator video game where players can choose from one of six wrestlers. The goal is to win enough wrestling matches to earn the right to face King Slender, the Video Wrestling Association (VWA) Champion. King Slender is one of the six playable characters in the game. If the player chooses to play as King Slender, they’ll battle Giant Panther as the VWA Champion instead. Outside of this simple goal, Pro Wrestling doesn’t have much of a plot or overarching story. It focuses on the wrestling gameplay above all else.
Each match is a one-on-one round where players cannot back out or tag out. Players can leave the ring, but they’ll need to re-enter before the referee’s 20-count. If the referee finishes the 20-count, the player receives a count-out loss. It’s worth noting that Pro Wrestling has a referee inside the ring. It was one of the first wrestling games to do this and its portrayal of the referee is realistic. To win a match, players have a large array of moves and tactics they can use.
Pro Wrestling Players Can:
- Basic Moves: Punching, kicking, and running attacks
- “Lock Up” Moves: Body slams, piledrivers, and various other professional wrestling moves
- Wrestlers can climb the turnbuckles for high-fly attacks
- Pick up downed opponents to land more blows
- Pin opponents
Pro Wrestling features a single-player mode and a multiplayer mode. In single-player, the player must win five matches before facing King Slender. Each match has a five-minute time limit. Once they defeat King Slender (or Giant Panther if the player selected King Slender as their playable character), they’ll win the VWA Championship and become the VWA Champion. The game doesn’t end there, though. As the champion, players must defend their title. Players must complete 10 matches against the other five wrestlers. Once they win 10 matches, they face Great Puma, champion of the Video Wrestling Federation. Defeating Great Puma earns them the inter-promotional VWA/VWF Champion title, which is the game’s true ending.
In multiplayer, each player can choose a different wrestler. They will be unable to select the same wrestler. Multiplayer doesn’t have the five-minute time limit or the championship quest. A best-of-three system decides each match.
Pro Wrestling Main Characters
©NintendoComplete / Nintendo – License
Pro Wrestling features six playable wrestlers. The player gets to choose which wrestler they want to play and the rest fill out the opponent roster. Not much is known about these wrestlers outside of their professional wrestling stage name, their wrestling stats, and what country they represent.
The Playable Wrestler Roster:
- Fighter Hayabusa: Fighter Hayabusa is a Japanese professional wrestler. The game’s developers took inspiration from Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki to create Fighter Hayabusa. His in-game stats are:
- Nation: Okinawa, Japan
- Date of Birth: September 18, 1951
- Height: 6′ 2″
- Weight: 230 lb.
- Specialty: Back Brain Kick
- Giant Panther: Giant Panther is an American professional wrestler and if the player chooses to play King Slender, Giant Panther will act as the Video Wrestling Association (VWA) Champion. His in-game stats are:
- Nation: U.S.A.
- Date of Birth: November 5th, 1952
- Height: 6′ 6″
- Weight: 320 lbs.
- Special Moves: Iron Claw, Head Butt
- Other Names: Ultimate Human Weapon
- Kin Corn Karn: Kin Corn Karn is a Korean professional wrestler who blends his knowledge of Karate with wrestling. According to the game’s lore, a rumor about Kin Corn Karn suggests he’s a descendant of an ancient Korean ruler. His in-game stats are:
- Nation: Pusan, Korea
- Date of Birth: 8. 4. 1942
- Height: 6′ 1″
- Weight: 280 lbs.
- Special Moves: Mongolian Chop, Karate Kick
- Other Names: Living Karate Tool
- King Slender: King Slender is an American professional wrestler and the Video Wrestling Association (VWA) Champion. He’s based on real-life pro wrestler Ric Flair. His in-game stats are:
- Nation: Georgia, USA
- Date of Birth: February 09, 1961
- Height: 6′ 5″
- Weight: 280 lbs.
- Specialty: Backbreaker
- Other Names: Cold-Blooded Warrior, Jr.
- Star Man: Star Man is a Mexican professional wrestler. At least, Star Man’s aesthetic leads people to believe he’s from Mexico. No one knows exactly where he’s from and most of his private information is kept from the public eye. He specializes in acrobatics. His in-game stats are:
- Nation: People guess Star Man is from Mazatlan, Mexico
- Date of Birth: Unknown
- Height: 6′ 2″
- Weight: 220 lbs.
- Specialty: Somersault Kick, Flying Cross Chop
- The Amazon: The Amazon is another mysterious professional wrestler who wears a mask to hide his face and true identity. No one knows anything about his personal life. He uses illegal tactics in the ring and can even cause his opponents to bleed. The Amazon inspired Blanka, a character in Street Fighter 2 (1991). The Amazon’s in-game stats are:
- Nation: Unknown
- Date of Birth: Unknown
- Height: 6′ 1″
- Weight: 230 lbs.
- Specialty: Outlaw Choke, Piranha Bite
- Other Names: Half-piranha, half-man
The Final Boss:
- Great Puma: Great Puma is the final boss in Pro Wrestling and the champion of the Video Wrestling Federation. If players can beat Great Puma, they become the Video Wrestling Federation Champion and win the game. Great Puma’s in-game stats:
- Nation: The best guess is Caracas, Venezuela
- Date of Birth: Unknown
- Height: 6′ 4″
- Weight: 250 lbs.
- Specialty: Every wrestler’s specialty in the game
- Other Names: The Perfect Wrestler
Pro Wrestling Titles in the Series
Despite the popularity and praise that Pro Wrestling received, it never got a sequel. Pro Wrestling is a stand-alone game that paved the way for many more wrestling games to come.
Pro Wrestling Cheats, Genie Codes, & Glitches
©NintendoComplete / Nintendo – License
In the early days of video games, it wasn’t uncommon for developers to build cheats, codes, and exploits into their games on purpose. Since game progress usually couldn’t be saved and the difficulty level typically increased rapidly, developers evened the playing field for gamers by including ways to cheat. Unfortunately, Pro Wrestling wasn’t one such game. There aren’t many ways to cheat in this game. That said, a few tips and tricks are floating around the internet that may prove beneficial for modern gamers.
As always, it’s important to keep in mind that this game is nearly 40 years old. The following codes and glitches may not work for everyone or every time they’re used. That said, this is the most recent information available for the Pro Wrestling NES version.
Easy Running Attacks Glitch
According to GameFAQs user captainsilvers, there’s an easy glitch to take advantage of that will help players win every match. Captainsilvers says, “Due to the way the game handles the computer dodging a running attack, it is possible to always hit such a move on a CPU opponent. When you attempt a running attack on a CPU opponent, he will attempt to dodge it by moving up the screen (in other words, towards the north ropes). Obviously, if the CPU opponent is already as far up the screen as he can go, it will be impossible for him to dodge your running attacks. Therefore, to easily win a match, just keep him in that area and continually use running attacks.”
Pro Wrestling Game Genie Codes
To use the following codes, players need to have access to a Game Genie cheat device.
- Infinite health: OZSTGTVS + NTSTIVLE + SASTTTEY + YTSTYVZA
- Have 5 seconds to get back in the ring: IEETTZGP
- Have 10 seconds to get back in the ring: ZEETTZGO
- Have 30 seconds to get back in the ring: TOETTZGO
- 2-second pins: ZAVVTGLA
- 5-second pins: IAVVTGLA
- 7-second pins: YAVVTGLA
- Rounds are 1-minute long: PEXIKYIA
- Rounds are 3 minutes long: LEXIKYIA
- Rounds are 8 minutes long: AEXIKYIE
- Rounds are 10 minutes long: ZEXIKYIE
- Skip the Intro Screen: AAUETALA
Standard Codes
GameHacking.org has a list of cheat codes for Pro Wrestling. This list includes Game Genie codes and Standard codes. The Standard codes are as follows:
- Player 1 Character Modifier: 018E:??
- Player 2 Character Modifier: 018D:??
- Infinite Energy: 0067:EF
- Infinite Time (Minutes): 0087:09
- Infinite Time (Seconds): 0086:3B
- Weak Opponent: 0077:00
Pro Wrestling Cheats FAQs
If players Google “Pro Wrestling video game NES cheats”, the frequently asked question results don’t turn up with any relevant topics. Some of the questions include “What is the famous NES cheat code?” and “What are cheat codes for NES?”, but these are generic NES-related inquiries. None of them relate to Pro Wrestling specifically. Googling “Pro Wrestling video game NES” doesn’t turn up anything that hasn’t already been covered in this guide.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©NintendoComplete / Nintendo.